I’m nearly finished setting up my mist coolant system for my HDM, I just need to find what coolant to use. I’ve been meaning to use a 50/50 water/alcohol mix for cutting aluminum but since my HDM sits inside an enclosure I’m kind of worried about the flammability of the alcohol vapors. From what I could find online, everyone seems to be using a alcohol mist system without an enclosure.
I’ve decided to put the solenoid valves and pressure regulators outside to minimize the possibility of there being a spark coming from them. I’m also using four 120mm Noctua Industrial fans, two as intakes and two as exhausts that are piped outside. My enclosure has a volume of around 36 cubic feet, At 71 CF/M each I think the fans should provide enough airflow to stop the alcohol vapors from building up.
I’ve got a fire extinguisher right next to the CNC and am also planning to mount one of these on to the roof of the enclosure. It’s good for 50 cubic feet. Am I fine running alcohol mist with these precautions? I could alternatively use Trim Microsol 585xt, but it does leave a residue everywhere. Thanks