Cleaning CNC Machined parts

Gert86 · Nov 13, 2021

Hi,

I was wondering as my husband who is a machinist (I’ve only been an operator) wants to run our coolant covered parts in the dishwasher if anyone else has done this.

Will it leave a film on the dishes, we have a kiddo I don’t want him ingesting coolant.

Will it over time damage the dishwasher?

D Nelson · Nov 13, 2021

Slap him he knows better then that. Tell him a man is supposed to watch out for women and children
Don

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

DDoug · Nov 13, 2021

Gert86 said:
Hi,

I was wondering as my husband who is a machinist (I’ve only been an operator) wants to run our coolant covered parts in the dishwasher if anyone else has done this.

Will it leave a film on the dishes, we have a kiddo I don’t want him ingesting coolant.

Will it over time damage the dishwasher?

Simply go shopping by the side of the road.
Not a week goes by I don't see one looking like new at the curb.

Have him install it in the shop for just those parts.

RC Mech · Nov 13, 2021

Would he drink the coolant? Of course not.

Tell him to install a dishwasher for parts in the shop, or better yet an aqueous parts washer. Leave the kitchen for non-industrial matters.

Scruffy887 · Nov 13, 2021

Use Dawn dish soap mixed with water for coolant. Or Ivory liquid. Then mix some in his morning coffee. He will get the idea. It WILL get him moving quickly.

mmurray70 · Nov 13, 2021

I think thats a pretty clever idea.

Id probably get a separate dishwasher but in all honesty id say the amount of coolant contaminating your dishwasher is probably WAY less then what we breath in every day. Especially if you rinse parts before hand.

plastikdreams · Nov 13, 2021

I don't see why not, it all gets washed away and goes down the drain. I'm sure it's been done before, especially if it's water soluble coolant.

DavidScott · Nov 13, 2021

Considering dishwasher detergent is the closest thing to lab cleaner we can get I don't think it would make any difference to your dishes. Residential dishwashers don't do a good job of rinsing the detergent off and if you use a spot rinse then I doubt any coolant residue will be any worse.

mhajicek · Nov 13, 2021

Depends on your coolant. I use Hangsterfer's 5080, which is basically food grade. I've splashed it in my eye and it didn't even sting. That said, there are more efficient ways to clean parts. I use an ultrasonic cleaner with 99% IPA (isopropyl alcohol, not India Pale Ale). Five minutes does it.

Rob L · Nov 14, 2021

Related question, considering waste coolant is supposed to be collected and disposed of properly to avoid it contaminating the water stream is just washing it down the drain through something like a dish washer safe or even legal? Seems like a technical minefield if you start thinking about it because even washing your hands after getting coolant on them means washing some down a regular drain.

As above I've started using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean parts before I send them for anodising, mainly to get any gunk out of threads and it works a treat, in my case 30 seconds gets the job done. Plastic parts go into warm water to remove excess coolant too and the weak coolant water gets tipped into the machine after.

Luke.kerbey · Nov 14, 2021

A large ultrasonic tank will be better then a dish washer as mentioned above. Use something like an industrial floor detergent and dilute in water, you won’t need much, and it will clean in small gaps and holes much easier!

And you will be better off getting a lower frequency sonics tank then higher frequency, trust me!

Wick Craft · Nov 14, 2021

Agree with the above posters in that heated Ultrasonic cleaners are the way to go. A dual frequency unit is best. Use the lower frequency for softer metals and higher frequency for steels, etc. Using the higher frequency with softer metals (i.e. aluminum) will etch the surface leaving little white "blooms" all over the part(s).

Orange Vise · Nov 14, 2021

Tap water and dish detergent aren't going to clean the parts very well anyway. It'll probably leave a lot of streaks.

DouglasJRizzo · Nov 15, 2021

My suggestion would be a dishwasher off of Craig's or similar, set up in the shop.
To answer your question, it is unlikely that any coolant residue would affect you, particularly if the parts have been rinsed or air blasted before going in.
But I've seen perfectly functional dishwashers left curbside because someone was remodeling or didn't like the fascia.

Ox · Nov 16, 2021

These other guys must have worshers that re-use the same water over and over?

I Shirley don't see any reason that it would be in any way harmfull to you or machine.

-------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

plastikdreams · Nov 16, 2021

Ox said:
These other guys must have worshers that re-use the same water over and over?

I Shirley don't see any reason that it would be in any way harmfull to you or machine.

-------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Buncha snowflakes

gustafson · Nov 16, 2021

Been using a dishwasher to clean parts for 30 years.

If you had a CAT scan in the 80s-90s the boards in the machine most likely went through a dishwasher. I seen it meself

Yeah, free roadside dishwashers are better than the house one.
If only to keep the wife happy

DDoug · Nov 16, 2021

gustafson said:
If you had a CAT scan in the 80s-90s the boards in the machine most likely went through a dishwasher. I seen it meself

How you can see anything whilst in the scanner is beyond me.....

CarbideBob · Nov 16, 2021

It does not work very great for part cleaning,
Thought it might be a good way and tried all sorts of stuff due to the costs incurred with finish part washing. Did not work well.
I tried and tired as this step well over 5 cents per part in volume.
I would never put dinner dishes in such.
I wanted this to work out so badly. Chased it to extremes.
Bob

Finegrain · Nov 16, 2021

I've run 10's of 1,000's of parts through a regular household dishwasher. 6061, 7075, and 3xx stainless. No detergent, just hot water rinse cycle or 2. Everything comes out squeaky clean, as long as blind holes are oriented down.

Using Blaser water-soluble coolant.

Maybe I'm just lucky. Works a treat for me.

Regards.

Mike.

Cleaning CNC Machined parts

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Luke.kerbey

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