elliotjenkins•2d agoProlific Poster

Had to pick between flood coolant and MQL on a job last week

I was running some 6061 aluminum parts for a local shop in Portland and had to decide between full flood coolant or minimal quantity lubrication (MQL). I went with MQL because the parts had tight tolerances and I didn't want to deal with cleanup. Chip evacuation was a little tricky at first, but the finish came out way cleaner than I expected. Has anyone else tried MQL on aluminum and had issues with chip buildup?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth2201d ago

I ran a bunch of 6061 parts last fall and switched to MQL halfway through. The finish was noticeably better, no staining or residue to wipe off. Chip buildup hit me hard on a deep pocket though, had to bump up the air blast to clear everything out. Once I got the air pressure dialed in, it ran smooth with no issues. Flood coolant made a mess on the first few parts, so MQL saved me a lot of cleanup time. Definitely worth it for aluminum if you can manage the chip evacuation.

wright.jesse1d ago

Wait, do you actually think MQL is better for aluminum now? Cause honestly I used to be a flood coolant all the way guy, thought MQL was just some gimmick for people who didn't want to clean up. But I tried it on a similar job last month with some 6061 brackets and the finish was so smooth I didn't even need to deburr. Had to stop and clear chips twice on a shallow slot though, so that part was annoying until I cranked the air up.