[ninefinger]

Hi guys - looking for some advice on where to get a reasonable size coolant pump for my mill. I have a fully enclosed (on the sides and bottom anyway) MD-001 (its a big ZX45 - same as IH mill).

I currently have a little diagphram pump that is rated 1 GPM @ 0 psi and must be much less at its max of 60 psi. It just isn't doing the job of flushing the chips out of the pockets.

Anybody have a source for a pump in the 3 to 6 GPM range (180 to 360 GPH) with a reasonable pressure output (need to pump 6ft of head to get to the quill) for single phase power (120 or 240 VAC ok)?

I found an ebay seller of these pumps but I emailed him and he only has 3 phase motors :violin: Filterable Coolant Pump 1/8HP 180mm 3PH 220/380/460V | eBay

I suppose if I have to I can buy a cheap VFD to drive it but that seems like overkill...

Anyways...I wait for a flood of responses

Mike

[Bubba]

ninefinger,
I started out using a pump out of a defunct ice maker. This worked for a while until my weak filtration system decided to let some swarf in and it broke the impeller and the housing. So I salvaged the motor and took some dimensions. Made up a "pedestal" pump from pvc pipe and fittings. For the impeller, I drew one up in cad that was an approximation of the original and cut it out of 1.2" aluminum on my machine.

Things to remember about a centrifugal pump. Pressure head is proportional to speed squared. Flow is proportional to speed. My original motor is ~3500 rpm and I can achieve a flow of about 5gpm at a head of 5'.

Just another thought

[ninefinger]

Thanks Bubba for the tips but as the motor I have is no where near up to the job I don't see myself reusing it on a centrifugal type pump.

I checked out one of the other sellers I've dealt with in the past - KBC tools and they have a single phase, shaft type coolant pump at $108. KBC Tools & Machinery, Inc. As I need to buy coolant too (one that won't go rancid) I'll probably order both at the same time. Works out to close to the same as the ebay seller after shipping etc. and doesn't need a VFD to drive it...

Mike

[tkubic]

I hear large coffee filter and fish tank pump in 5 gallon bucket.

If this is a viable route I am sure to do it at some point. I haven't actually looked into this very deeply but I know I've heard from several people.

Just a thought.

[Harry_Y]

I know I am late to the game but what about something
like a Maxi-Jet 400, 600, 1200 style aquarium pump.

I use these in my Saltwater aquarium,
they are inexpensive and just keep on working.
(I've never had one fail)

[SuperFlyLoser]

I plan on using one of these. 12VDC brushless motor and 350GPH, looks pretty nice. You could hook up one of those wall-wart power adapters and use the 12VDC from that.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/350GPH-DC12V-Brushless-Heating-System/dp/B002PH4994/ref=pd_rhf_dp_shvl1"]HERE:[/ame]

SFL

[mattbesquare]

I used a pond pump I bought on ebay for about 15.00 .. it was sealed and ran on 120vac that I hooked too a relay I had plugged into my C11 break out board. Pushed a lot of coolant through, and the pond pumps can handle a fair amount of contaminents.. The hardest part was setting up the relay controled outlet-however no reason you couldn't just plug it into a powerstrip and then switch it on when needed.

[LUCKY13]

I wander how the Holley electric fuel pumps would work? Those suckers put out something like 100 or more gallons per min. There a vain type pump with a 12v motor so it would be easy to control and they are about the size of a 350 oz/in servomotor. They also have a built in regulator that you can change the spring in and get what ever pressure you want. The good thing about them is they will still give the volume while holding pressure so coolant flow should be quite good. Best I rememeber they are around $100.00 bucks though.


I am going to use the power stearing pump from a import car for a CNC controlled oiling system but these pumps would not last without luben (atleast I dont think they would). They would be very good and cheap if the collant used has a lubricating additive. You have to drive them with a motor but it doesnt take much. If they hold up did it would be real quite.

I may have a extra one so I could try one. Any idea on what coolant would be good to try? I have never used coolant so I dont know the different properties of each.


Jess

[ninefinger]

I ended up buying the pump from KBC that I linked earlier in this thread. Its nice and easy to setup - I'll take a pic and post it later.

As far as other types of pumps - well a fuel pump even at 300 GPH is still less than this pump - almost half actually and then there is the whole issue of can it handle contaminants (probably not) plus a wall wart will not have enough juice to run it almost guaranteed.

I almost considered a pond pump or even a sump / septic pump but the ones I could find locally were rated a lot higher on their output - all I want is to flow the coolant - not a water jet to cut with (ie high pressure) or to fill a pond / pool (ie 1500 GPH).

The unit I got is very capable, flows the right amount and if I choke it off a bit it keeps running quietly without complaint - I have to have it almost completely off before I hear the pump cavitate (bad btw).

In this case a pump designed for the job seems like the right way to go.

my 2 cents.

Mike

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Real coolant pumps are high flow, very low pressure, so the 5 foot "head" you require will significantly reduce flow. But, that KBC pump should work fine. I'm running right now on a $60 900 GPH submersible utility pump from Ace Hardware. Performance is not terribly different from the much more expensive real coolant pump I have. It has a garden hose outlet, making hookup easy, and it pumps down to about 1/8" of water. Since it's a centrifugal pump, and the motor is thermally protected, it'll run all day without water with no harm.

Regards,
Ray L.

[ninefinger]

Well here is a pic of the pump in place on top of the rubber maid container that holds the coolant. I at first thought I was going to have to fab up a frame to hold the pump but it sits on the lid just fine.

Also a shot of the output. I aimed it away from the cutter to try and show how much output I get. The pump was easy to hookup too as it has a 3/8 NPT port connection that let me hookup a hose no problem.

Mike

[rwskinner]

Any idea on the flow of that pump or max pressure? The web site doesn't have any information regarding that pump, other than a Deluxe model. Opps. I overlooked the site - 9.5 GPM.

Is it a vane or centrifigul? If centrifigul, what type of height/head will it handle?

Richard

[ninefinger]

Richard,

I went to the Flair website before I ordered it and found this pdf.

So looking at the curve for the 1/8 hp model (single phase) my 5ft of head (1.5meters) still gave me an acceptable output of 9.5lpm (2.5GPM).

Its a centrifugal pump so I imagine it wont mind the occasional chip getting pumped, though I did try and put a screen around the intake to keep the bigger stuff out.

Mike