Today I got to do the thing I've been dying to do since I got in the shop (mild sarcasm), which is cleaning out the coolant and chips from the Haas minimill!
We just got a couple of jobs to come in that require precise machining requirements due to the part's use. I believe it's got something to do with nuclear prototyping, and so many variables have to be removed when working in that environment. Because of this, the coolant being used on these parts cannot have touched any other metals except that which it is milling.
Since we've made copper and steel parts in the machine, it meant that I had to clear everything out and remove the old chips and coolant and replace it with new stuff. It was a little bit of a daunting task at first, just because there are so many nooks and crannies in the machine that would be super difficult to remove with the tools at hand. This machine is the only one that doesn't have an external hose hooked up to it, so I just extended the host on the machine and manually washed it out.
It was a very disgusting job, and I got closer to coolant than I ever want to be again, but the inside is now looking beautiful and clean. I haven't yet completely emptied the internal tank, which will require a lot more work involving a wet vac, uncomfortable positions, and long arms.