High pressure cooling of grinding wheels in machine tools

This application note provides an overview of the successful use of a hydraulically flexed diaphragm pump to cool machine tools.

THE INDUSTRY

The cooling of machine tools is vital to ensure that heat is dissipated adequately and hence the product being worked on is not damaged by the process.

THE APPLICATION

A leading UK manufacturer of stainless steel small hand tools had previously used a high flow, low pressure centrifugal pump for coolant transfer on grinding processes; however this pump was unable to wet the grinding wheels sufficiently. This often resulted in clogging and over-heating, and hence reduced production.

Michael Smith Engineers supplied the client with a high pressure, low flow triplex diaphragm pumps as an alternative. The high pressure capability of these pumps ensures that the grinding wheels do not clog, and the client has since reported a 15% increase in production as they have been able to increase the grinding speed. Downtime has also been reduced as the grinding wheels require less frequent cleaning.

THE SOLUTION

A Hydra-Cell G03 triplex diaphragm pump close coupled to an AC fixed speed motor has been installed to pump the coolant.

FEATURE	ADVANTAGE	BENEFIT
Stainless steel pump head	Corrosion resistant	Long pump life
Triplex diaphragm design	Virtually pulse-less flow	Smooth, consistent spraying
Hermatically sealed diaphragms	Zero leakage of coolant	No spillages, no wastage
Hydraulically balanced diaphragms	Stress on the diaphragms is significantly reduced	Reduced down-time
High pressure capability	Better removeal of build up from the grinding wheel	Reduced down-time
	Grinding wheels do not clog	Increased production speed
Close coupled	Compact design	More plant workspace