Water Cooled Spindle

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Leo
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Water Cooled Spindle

Post by Leo »

Besides water - or in addition to water

What do you use for fluid in your water cooled spindle?

What do you use to circulate the water?

What volume of water do you have in your reservoir?
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by garylmast »

I once tried RV antifreeze, but I was getting a lot of rust so I switched to Automotive antifreeze. It's been a couple of years and it's getting a little dirty, so maybe it's time to change it out. The reservoir is just one of those rectangular plastic crates with the folding lids you get at Home Depot and the pump is like the ones you see in a swamp cooler.

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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by Leo »

I was thinking auto antifreeze.

I don't know what a swamp cooler is.
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by ozymax »

I use standard automotive corosion inhibitor. Nothing fancy and just enough to make the water a nice green colour.
My reservoir is a recycled laundry detergent bucket with a lock down lid to keep the water away from any dust etc.
It holds about 7L of water, in which I have an inline pump mounted. http://camec.com/whale-12-volt-pump-in- ... p1392.html
My spindle is one of the 0.8kw units and I've never felt the body of the spindle even get remotely warm.
In fact it only increases in temperature when the weather gets warmer. :D
We certainly don't have the threat of freezing coolant in the tropics.

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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by rscrawford »

Water is the best liquid for carrying heat away from the spindle, assuming the spindle does not get hotter than the boiling point of water at your particular elevation.

Thermal Conductivity
Water - 0.67
Glycol - 0.25

Specific Heat Capacity
Water - 4.18
Glycol - 2.38

But that doesn't necessarily make it the best fluid to use! In engine radiators, for example, the boiling point of water is lower than glycol (antifreeze) and so at high temperatures you get less efficient transfer of heat from the metal to the water, because vapour bubbles form at the interface, decreasing the efficiency of heat transfer.

Water is also more reactive and can cause corrosion to metal parts.

In most cases, the minimal amount of heat generated by the spindle makes all this a moot point, and pretty much any liquid will work sufficiently!
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by garylmast »

I don't know what a swamp cooler is.
Where it still in the 90's here today, we all know what a swamp cooler (evaporated cooler) is. You can get the pump at Home Depot for under $20.00.
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by BArnold »

Would an aquarium pump work well in this application since it's fully submersible?

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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by Leo »

I think maybe a big aquarium pump maybe.

I have been reading dozens of posts from a few forums and dozens of youtube videos.

I saw one of the Chinese factory technicians using a pump and I saw something like it on line at 200 GPM flow rate for $25. I have also seen some heat exchangers for $37 and some inline flow indicators for $21. For less than $100 I can put a really nice setup together. I will likely setup with about 1-2- gallons reservoir.

I am thinking about 25% antifreeze and 75% distilled water. Water is the best for heat transfer - and the antifreeze for corrosion resistance.
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by Leo »

garylmast wrote:
I don't know what a swamp cooler is.
Where it still in the 90's here today, we all know what a swamp cooler (evaporated cooler) is. You can get the pump at Home Depot for under $20.00.
Today - we went from a low of 38 to a high of 83. It is now 64.
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by ozymax »

Leo wrote:
I saw one of the Chinese factory technicians using a pump and I saw something like it on line at 200 GPM flow rate for $25.
200 GPM!!!!
Are you wanting to hose out the workshop, or cool a spindle down? :lol:

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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by Leo »

I don't want the spindle to overheat. :mrgreen:

Uhhhh - would you believe 200 gallons per HOUR? :wink:

http://ugracnc.com/CNC-SPINDLE-ACCESSOR ... ystem.html
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by GeneMpls »

The top one is the one I am currently using for my 2.2kw- the other one lasted about 6 months and died. The radiator
on the same page is also the one I am using- that way you can have a closed system. Gene
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by rscrawford »

Leo wrote:I think maybe a big aquarium pump maybe.

I have been reading dozens of posts from a few forums and dozens of youtube videos.

I saw one of the Chinese factory technicians using a pump and I saw something like it on line at 200 GPM flow rate for $25. I have also seen some heat exchangers for $37 and some inline flow indicators for $21. For less than $100 I can put a really nice setup together. I will likely setup with about 1-2- gallons reservoir.

I am thinking about 25% antifreeze and 75% distilled water. Water is the best for heat transfer - and the antifreeze for corrosion resistance.
I'd stay away from distilled or reverse osmosis water. Too reactive. Better off using straight tap water with some glycol added.

I saw that 200gpm and immediately had visions of a fire hose blasting your CNC machine clear out of your shop!!
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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by ger21 »

Leo wrote:
Uhhhh - would you believe 200 gallons per HOUR? :wink:
From what I've read, the chinese spindles tend to be very restrictive, and probably only flow a few gallons per hour.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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Re: Water Cooled Spindle

Post by BArnold »

Leo wrote:I think maybe a big aquarium pump maybe. ...
Pick your size: http://www.amazon.com/SUNSUN-Aquarium-S ... rium+pumps

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