Spray Mist System

[Scott Shepherd]

I need a spray mist system and I'm looking in MSC's online catalog and the prices range from $20 to whatever. Unfortunately they don't show photos of 90% of them. I have a bunch of aluminum to cut and I need to get a simple, inexpensive system. Not looking to spend $100's of dollars.

I've used the Kool Mist systems in the past, but again, I have no model numbers or photos.

Anyone got any recommendations? I need to get it ordered ASAP.

Thanks-
Steve

Let me edit that. They have plenty of photos, but they show the complete units when I think they are actually only selling a nozzle or a piece.

[Guy Mathews]

Scott,

Dejavue. I am getting ready to cut my aluminum parts for my CNC build and I am up against the same gun as you.

I found this one at MSC

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...01181&PMT4NO=0

and a similar unit at McMaster Carr for 119.00. Both work off of air pressure. I am going to check Harbor Fr. as well. I will be the guinea pig as I am hoping to have one of these ordered next week.

We have always had good results with McMaster Carr and a buck twenty ain't bad when you consider the cost of bits. I was cutting some .0625 brass last week and I just WD 40. A squirt here a squirt there. Worked great but for the amount of aluminum that I have to cut, I figure it is time to add another tool to the CNC arsenal that will give me a little more freedom from the flying metal chips.

Guy

Whoever gets wet first will have to let the other know!!!!

Guy

[Scott Shepherd]

Guy, I ordered one from Travers. They seemed to have more of the Kool Mist product line over there. Got the one with the snap loc line (for better or worse) for $99 including a gallon of coolant and a bottle of the concentrate. My metal comes in Monday afternoon, that in Tuesday, so we should be cutting metal by Wednesday. I'll report back.

[Steve knight]

if you can stick with 6061 then you don't need cooling. also if you spend the money on the right o flute bits it helps quite a bit.
now if your cutting softer aluminum you never know.

[Bryan Cowan]

if you can stick with 6061 then you don't need cooling. also if you spend the money on the right o flute bits it helps quite a bit.
now if your cutting softer aluminum you never know.

I cut nothing but 6061 with an Onsrud 63-622 bit and no cooling is required. I even peck drill with the same bit.

[james mcgrew]

bryan you have come a long way!!

jim

[Bryan Cowan]

bryan you have come a long way!!

jim

I've become so efficient, I only need to run the machine once a week. How about them apples?

[Bob Savage]

I've become so efficient, I only need to run the machine once a week. How about them apples?

It sounds like you're getting lazy and need to get more work for that machine. I'm sure your (fairly) new bride is happy about it though.

[Bryan Cowan]

It sounds like you're getting lazy and need to get more work for that machine. I'm sure your (fairly) new bride is happy about it though.

Both her and my neighbors are happy that machine is seldom ran.

I'm interested in what Guy and Scott want to do with aluminum.

[Bob Savage]

Both her and my neighbors are happy that machine is seldom ran.

I'm interested in what Guy and Scott want to do with aluminum.

Not sure about Scott but I'd imagine Guy is going to build an airplane or rocket of some kind. Perhaps even a flying saucer. Probably not something run of the mill...

Oh, and if your neighbors are hearing the machine, you didn't buy a big enough stereo system for the garage.

[Guy Mathews]

[QUOTE=Bob Savage;1371039]Not sure about Scott but I'd imagine Guy is going to build an airplane or rocket of some kind. Perhaps even a flying saucer. Probably not something run of the mill...

Actually I am cutting the uprights for the gantry on my 4 spindle CNC build as well as some other parts.

Flying saucer??? I keep tellying you guys, "This ain't Rocket Science!"

Guy

[Scott Shepherd]

No idea what grade aluminum it is. It's a preanodized aluminum, sheet. It's a directory system for a lobby for an office building. Sorry, no space travel here.

[james mcgrew]

has any one built one with a garden sprayer type head and a fish tank pump?

jim

[Scott Shepherd]

Spray mist - a journey in common sense or a lapse there of......

You'd think, from a common sense standpoint, the light bulb would have gone off in my head, but that didn't happen. It stayed dark inside my head.

I was trying to cut some parts, 1/4" thick acrylic, soon to be followed by matching parts out of .040" aluminum. The acrylic kept slipping as it was finish cutting, I made a call and it was determined my spoilboard was too thin and it was impacting my hold down capabilities. So, off with the remaining spoilboard, put a brand new piece on, got it all glued down, surfaced the top. Great, good to go for my next job of aluminum sheet product.

HOLD IT.....INSERT HOT JOB HERE......

Had a rush job to cut some aluminum faced acrylic. I thought "Hey, perfect timing". So I tried out the spray mist system. Cut a few things before leaving that night and was going to come back and finish up the next morning. I came in to find a swollen spoilboard where the coolant got on it. Swelled up about 1/4" in those places.

Surfaced the table again and noticed the areas that got wet (which were now dry) don't cut well at all. Those areas turn to paper, more or less.

Tried cutting it deeper, no luck. Ruined the spoilboard completely. Got through that rush job, but ruined the spoilboard trying it out.

Fast forward to the next job of aluminum sheet. Using the spray mist system, but with no coolant, just the air. Aluminum seems to be cutting find, no chips welding to the cutter. Cut about 100 pieces, 2 4' x 8' sheets of parts, no issues. So for now, the cool air on it seems to do the trick to some degree.

So, let that be a lesson to anyone watching from a distance. Don't let coolant on the table!

Those bad spots in the table are actually sucked down deeper by the vacuum, so there's no fixing it, it's just not as dense as the material around it and it gets sucked in at a different rate than the other stuff.

Hope that helps someone. Looking back, it was a "DOHHHH" moment. Should have known.