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Tried a new coolant mix on our Haas VF-2 and the finish went all wrong
I swapped from our usual 8% mix to a 5% blend with that new TrimSol E210 stuff, thinking it would save a bit of cash. Ran a batch of 6061 parts and they came out with this weird, almost etched-looking surface that felt rough to the touch. Learned the hard way that even a 3% change can mess with chip evacuation and tool life big time. Anyone else run into finish issues after tweaking their coolant concentration?
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drewp756mo ago
That's a solid point from @wendy_clark about the chemical stain. I always blamed poor finishes just on the tool or feeds, but a bad coolant mix can totally leave residue. Had a similar thing happen with a weak mix on some steel, left a sticky film that ruined the part. Makes you check the refractometer twice now, doesn't it?
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amy_lopez806mo ago
Totally feel that. Ruined a whole batch of aluminum housings last year from the same thing. Honestly thought it was a bad tool path at first. Took forever to figure out it was the coolant concentration. Ngl, it’s such a simple fix but it causes the worst headaches. Makes you paranoid about checking everything twice now.
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wendy_clark6mo ago
Honestly, have you checked your shop's humidity lately? A weaker mix can let water evaporate faster off the part, leaving the actual chemicals behind to dry on the surface. That etching sounds like a chemical stain, not just a chip issue.
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