6
Ran G-Code without checking the tool offset and paid for it
I was running a part on a Fadal 4020 last month and kept getting a 0.015 inch oversize on the bore. Spent 3 hours messing with wear offsets before I realized I had the wrong tool length offset loaded from a previous job. A guy named Mike at my shop pointed it out by measuring the tool with a height gage. Anyone else have a dumb mistake like this that cost you a whole shift?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
reese1772mo ago
Iris, you're right that three hours isn't the worst, but it's the kind of thing that makes you wonder why we don't double check the simple stuff first. It reminds me of how people will spend all day trying to fix a computer problem, only to find out the power cord came loose. We all tend to look for the hard answers when the easy ones are right in front of us. I've done the same thing with a stuck tailstock on a lathe - spent an hour adjusting the gibs before noticing the lock pin was fully engaged. It's like our brains skip over the obvious just to make us work for it.
8
richard_hall21d ago
Bet the real issue is how many shops still don't have a standardized tool presetting procedure. Every time I see a crash from offset mixups it's usually because people are just winging it with manual methods. A cheap presetter or even just a dedicated check station at the machine would've caught that in 30 seconds instead of burning 3 hours.
8