diamond tip engraving on glass wears out in days.

hello, I hope this is the right group to post to. sorry if it is not. At the company I work for we have a few engraving machines and we engrave in glass and silver. the problem the engravers have been having is the engraving bit diamond tip for glass is wearing out in a matter of days instead of months like it was a year ago. Now I'm new to engraving and just from looking in the dept it is a messy and dusty enviroment, and the soluble oil solution they use is nasty looking. From what they tell me is it was only changed once when a motor went, they just add water. Also the glasses aren't cleaned before engraving them. Now to me this seems to be the problem. Am I right? could there be another cuase, along with these?

thank you for your time, Kristofer O

Reply to
KristoferOlafsson
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"KristoferOlafsson" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

Abrasive particles in the cutting fluid will drastically reduce diamond life. The cooling fluid should be filtered prior to re-injection to the cutting zone. If it's never been changed or filtered, you may as well be feeding it sandpaper.

Reply to
Anthony

Seams like diamond (which is just a pretty piece of carbon) doesn't tolerate extreme heat real well. Turns to CO2....

I wonder if there is something wrong with the coolant/lubricant.

Also, I've heard that diamond tools don't hold up well in steel because the carbon devolves in steel. Are there contaminates that carbon can readily devolve in?

Reply to
Polymer Man

================ Right on!!

You need a general clean-up of the area, and all new coolant in the machines after through purging.

Contaminated coolant not only causes excessive tool wear and corrosion, it is also a health hazard as it promotes rashes, skin infections, etc. It also tends to smell like a privy.

Given the small amount of coolant you will be using, I suggest use full synthetic, and simply dumping every 30 days and refilling with new. Use the good stuff and you will be money ahead. What are the groups suggestions???

There will be a problem with the operators wanting to add more or less concentrate, so I suggest keeping the concentrate under (your) lock and key, and making only premix in a one or two gallon plastic can available.

You will most likely be better off using distilled or at least deionized water for the premix as this helps avoid scum, separation, deposit build-up and bacterial growth.

You can install spin-on type oil-filter adapters at each machine to insure only filtered coolant is getting to the tools. [c.

20$US at car parts stores -- chose one that takes standard ford/chevy spin-on -- cheaper!]

Standard automotive filters worked well in several applications for me, although the operators kept [wanting to] remove the filters rather than replace because they clogged up. If you use a sub-micron filter, be sure to use a roughing filter as these will clog almost immediately otherwise.

The real stinky coolant bacterial growth is anaerobic, so you can eliminate most this by putting a cheap aquarium aerator in the separate machine tanks.

You will most likely need to remind the operators not to spit and/or dump coffee dregs in the coolant sumps, and stay on their a** like a mustard plaster for the first few weeks on the housekeeping.

Spending a few bucks on cleaning supplies/equipment such as a shop-vac for this area may pay big dividends.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Unka George (George McDuffee)

...and at the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of the late deceased, and the epitaph drear: ?A Fool lies here, who tried to hustle the East.?

Rudyard Kipling The Naulahka, ch. 5, heading (1892).

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

Hey Thanks Anthony, F. George and Polymer Man

Thanks for the help guys, I was just thinking if I could uses a filter and now that I know I can that is great.. Now another question I had was: the fluid they use is something like a 30:1 mixture of water and soluble oil made by the New Hermes(gravograph) company. Are there better oils and mixtures to use? the fully synthitic idea I like I'll look into it.

I open up the container for the fuild. and you were right, nasty stuff. eh it had "chunk" of stuff.

Thank you aga> >

Reply to
KristoferOlafsson

"KristoferOlafsson" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

Check the spindle for run out, noise, and end play.

Reply to
D Murphy

That is what I thinking.

Reply to
Aluckyguess

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