Blew a 1/4 end mill on a Friday afternoon and actually fixed it myself

I was running a batch of aluminum brackets in my shop in Cleveland and the coolant line got bumped, so the tool started chattering bad before it snapped. Had to stop everything, manually edit the G-code to skip that operation, and re-run the part with a fresh tool at half the feed rate. Anyone else ever have to salvage a part mid-cycle like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannaht292mo ago

Man, that's rough. "Chattering bad" is the worst sound in the world when you're cutting metal. I've been there too with a coolant line getting knocked loose on a Friday, only I didn't have the guts to manually edit the G-code on the fly. Ended up just tossing the whole part and starting over, which cost me a chunk of the afternoon. Good on you for catching it and saving that bracket. It's a real skill to think that quick under the clock.

tara7002mo ago

Nah, tossing a part and starting over builds consistency, saves you from a crash you'd regret way more later.

sarahh4813d ago

Oh come on, is it really that big of a deal? I've hit the feed hold and tweaked a line mid-cut plenty of times without the world ending. If you know your machine and catch a chatter or a misaligned pass early, a quick edit can save you an hour of rework. Tossing a whole part over something minor feels like overkill to me.