Summit Sum-Kool: Why Coolant Matters for Wet Milling (And Why Water Isn't Enough)
When labs first set up wet milling, the natural question is: why not just use water? Water is free, widely available, and it's already plumbed into the machine. The answer is that water alone handles the temperature management function of coolant but fails on several other critical requirements. Sum-Kool from Summit Lubrication is one of the purpose-formulated dental milling coolants that addresses all of them.
What Coolant Actually Does in Wet Milling
A dental milling coolant serves four distinct functions. Water handles the first one adequately. It fails on the rest:
1. Heat Removal (Temperature Management)
Cooling the bur/material interface is the function everyone thinks of. Water works here. But water-alone thermal management is less efficient than purpose-formulated coolant due to different heat capacity and heat transfer properties.
2. Lubrication at the Cutting Interface
The cutting tool needs lubrication at the contact zone to reduce friction, prevent welding of cut material to the tool edge, and enable clean chip removal. Pure water provides no meaningful lubrication at the molecular level. Sum-Kool's chemistry includes lubrication compounds that reduce friction at the cutting interface, which translates directly to longer bur life.
3. Chip Evacuation
Cut material (glass ceramic particles, titanium chips) needs to be flushed away from the cutting zone promptly. If chips pack around the bur tip, they're recut multiple times, generating heat and accelerating bur wear. Coolant viscosity and flow characteristics affect how effectively chips are carried away. Purpose-formulated coolants are engineered for this; water less so.
4. Biological/Chemical System Management
Wet milling machines circulate and recirculate coolant. A plain water system in a machine at lab temperature will develop bacterial and algae growth within days to weeks, especially with organic material contamination from glass ceramic particles. This creates biological contamination in the machine, potential odor issues, and sludge that can clog filters and coolant lines.
Sum-Kool contains biocide and anti-bacterial compounds that prevent biological growth in the recirculating coolant system. This is one of the most practically important differences from plain water — it keeps the machine clean and eliminates the bacterial contamination problem.
Bur Life Impact
The cumulative effect of proper lubrication, chip evacuation, and thermal management on bur life is significant. Labs switching from plain water to Sum-Kool typically report meaningful extension of bur life on glass ceramic and titanium jobs. The economics are straightforward: if bur consumption drops measurably, the cost of the coolant is covered — and then some.
Maintenance and Mixing
Sum-Kool is a concentrate that's diluted to working concentration. Follow the manufacturer's recommended dilution ratio — more concentrated is not better; correct concentration is optimal for both lubrication and biological control. Change the coolant on a defined schedule (typically every few weeks depending on usage volume) and clean the coolant reservoir and filter system when changing.
Key maintenance practices:
- Never mix coolant types in the reservoir — full changeout when switching products
- Check coolant concentration periodically; evaporation concentrates the solution over time
- Clean coolant filter per machine manufacturer schedule
- If coolant develops unusual odor or visible biological growth, perform a full system clean and replace immediately
Compatibility
Sum-Kool is compatible with the common dental mill platforms: Aidite, Roland/DGSHAPE, VHF, and others. Verify compatibility with your specific machine manufacturer's recommendations — most will specify compatible coolant types or confirm compatibility with dental-grade coolants.