Hi everyone!. I’m posting this in purpose to prevent other from same problem. Let’s make story short.
Since I have done build my MR-1 plate from SMW was installed. Nothing special until I start to work with titanium. To cut Gr 5 titanium I use Cost Cut #520 Bio-Stable Synthetic Coolant. Cut was nice and smooth but after two months of work I discover voltage between SMW plate and machine body of 1.8V. Cost me few controllers and tool setter. With ground wire installed voltage drops to zero but with ground disconnected voltage raise with 0.1V per second until 1.8V. Looks like coolant penetrates into concrete form a battery. Problem solved by removing the plate, cleaning and drying everything and also I have filled all unused holes with epoxy. SMW plate grounded after installation. SO, my next Langmuir MR-1 will be with epoxy granite instead of concrete. Period.
What are you grounding the baseplate to? From my understanding the ATS exposes +5VDC and is floating ground, so I would think simply bonding the plate to chassis would be ok, but curious if you are seeing issues with that, as that would also bond +5VDC to chassis (albeit with no return path).
Fusion 2240. Works great with no etching or adverse effects.
I noticed my base plate also has a connection to ground - which I thought was odd. This was causing me issues when I was upgrading to an Acorn controller. I ended up ditching the Langmuir setter and probe. Exposed 5v on the setter and probe is a questionable decision.
Machine grounding is standard practice as far as I am aware. On the MR-1 it is actually a detriment.
My machine was one of first released . At least as far as I know that it has no bonding other than maybe the control box mounting to the chassis.
I have has minimal issues with it. All in all it works as expected.
Bounded to chasis, sorry for misspointing.
The control box is isolated from the machine using those 3 rubber standoffs between the machine and stand.
My baseplate, pan, and enclosure are all bonded. I’ve never really understood how since in theory the baseplate is floating in a concrete matrix.
I’m not an expert on galvanic corrosion, but it seems like the battery would be getting setup between the aluminum and steel, not the concrete, right? I’m not sure how epoxy granite would change anything except for maybe providing a marginally tighter seal.
Now that I’ve switched probe and toolsetter (since I also don’t use CutControl) I also plan to ground the machine properly. The floating voltages on the MR-1 have always bugged me.
Yes , probably galvanic reaction between steel and aluminum. Concrete just absorbs coolant. Epoxy as sealant, correct. Nothing else I can do right now. But thinking serious about migration to Masso controller and Teknic motors and properly ground the entire machine.
With all electrical connections to my MR-1 disconnected, I am getting a reading on a multi meter of .5 volts between anything on the baseplate and the the chassis. That certainly can’t be good. So is the solution to ground the base plate to the chassis???
I had hoped it would be several more years before we started hearing about the galvanic corrosion.
I don’t think it is galvanic corrosion. My base plates do not touch the concrete. When I built my machine I pulled them up before pouring the epoxy. I poured a thin layer of epoxy beneath the plates. The only interaction the plates have with the concrete is through the studs sunk into it.
After switching to Acorn, my entire machine is grounded and everything still works.
measured mine today, 0.75V from base plate to enclosure with Fusion 2240. 0.35v from plate to Y rails.
will be bonding them both as a precaution.