KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
We recently built a multiple tool holder setup for our CNC lathe. The apprentice joked at the time that with only one coolant nozzle he was working too hard moving it from tool to tool. That's sort of our in-joke, he complained when I switched him from the manual lathe to the CNC that he had to change tools too often. (Truth is he'll do anything he is asked to do and does it well with no angst.)
Anyway, he made a good point. With tools of different lengths and in different positions there is always some fidgeting around getting consistent coolant flow to the tool point. So we decided to make a coolant distribution manifold the next time we had some slack time.
This was not really much of a design challenge but the resulting design was a manufacturing challenge in one respect. It would require accurately drilling a 7/16" hole 12.5" deep. The only machine we had available that had the clearance, range of travel, and accuracy needed was our manual lathe, a 15 x 50 Clausing.
The manifold required a 2" x 2" x 13" aluminum bar, a long 7/16" drill, and several packs of plastic valves, fittings, nozzles, and hose pieces.
The first step was to lay out the end of the bar and drill a center hole. Our drill press is a floor mounted type with lots of clearance so it was used to drill the center hole.
The piece was then chucked up in the four jaw chuck and the tailstock center and an indicator was run down the sides. It was very easy to get the sides parallel within a few thousandths.
With the piece supported by the tailstock center a turn was made on the end, just enough to get a full diameter. This turn was then used with the steady rest to support the piece while drilling out of the tailstock.
An 18" long 7/16" drill with 15" of flutes was ordered from drillsandcutters.com. A short drill was used to spot the hole and then the long drill was used thereafter. After drilling a couple inched deep it became a process of drilling .2" deep, unclamping and pulling the whole tailstock back to clear the chips, sliding the whole tailstock forward, locking it down, drilling another .2" deep, rinse and repeat... Oh well, I needed some upper body exercise anyway.
With the hole drilled to depth the part was put on the manual mill and a shelf was cut on one side. Six holes were drilled in the top and tapped. The end hole was also tapped. One of the ratchet wrenches in my set fit the pipe tap perfectly and that made tapping very easy in the aluminum.
After cleaning up the piece the plastic ball fittings were screwed into the holes, the shutoff valves were popped onto the fittings, and the piece was mounted to the CNC lathe cross slide using some of the accessory holes. The coolant hose was hooked up, and a full array of hoses was snapped into place. (By the way, buy the tool, it makes snapping together the hose pieces real easy.)
We don't keep all the hoses in place all the time, but the flexibility this gives us is very useful. Having multiple distribution points is very handy. We can use a zip tie to hold down a hose to a long drill to get fluid all along the length, and with a little replumbing we can accommodate thru-tool cooling.
I thought this solved our problems, but now the apprentice complains that he has to shut off and turn on too many valves. Looks like some solenoid valves wired to the I/O board are in order...
Anyway, he made a good point. With tools of different lengths and in different positions there is always some fidgeting around getting consistent coolant flow to the tool point. So we decided to make a coolant distribution manifold the next time we had some slack time.
This was not really much of a design challenge but the resulting design was a manufacturing challenge in one respect. It would require accurately drilling a 7/16" hole 12.5" deep. The only machine we had available that had the clearance, range of travel, and accuracy needed was our manual lathe, a 15 x 50 Clausing.
The manifold required a 2" x 2" x 13" aluminum bar, a long 7/16" drill, and several packs of plastic valves, fittings, nozzles, and hose pieces.
The first step was to lay out the end of the bar and drill a center hole. Our drill press is a floor mounted type with lots of clearance so it was used to drill the center hole.
The piece was then chucked up in the four jaw chuck and the tailstock center and an indicator was run down the sides. It was very easy to get the sides parallel within a few thousandths.
With the piece supported by the tailstock center a turn was made on the end, just enough to get a full diameter. This turn was then used with the steady rest to support the piece while drilling out of the tailstock.
An 18" long 7/16" drill with 15" of flutes was ordered from drillsandcutters.com. A short drill was used to spot the hole and then the long drill was used thereafter. After drilling a couple inched deep it became a process of drilling .2" deep, unclamping and pulling the whole tailstock back to clear the chips, sliding the whole tailstock forward, locking it down, drilling another .2" deep, rinse and repeat... Oh well, I needed some upper body exercise anyway.
With the hole drilled to depth the part was put on the manual mill and a shelf was cut on one side. Six holes were drilled in the top and tapped. The end hole was also tapped. One of the ratchet wrenches in my set fit the pipe tap perfectly and that made tapping very easy in the aluminum.
After cleaning up the piece the plastic ball fittings were screwed into the holes, the shutoff valves were popped onto the fittings, and the piece was mounted to the CNC lathe cross slide using some of the accessory holes. The coolant hose was hooked up, and a full array of hoses was snapped into place. (By the way, buy the tool, it makes snapping together the hose pieces real easy.)
We don't keep all the hoses in place all the time, but the flexibility this gives us is very useful. Having multiple distribution points is very handy. We can use a zip tie to hold down a hose to a long drill to get fluid all along the length, and with a little replumbing we can accommodate thru-tool cooling.
I thought this solved our problems, but now the apprentice complains that he has to shut off and turn on too many valves. Looks like some solenoid valves wired to the I/O board are in order...
