Spent 3 years using the wrong coolant mix ratio on my Haas mill

I only figured it out when a toolpath started smoking bad and a senior guy walked over, sniffed the air, and said 'that's way too much water buddy' - has anyone else had a simple setup mistake like this bite them after months of doing it the same way?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_jones727d ago

Double check your refractometer was calibrated right too, I've seen coolant ratios way off just because that tool was reading wrong. Take a sample before you trust your mix again.

cooper.mark7d ago

Wait, have you checked the calibration on your own refractometer lately? I learned that the hard way when I was trying to dial in my coolant mix last summer and kept getting weird readings. @julia_jones72 is absolutely right about that tool being finicky, I had mine drift after just a few weeks of use. I finally started using distilled water to zero it out before each session and that fixed everything for me. Its such a simple thing but it made a huge difference in getting the mix right. Now I always take a quick sample and double check before I trust the number it spits out. That little step saved me from changing coolant way too often for no reason.