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My lead guy said to run the coolant at 10% for aluminum, and I thought he was nuts.
He told me 'more coolant just makes a mess, it's the pressure that matters' on a job last month. I tried it on a batch of 6061 parts and the finish was way better, plus I saved a gallon of concentrate. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for coolant mix that goes against the usual advice?
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the_evan1mo ago
We had a similar debate about cutting oil on our old manual lathes. The manual said a 20:1 mix, but the senior guys would just splash it straight from the can. The straight oil made a horrible sticky mess that collected every chip, but they swore it gave a better finish on brass.
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riley_west1mo ago
Totally get that! My old shop ran everything crazy rich, like 12%. Then we got a new guy from a mold shop who swore by a lean mix for everything. He said the additives do the real work once you have basic lubrication. We switched to around 7% on most stuff and not only did the sump last longer, but the parts just felt cleaner coming off the machine. It really makes you question the old rules.
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