New X-Mist Coolant system for metal cutting

Hey yal’ I initially developed this little guy a few months back to help with with my metal cutting projects. It’s been working quite splendidly, so I figured I’d throw a few kits on eBay here and there to help offset the cost of my X-carve. Bolts on in about 15 minutes, and really makes a huge difference in cutting speed and accuracy. I’ve been getting about 3 times the life out of my bits so far on soft metals. Anyhoo, if you’re interested, you can check em’ out here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/X-Mist-Coolant-Sytem-for-X-Carve-CNC-Routing-Machines/303222248841?hash=item4699745589:g:XFwAAOSwqKFdKNA6

There’s even a quaint little video that goes over the details.

Cheers!

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I love the intersection of innovation and capitalism. I don’t carve metal, but clever and cool.

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Thank you sir. Certainly beats my old method of standing over the machine for hours at a time with a spray bottle of WD-40 :stuck_out_tongue: Something about inventions, necessity, and mothers…Or something to that effect.

milling 7075 aluminum right now. i’m planning on building a smaller machine specifically for aluminum, and i’ll be an aluminum wasteboard and such. can’t see liquid being good on my current mdf base

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Your assessment is absolutely correct. Liquid and MDF do not mix. I use 3/4" MDF on top of my factory wasteboard when I mill aluminum. I can generally get numerous pieces cranked out before I have to either swap them out or flip them over. A metal surface is definitely the ticket for dedicated metal work on this machine.

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I’m right there with you, having just priced out my first machines. I found one for the ShapeokoXL here:

This item is unavailable - Etsy

I don’t know how much they pay for materials but I can do one for the XXL in aluminum for $319 or HDPE for $78 and I have access to a Haas with rigid tapping so the holes should be quick and easy.

Now I just need an X-Mist. I’ll be seeing you soon!

Nice!! That’s actually pretty cool. Let me know how the project goes. I’d definitely be interested in upgrading from MDF to Aluminum, as I predominantly work will metals.

Wilco. I may have to start off with HDPE because I have a sheet of it lying around. The aluminum will be coming from Stock Car Steel in Kannapolis, so I reckon the lead time will be affected by how many race cars get torn up this weekend. :slight_smile:

J.D.

@StevenSweet I’d like to support a fine American business and buy your x-mist kit, but I have to justify to my partner spending twice the price on your kit vs this chinesium one: Mist Coolant Lubrication Cooling Sprayer System. CNC Engraving Machine USA for sale online | eBay

Maybe there’s something I missed but they seem rather similar. Can you help me out?

Absolutely. That mister looks to be the same, and probably represents the best value for hobbyist CNC applications (I ordered and tried 8 different models before choosing that particular one) But that is just the mister. What I’m selling is a turn-key kit that includes everything you need to get going quickly (custom aluminum mounting bracket, pneumatic line, mister, compressor fittings, mounting hardware, and enough concentrate to make a gallon of coolant)

So yeah, if you want to throw one together yourself, I would absolutely recommend the mister that you had in the link. They definitely outperform the rest of the “budget” misters I tested.

You had me at “I don’t have to add this to my list of modifications.” I’ll take it. What size compressor and coolant tank will I need to run say 4 to 5 hours?

Hehe…Thanks for the order Jerry! I’ll get that shipped out to ya’ asap. A gallon will cover 4-5 hours easy. I use a cheap Bostich pancake compressor (around 90 bucks on Amazon), and it works perfectly fine. You’ll want to set your PSI to 20 and then make your adjustments between air and coolant (doesn’t take too long) If you have a finicky regulator on your compressor, it might take a few minutes to get it to stay at 20 PSI. I plan on upgrading my regulator eventually. If you have any questions, problems, or issues whatsoever, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message!

I’ve got 2 and a 1/2 machines to build to start off, but when I get it up and running I’ll let you know how I get on.

Thanks again,
J.D.

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It looks like a nice product. Have you considered making a mounting bracket for the Newbe sliders?

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Absolutely. Newbe makes an excellent Z axis upgrade. I actually plan on picking one up in the not too distant future, at which point, I’ll definitely make some modifications and offer a solution for their users.

I know most people on the forum are usin the direct drive, Imy machine has two “Z” axis’s:a Hitachi on the B nd C axis and a Makita 700c on the X/Z. I am using the direct drive unit on the Makita and the belt drive model on the Hitachi(mainly to shift some of the weight from the front of the carriage to the back). However, I have found that the belt drive model actually is a much smoother performer than the direct drive model. In fact, at some point in the future I plan on converting the direct drive to the belt drive model. May I suggest that when you purchase your unit that you also purchase the top plate for the belt drive unit? Thank you.