I got tired of holding a squirt bottle while running CNC programs, so I had to have flood cooling. To have flood cooling, you have to have an enclosure. You need the enclosure to stop from wearing the coolant, and to guide the coolant back to the sump.
The most important part… pictures:
The details of what I did:
I built the frame from 4×4′s and 2×8′s bolted together with 3 1/2″ long 3/8″ lag screws. In some cases I had to countersink the bolts to not interfere with the liner.
I used 1×1 molding to create the sloping supports. I got the idea for this from a coolant enclosure by Lou Cetrangelo on CNC Zone.
I laid in some 1/2″ thick plywood and screwed it into the 1×1 strips.
The plywood had a notch cut into it.
I lined the inside with heavy duty PVC shower liner from Home Depot. I got the idea from Industrial Hobbies “Bench Basics”.
I used a square PVC drain and PVC piping to drain the lowest corner of the table. I gobbed the edges with silicone sealant and weighted it down to cure overnight. See my notes below about “what I would do differently next time.”
I created a stand for the mill that is supported by the 2x8s out of 2″ x 2″ 3/16″ thick angle iron, again from Home Depot. Note that the part that supports the mill is lower than the liner edges.
I got some square bellows from McMaster and cut them in half to form upside-down U shaped bellows to cover the Y dovetail. This does not keep it completely dry.
With the mill mounted, I could bolt the back Plexiglass to the mill, and then tape the side panels to the back panels. The panels all rest inside the liner.
I made a Lexan front shield that is held in place by a magnet on the vise.
I got the cheap 10 gallon Enco flood system and a magnetic nozzle. I had to get some components from Home Depot as the tubing sizes didn’t match.
I put the flood system on a plywood base with locking casters to make it easier to move and work with later.
With an aquarium pump going 24/7 I shouldn’t have any odor problems.
With the pump going, the bit and part stay cool, and the flood washes away the chips, even with really deep pockets.
Things I will change next time:
Next time, I will use a round shower drain that has a gasket and tightening ring. This means I won’t have to do anything different in the corner, and I can just use a hole saw to put the drain in the plywood. Then I can use the gasket to pull the drain into the PVC liner. I might need to rabbet the edge of the hole.
Use only Lexan (polycarbonate). I had some left over Plexiglass (acrylic), so I used that. Lexan is more impact resistant than Plexiglass. Also, Lexan *cuts* with tools where Plexiglass likes to *chip* and *crack*. Lexan is just better.
I should have made the enclosure at least 2 feet high on the sides. I ran out of Plexiglass, and will need to add some more on the sides.
I may need to make the sides of the front shield curve in.
As the stream of coolant falls off the table, it splashes quite a bit. I may add some open cell foam to form a splash resistant landing zone.
The 10 gallon Enco unit is pretty large. I think with this good of a sloped table I could have done just fine with the 3 gallon unit.
The biggest problem is the “chip basket” is just too small on these little flood units. I will need to add a screen to the top of the drain for longer machining runs.