Painting The Interior Of CNC

[BradyCNC]

I need to repaint the interior of my CNC mill, the person I replaced didn't take very good care of these machines and the rust problem is pretty bad. I found this article but its all way above me as to where id even order stuff like this. Anyone recently repaint that can pass on some knowledge?



https://www.americanmachinist.com/archive/practical-ideas/article/21894214/covering-a-few-machinepainting-tips

"Viper LG-1000AP"

[#Rekd™]

I would think they were originally powder coated. Painting it will likely not be as durable IMHO.

If you do go down the paint route use Self Etching Primer first.

[JParis]

I'm not sure I'd worry about painting it...I'd be more concerned with getting the coolant ration correct and keeping it there....

In my experience, when you see rusting on the inside, it's way too thin a mixture ration....

JM2C YMMV

[Leon82]

Hit it with some ospho to stop the rust then use a coolant that doesn't cause it.

 

The factory paint in our mam was gone after 3 parts where the facemill threw them. 

[BradyCNC]

Do you think just painting the exposed areas where the paint has worn and then balancing my coolant levels would be ideal? I figure exposed metal on the interior isn't ideal and that would prevent me from having to paint the whole thing. As I chip away at what's rusted inside there isn't a huge amount of exposure. Luckily most of the rust is just metal that was aloud to sit and corrode on top of the painted surfaces. 

Separate question is how do i find the ideal balance of coolant to water?  Can too much concentrate be as bad as not enough?

[JParis]

1 minute ago, BradyCNC said:

Separate question is how do i find the ideal balance of coolant to water?

Refractometer

2 minutes ago, BradyCNC said:

 Can too much concentrate be as bad as not enough?

Not from a causing rusting issue but more from a waste of collant and $$$ issue

2 minutes ago, BradyCNC said:

I figure exposed metal on the interior isn't ideal

it happens on almost every machine....unless the work is all of light nature and there are no chips bouncing off the interior cabinet.

[cruzila]

This is fairly normal for the inside of the machine, vices, misc. labels and pretty much anything exposed to water based coolant. The oils present will be a deterrent to any coating sticking well for any length of time. As already noted, get the coolant level ratio correct, keep it correct and maintain the sump. NEVER add any sort of cleaner to the inside of the machine. New, fresh coolant is the best thing to clean the inside of the machine. We have a hose that services all our machines from a common inline mixer. Works good to wash down the inside, 

[CEMENTHEAD]

5 hours ago, BradyCNC said:

Separate question is how do i find the ideal balance of coolant to water?  Can too much concentrate be as bad as not enough?

refractometer.

Not here, But at my shop I used to use Castrol Hysol synthetic cutting fluid, was clear (could see thru the windows) and did not go away and would cover the walls. after the tank was low you could just hose off the walls inside with water and bring the level back up checking with a refractometer (recommended reading of 9). adding more fluid if needed. having it coat the inside of the machines there was no corrosion. just hose it down in the am not before you leave for the day. (your coolant supplier can recommend the concentration %) think refractometers are still under $100.

[BradyCNC]

Ok, so once again thanks go out to all of you for the info, i tracked down our refractometer and learned how to use that. Got the levels to the suggested amount. I was sitting at 1-3% and manufacturers recommended was 6-8% so i was a bit off. Now i know. I may still repaint just to set a new baseline standard for the shop. Keep things clean and well maintained. Huge shout out to you all. Thank you so much.  

[JB7280]

 

On 8/22/2022 at 9:00 AM, BradyCNC said:

I figure exposed metal on the interior isn't ideal 

I don't think I've run a machine that didn't have exposed metal on the inside.   Like everyone else mentioned, I wouldn't worry about painting it, it's not going to last.  Just get the coolant concentration right. 

 

This is our 2 year old Matsuura.