Types of coolants used when milling aluminum

Choosing a CNC coolant depends entirely on the performance of the product and the material being used. Certain types of coolant work better than others and have different uses. You should consider whether the coolant you choose is intended only for cooling, lubrication, chip removal or all functions.

There are several types of coolants, including liquids, gels and aerosols. Liquid coolants are the most common and come in soluble oils, pure oils, synthetic and semi-synthetic liquids.

For your CNC aluminum machining project, you will need to use a coolant with a high oil content, such as pure oil. This is the best option because aluminum tends to be very sticky; therefore, you need a lot of lubricant to keep the chips from breaking away from the milling tool.

Straight oils are basically made up of mineral or petroleum oils, and will work when undiluted. Lubricants such as vegetable oils, esters and fats are essential in CNC milling.