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Thread: A Minimum Quantity Liquid (MQL) Collant System

  1. #1
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
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    A Minimum Quantity Liquid (MQL) Collant System

    A challenge when machining metal is to keep the cutter cool and lubricated while also removing chips. If manually machining, it isn’t too tedious to keep a cutting fluid soaked brush handy. But if you are CNC machining, it is a real pain to be tied down to the machine. Straight compressed air will remove chips and does help cool the cutter a little. Adding a coolant that also lubricates makes a huge difference.

    Many commercial system use flood coolant which requires a means of containing the liquid and recycling it back into the holding tank. Other systems use mist cooling which can quickly fill the shop with fog and can’t be good for your lungs. A third cooling system exist: Minimum Quantity Liquid (MQL). Very little liquid is used so there is no need for recycling the used liquid. There is also no misting so no fog. The main problem with MQL is the cost of commercial systems.

    Brian Lamb design a homemade MQL system. I built a modified version and it cost me around $175 including a lifetime supply of coolant. This cost does not include an air compressor.


    If you are interested, please see

    http://rick.sparber.org/MQLCS.pdf

    Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

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  2. The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to rgsparber For This Useful Post:

    Canobi (Nov 13, 2017), high-side (Jul 25, 2019), HUMARIA (Jul 28, 2019), Jon (Dec 25, 2015), kbalch (Dec 25, 2015), NortonDommi (Nov 13, 2017), Paul Jones (Dec 25, 2015), Scotsman Hosie (Jul 25, 2019), Toolmaker51 (Nov 14, 2017)

  3. #2
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    Thanks Rick! We've added your MQL Coolant System to our
    Heating and Cooling
    and Machining categories, as well as to your builder page: Rick Sparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:


    2000 Tool Plans
    Last edited by Jon; Sep 15, 2023 at 04:26 PM.

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    Supporting Member Paul Jones's Avatar
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    Rick,
    You have provided excellent documentation for building this coolant system. I had been thinking about buying a NOGA Mini-Cool single nozzle system but would still need a coolant tank, pressure gauge, etc. and your version and parts list has it all and would be a fun project. Thank you for showing us how to do this.
    Paul



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