I’m running into an issue with my coolant flow dwindling and eventually coming almost to a stop. I’ve been running the machine off and on today for about a total of 1 hour run time. It’s gotten worse as I run operations, shorter and shorted times of proper flow.
-I’ve got plenty of coolant.
-The pump IS running.
-Turning it OFF and then On will give it a boost for a short time.
-The pump isn’t clogged as far as I can tell. “Maybe further up the line?”
Thanks!
Have you taken the pump out of the reservoir? I suspect you have a bacterial growth of some sort. Blow some shop air through the coolant lines. The pump itself, I believe, has a rubber check valve or flapper inside. Not sure, though. It would be worth an inspection.
I have not had the problem yet. I change my cutting fluid every couple of months.
Are there chips in your nozzle? I had a similar issue that was resolved to be chips draining through the drain and working their way through the pump and into the nozzle.
I had a bunch of fine chips get into the tank and get into the coolant system last year. I ended up back flushing the whole system to push the stuff back out.
I’ve thought about making a split tank setup, or modifying the existing tote to let me filter out the fine material before it gets to the pump end of the tank. I’ve been running a lot of plastic dry for several months now, so it hasnt been a priority as of late.
For further information, I was using a forum user’s suggested method of chip collection. Instead of having mesh grates on the drain (as provided in the stock coolant kit) the grates were removed and everything (chips + coolant) would drain into an additional basin that had a hole cut out in it. Once the coolant would reach the hole, it would drain out of the basin and into the normal coolant tub. I had failed to add a mesh screen to the additional basin and when cutting HDPE/delrin, those chips would float to the top and out of the basin. The pump had no issue getting these larger HDPE chips pumped into the coolant system and eventually built up at the flexible nozzle.
Additionally, I had added a wash down hose with a T fitting. At the junction between the T and the wash down hose, the wash down hose split from what I presume to be the extra pressure resulting from the coolant clog.
Thanks All for the prompt suggestions. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner.
I did take the pump out because a clog was my first concern “or a failing pump”, didn’t find much evidence of bacteria, just a very light film on one spot. I was looking for chips clogging it also, but didn’t see much there either.
I ended up back blasting the entire system with air where the black hose connects to the brass fitting on the spindle housing. Took a few go’s, but it appears to have done the trick.
I’m defiantly going to look at a better way to clear tiny chips out of the coolant than what came with the MR-1.
