Grinding processes are part of everyday production in almost every industrial manufacturing operation. Due to the nature of the process, problems such as grinding burn can often occur. Using cooling lubricants is not ideal in every grinding process. The cold air gun system (Cold Gun Aircoolant System™) offered by Eputec is a cost-effective alternative to conventional cooling methods.
As is well known, machining speed and the service life of the tools used suffer from the heat build-up during grinding. The Cold Gun from the American manufacturer Exair Corp., for which Eputec Drucklufttechnik is the exclusive distributor in the DACH region, offers the possibility of spot and localised cooling. The cold air gun cooling system produces a stream of clean, cold air at 28 degrees Celsius below the supply air temperature.
A vortex tube integrated into the cold air gun converts ordinary compressed air into two low-pressure streams, one hot and one cold. The hot air stream of the cold air gun exits at the hot end via the fitted muffler, while the cold air flows quietly from the cold air side through the flexible hose, which directs the cold straight to the area to be cooled. A pre-mounted magnetic base makes it easy to attach and portable. The illustration below clearly shows how the Cold Gun works, as described above.
The cold air guns are not adjustable, to prevent freeze-up during use. To optimise the cooling capacity of the gun, the cold airflow and temperature drop are preset at the factory.
The advantages of the Cold Gun over a conventional coolant system are obvious:
- Improved production rates
- Prevents smearing of metals and plastics
- Dry finished part
- Quiet (only 70 dBA)
- No coolant costs
- Fire protection
- Improved tolerance control
- Inexpensive: no coolant or electricity
- Longer tool life: less breakage
All this with an air consumption of 425 SLPM (standard cold air gun) or 850 SLPM (high power cold air gun) at 6.9 bar.
Experience shows that in many grinding operations, cooling lubricants can be dispensed with and spot cooling is an effective alternative.