Coolant-Contamination

Why Cleaning Matters in Deep Hole Drilling Cleaning and degreasing before deep hole drilling prevents contamination of the coolant system and the bore surface. A part that is dirty when it enters the machine can cause tool damage, surface finish defects, and coolant degradation. Deep hole drilling uses high-pressure coolant to flush chips from the bore. If the coolant carries dirt, sand, or scale from an uncleaned part, those contaminants recirculate through the system. In a typical BTA system with a 500-liter coolant tank and 40-bar pressure, the coolant circulates through the cutting zone hundreds of times per hour. Each pass carries contaminants across the cutting edges and guide pads. ...

What I Mean by Coolant Contamination Coolant in deep hole drilling does more than cool. It flushes chips, lubricates the cut zone, and protects the machine from corrosion. When contamination sets in, every one of those jobs suffers. I have walked onto floors where operators blamed the tool, the feed rate, or the material — only to find the real culprit was degraded coolant. Here is what I look for. ...