# Near-dry machining ...



## wquiles (Jan 13, 2010)

For the last year or so Barry (who else? :devil: ) has been telling me about the benefits and advantages of near-dry machining, specially when using one of the Accu-Lube professional lubricators. 
http://www.neardrymachining.com/

http://www.itwfpg.com/acculube/acculube.html


Those applicators are unfortunately in the $1100 to $1200 range, so when I recently was able to buy brand new one on Ebay for $400 I jumped at the opportunity:

















I had to order the 10-oz reservoir, and two magnetic base nozzles as the solid copper ones that come with this package/configuration are meant for a permanent application.

I will mount the base with magnets so that I can move the unit as needed, but those hoses are 12 foot long, so my plan is to at least initially mount the main unit at the end of the lathe (tailstock side) so that I can use/move the nozzles on either the lathe or the mill. I will post more pics once I get the unit up and running 

Will


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## precisionworks (Jan 13, 2010)

Nice catch ... I looked for longer than I can remember & never found anything at near that price :thumbsup:

Quite a few aerospace & medical shops are running those.


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## wquiles (Feb 9, 2010)

I have now been using the system for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot more than the mister system I had before. It is however a lot more complicated since it has a lot more adjustments, so perhaps an overkill for the hobbyist, but I really like it a lot


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## Tom Anderson (Feb 9, 2010)

That's a very impressive coolant system. I'm glad it's working so well for you!


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## darkzero (Feb 11, 2010)

Cool, so you got it all set up? :twothumbs

Where are the pics!


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## wquiles (Feb 12, 2010)

Fair enough. Here are some pics 

The unit I got comes with two output nozzles, each one "almost" completely independent than the other. I say almost since you can vary for each output nozzle the amount of fluid that is being sent out on each stroke of the pump, and the amount of air that is used to push that fluid to the cutting surface. So although each one is independent (you can even turn either one off completely), the pump setting as to how many strokes per minute is common to both outputs. Still, this is a lot more adjustable than the misters units I used before, and the highly concentrated fluid (since you use so little) is "really" slippery - far more than the Kool Mist water-based I used before, and it "clings" better to the surfaces instead of running/dripping off like the water-based fluid.

Each output consist (like in the case of the misters) of an outer tube and an inner tube. The outer tube carries the compressed air (like in the misters), and the inner tube carries the fluid (like in the misters). The difference is that in the misters the syphon action of the compressed air near the tip sucks the fluid from the inner tube/reservoir, so by adjusting the amount of air you also adjust the amount of fluid coming out (the pattern you adjust with the tip as in the Kool Mist kit). However, in the Accu-Lube system, the pump pushes/pumps out a specific metered amount of fluid at each cycle of the pump, so every aspect is independent and adjustable - both a good thing and a bad thing. Bad since it takes a while to find the sweet balance with so many adjustments. Good because by simply opening and closing the air supply the whole units starts/stops, and there is no need to adjust "ever". Every time you stop and then start, the output is exactly the same as it was before.

With the Misters the only way to turn off is also to close the air supply, but since this stops the siphoning effect, every time you have to start the mister you have to again find the point between air and fluid to start the siphoning effect and then you have turn down the air supply until you find the sweet point with the right amount of fluid - every time you have to find it. You could simply leave the air supply at the high point to always force the siphoning effect, but this always has way too much fluid coming out, so you have more of a small stream than a fine mist, so there is no good way around it - you just get used to it and after a while you don't thing much about it.

They recommend the tip to be about 1" from the cutting surface, and it should be aimed at the cutting tooth/edge "before" it hits the metal being cut. They also tell you where to strip the inner tube depending on the type of outer tube being used. In the case of lock-line segments, it is about 3 pieces from the end:
















There is even a special wide angle tip:






So right now I have the unit held to the back of my 12x lathe with 3 strong magnets:






Air comes from my Eaton compressor at about 100 psi to a local regulator to about 85-90 psi:






and then to this home made ON/OFF "device" (don't you love how practical hot glue is?) on a strong magnet that allows for extremely easy ON/OFF operation.






and then to the unit's built-in regulator and particle filter (I guess they don't want "junk" in their finely tuned air-driven pump/regulator):






This is the inside of the unit:






These two with the arrows control the amount of fluid in each pump stroke for each respective output:






These control the air flow for each independent output:






And this is the pump/regulator, which can "fire" every couple of seconds (really slow delivery) to up to 120 times per second (if memory serves me right):






And here is one of the two nozzles that I am using (18" long which is extremely flexible/versatile):






Although the mister systems are perfect for the home shop/hobbyist like myself, this Accu-Lube system (although takes more upfront time to setup/adjust) is in my opinion a much nicer/versatile system for lubrication than the mister systems I used before.

Will


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## unterhausen (Feb 12, 2010)

is this similar to the micro-drop systems from Trico?


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## wquiles (Feb 12, 2010)

From what I have read on them, yes, basically the same thing. I was actually looking for either one on Ebay until the deal on the new Accu-Lube showed up.


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## wquiles (May 8, 2011)

metalbutcher said:


> This Accu-Lube stuff sounds interesting. I've don't want the mess of flood coolant or the hazards of the mist type. Which Accu-Lube applicator are you guys using on your lathes? How much air does it use? I'll need to get my compressor first but this Accu-Lube product is just another reason I need to get a compressor sooner than later.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ed


It does use quite a bit or air, and you need to maintain about 70-80 PSI while it is running, but it depends on your air storage tank - I would think that at least a 1.5-2HP compressor would work great.

I pretty much use mine all of the time, and it helps a lot with the finish, even on operations where you would get lots of chatter. It, and a PCD-tipped insert allowed me to turn this:






into this:






Will


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## metalbutcher (May 8, 2011)

Nice shift handle Will.

I'm looking at getting a 5HP 80 gallon tank compressor per Barry's recommendation so it'll be up to the task.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200318501_200318501

Ed


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## precisionworks (May 8, 2011)

> It does use quite a bit or air, and you need to maintain about 70-80 PSI while it is running,



I run my AccuLube quite a bit lower, around 62 psi at the regulator mounted just before the lubricator. The photo below shows about 80 psi on the gage, but that has since been reduced. On top of that, the air flow adjustments inside the box are set quite a bit below the maximum.






I believe I read in the instructions that only enough air is needed to carry the lubricant to the tool & to blow chips away. Even if a lower pressure is used, you'll still want a decent sized compressor, like the one Ed's looking at.


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## wquiles (May 8, 2011)

I just checked mine. The regulator is set to 80PSI, but as you said, you can adjust the airflow, the amount of lubricant, and the pump's timer - LOTs of adjustability


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## precisionworks (May 9, 2011)

There is so little output from the nozzles that it's hard to see. Using the "heavy" settings from the instruction manual & holding a hand in front of the nozzles, it takes a few seconds for a sheen to appear.

A coffee cup full of lubricant has lasted six months ... just be sure to wash it out before drinking coffee


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## wquiles (May 14, 2011)

precisionworks said:


> There is so little output from the nozzles that it's hard to see. Using the "heavy" settings from the instruction manual & holding a hand in front of the nozzles, it takes a few seconds for a sheen to appear.
> 
> A coffee cup full of lubricant has lasted six months ... just be sure to wash it out before drinking coffee


Yes, it certainly seems to last forever!


Another good thing about the particular near-dry system we got is that I can use both nozzles even while boring if using a coolant-through boring bar, as I can use one directed at the tip, and one to force air/lubricant through the bar:






If it is shallow boring, then aim the nozzle at the point of cutting - same as the second one as it helps to clear debris:


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