Just pulled the trigger and ordered my first CNC table (Crossfire Pro)!
I have been reading here on the forum since I ordered a week ago. Everyone on here seems to have a very supportive and “willing to help” attitude which makes me feel like I made the right decision with which table to go with so kudos to everyone on here.
I see a lot (if not all) tables are immediately modified for drains. I would have to assume the developers are working on a factory installed version or at the least an optional kit for anyone wanting to do it themselves.
Being TOTALLY new to CNC tables and not stumbling on it anywhere here yet, is it just water in the table? I vaguely remember seeing somewhere that an additive was added. Is this the reason for the drains and re-using the water? Can the water be left in the table or will it end up smelling like a swamp if not used regularly?
The table will come with a setup for the drain, the problem is that it sticks up above the table so it doesn’t let all of the water out. This is where people modify the drains to either sit below the surface (flat recess dimple die works best) or change the drain setup completely.
Some people run special additive, others mix up their own with recipes found all over the internet. The deal here is that it prevents the slats and anything that can rust, from rusting.
I drain my table after ever use. Using some sort of tank allows you to capture that water and re-use it. In-line filters will help keep junk out of the tank.
Water can be left in the table but without the use of the additives you will see your slats and material start to rust.
Probably going to make more since once It arrives but trying to be somewhat well educated before it gets here in August.
Seems easier to buy a fluid rather than start experimenting with something I know nothing about.
Any suggestions on what fluid to get and what is the life expectancy of the water before it should be changed out or will it be obvious when it’s time?
I haven’t ran anything but straight water so I may not be of much help on the fluid side. From what I read greencut is pretty popular but expensive. Not sure about life expectancy / frequency it should be changed. I believe you are supposed to filter and circulate the greencut stuff. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in.
GreenCut does not have to be changed if you keep the PH up and filter the fluid. The GreenCut website discusses the environmental advantages based on the filtering of the GreenCut fluid.
There’s also a sodium nitrite and algaecide formula on here somewhere that I used and promptLy forgot. Sorry to not be more helpful on that. However, on the drain issue, I have another take. While the stock drain does leave a little water in the table, I just let that wick into the drain (with a piece of braided copper cable that hangs over the drain hole). Takes overnight to get the last ounce or two, but leaves all the particulate in the table where I just clean it up with the shop vac. It’s a lot less complicated than the drain and pump set up with multiple filters.
Great info on the green cut fluid! Sounds like this will be the way to go. Anybody have an idea how many gallons the PRO water tray holds? Simple math to get 20:1 if I knew how much it holds.
i use water and boraxo washing powder… works pretty well for me. just put a few cups in and mixed it up in bucked then poured it in
everything looks pretty good and my cuts are not flash rusting
Contacted my Welding Sales Rep and turns out they do NOT carry Green Cut. They do however carry HYPOTHERM PLASMA COOLANT anybody have any experience with it?
Wondering if I should give it a try or search out Green Cut.
Looks like the Plasma coolant from Hypertherm is for larger machines (100-150amps) that have a torch that coolant passes through. Typically this is used to the torch and consumables from over-heating.
Good to know. Thanks for the heads up, I was going to stop in today and get more info but sounds like you may have saved me the trip. I will call first and clarify your findings just to confirm it’s uses.
I purchased a 5gal container of Pico Quench Guard from Trick-Tools. 1 gallon of Quench Guard G treats 10-20 gallons of water. So the $213 works out to $4.26/gal at the worst-case 10:1 ratio post mix.
What’s your take on it?
How long have you been using it and have you used anything else to compare it too? Never had a table before so I am going in blind and looking for any info I can get.
Only about two weeks. Just finished my water system under the table to be able to drain and fill quicker. To clean it, the trick, of course, is to let it sit over night and have all the particles settle to the bottom before you drain it. Mine is set up so that you can then flush the table out and rinse the slats off and then refill with the sterlingcool solution. so far so good.
