We have a 770MX with the flood coolant. This is just the standard 1/8 HP pump.
The pump has what looks like is probably a 1/2-inch NPT adapter to the push-to-fit. The actual spray head on the spindle also has an adapter which screws in and converts to a push-to-fit. I don’t want to disassemble this just to measure threads, but can anyone tell me the thread specs of:
The pump.
The spray head.
I’m thinking of ways to rearrange things (mainly at the pump side) and knowing what the threads are would help.
EDIT: The limited documentation on this pump shows this as 1/2-inch NPT/PT, where the PT is referring to the British Pipe Thread. It is not clear which it is, but one I think has a 55 degree angle in it, while the other is 60 degree. Even if I were to take this apart I wouldn’t trust that I have what it takes to say which this thread really is, but choosing wrong could do damage and not seal. I really need to know if this is the NPT or the British PT.
I am based in the UK and I recently upgraded the pipe between the pump & spray head on my 1100MX (2021 model) to one of 1/2” diameter. The items I purchased from Amazon, which have all worked absolutely fine were;
Thank you for the information! A couple of questions:
Is this the 1/8 horsepower pump? I’m not positive, but I think any of the Tormach mills with a 1/8 horsepower flood coolant pump should be the same threads even if they have a deeper or shallower coolant tank.
Which thread went specifically into the pump’s 1/2-inch output port?
Did you change this all the way up to the spray head on the spindle? Or is the spindle using the original adapter with the original hose size (I definitely want better flow at the pump side, it isn’t as important to me to change the tubing at the actual spray head)?
The reducer is BSP tapered thread. Is the 3/8-inch going to the spray head on the spindle? I’m not sure what the thread is on the spray head itself. Perhaps it is different than the one on the pump. If it is different, then I would bet on this 3/8-inch reducer being what you used on the spray head itself.
Did flow improve? I feel this needs changes (for utility) even if the flow itself does not improve, but I am quite curious as to how well it worked for you.
The pump on my machine is the standard 1/8 hp pump. The 19mm barbed x 1/2” adapter screws directly into the pump. I then have 3/4” PVC pipe all the way from the pump up to the spray head. The 1/2” threaded end of the 1/2” to 3/8” adapter screws directly into the cut-off tap of the spray head then the elbow fitting screws into the adapter to connect to the pipe from the pump. Flow certainly improved over the factory setup. Previously I would open the door when the machine was running to brush away any buildup of chips without turning off the coolant… I tend to get a little wetter if I do that now and it certainly improves chip removal.
Very useful information! You’re doing what I’d like to do.
It looks like the 19mm barbed x 1/2” uses the British parallel thread (shown as G 1/2 on the Amazon URL). The pump itself has almost no official information available (no manual exists, nor detailed thread information), but I did see it is marked as both NPT and BPT in anything I’ve been able to find (both of those are tapered). There was never a clear consensus for documentation. From what I can tell the NPT and G 1/2 in this case have the same thread pitch, but other details differ on what a “perfect” thread match is. I am guessing that the the 19mm required the teflon tape for sealing.
Did you have issues with the part of the tubing which goes through the moving chain track above the flood coolant head when the spindle moves up and down?
I too had difficulty finding the information. As it was, I disconnected the pump and by chance had a different fitting, but with the same screw thread as the barbed fitting that I could test on the pump to see that it fitted before ordering. The same went for the spray head, so I could be certain I was ordering the correct fittings.
As a matter of course I always use tape on screw threaded connections if at all possible and did so in this case and to date there have been no leaks. The only leak I did discover after this change was in the enclosure where a joint needed better sealing as with more coolant being sprayed, a small amount was escaping through the panel joint.
Because the piping is quite thick and to a certain extent stiffer than the smaller piping supplied as standard, rather than using the moving train track, I routed the piping (if looking at the enclosure from the rear) to the righthand side then through the gap at the top of the enclosure and to the right of the mill head. It then loops down the side of the mill head, then under the head to attach to the barbed end of the elbow joint. By giving it enough slack (but not that much that there is any chance of entanglement with the mill head) there is enough piping to cover the full distance moved by the mill head in the Z-axis. Where appropriate on the back of the enclosure I have tidied the piping with zip-ties.
For flexible sections was there a particular tubing which you found worked well on this? Was it just some ordinary PVC flexible tubing with 1/2-inch inner diameter? I think you’re describing exactly what I am wanting to do, except I might put a quick disconnect (not push-to-fit) near the pump.
I ordered the same pump design direct from Asia because I needed taller for a smaller footprint reservoir to fit inside the 440 stand. I think there are only a couple of manufacturers that make the same design with many distribution channels. The specification I was sent (from the distributor house that is the manufacturer) is that the outlet is NPT and it scales up depending upon the pump HP and flow curve desired (they seem to offer one smaller size to alter the flow. I opted for the largest NPT offered to do that with a different outlet fitting.
NPT is what I used and it seals correctly with standard teflon tape.
I used 1/2” ID flexible PVC tubing for the plumbing exiting the pump and into a home water filter housing for a single filter.
I reused the block at the spindle and the armored hose since I’ve got the SmartCool and even with that restricted section of pipe, it is a noticeable increase in flow/pressure. I will be swapping for a coolant ring/manifold to try and get coolant flow from another angle since the “backside” of cuts with respect to the nozzle pointed to the left from the right side, it is obvious that only spraying from the right side, even with the nozzle oscillating up and down, you do get coolant for EM lubrication, but there is not enough able to clear accumulated chips effectively…
Yes, information as to being 1/2-inch NPT looks to be uniform over a number of documents and other Tormach information. We will be doing something very much like what you are doing, though perhaps with a quick disconnect scheme (not a push-to-connect; or at least with some high life stainless parts).
One of the “big boys” that make larger CNC machines appear to supply a coolant hose “kit” which requires the end user to crimp the hose ends. Based upon the cheap screw clamps I got, that may be a good idea once you settle on routing/length. They provide “ear” style clamps and brass fittings. Haven’t looked into metallurgy to determine if there is a reason to stick with brass over stainless (which I would agree, it seems like it should be preferred over brass).
and it certainly improves chip removal.