Spent 4 hours chasing a Z-axis issue that was just a loose set screw

Newer Haas VF-2 at the shop. Random tool heights kept shifting by like 0.010. Checked the collet, cleaned the taper, re-ran the probe macro like 3 times. Finally pulled the tool holder off and wiggled it with my hand. The retention knob was barely finger tight. 4 hours. Felt like a total idiot. Anyone else ever waste half a shift on something this dumb?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_reed471mo ago

Oh man, "spent 4 hours" is exactly how these things always go, isn't it? I had a similar thing on a Mori with a random spindle orientation problem. Drove me nuts for a whole afternoon, checking parameters, swapping cables, the works. Turns out the air pressure was just a few psi too low and the brake wasn't fully releasing. Felt like the biggest dummy when the maintenance guy just tweaked the regulator and it was fixed. Isn't it always the simple stuff that gets you?

linda_butler281mo ago

alice says "felt like the biggest dummy" but honestly I'm not sure it's that bad. You found it eventually, right? I've seen guys spend a full week chasing a feedrate issue only to find someone bumped a checkbox in the post processor. A loose retention knob is a classic, happens to everybody at least once. If you didn't crash anything or scrap a part, it's just a learning experience, not a complete waste.