Noticed a weird pattern in part dimensions after long runs

My cousin in a shop was complaining about parts coming out slightly off after the machine ran for hours. We realized the ambient temperature in the building was swinging a lot, and it was affecting the machine. He started logging room temp and saw a direct link to the size errors. Now they're looking at climate control. Has anyone dealt with this kind of environmental drift?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenixwalker24d ago

Ever see that on a lathe? We had one that would grow a few thou just from the sun hitting it through a window in the afternoon. Your cousin's data logging is the only way to prove it to management.

piper_smith28d ago

Thought room temp changes were no big deal until we logged data like your cousin! @alice_grant's right about drafts adding to the problem. Now I swear by climate control too!

alice_grant28d ago

Totally a thing. Is the machine itself heating up over time or is it purely the room air? I mean, we had a mill that would wander after like three hours just from its own motors. Idk, maybe it's just me but sealing up some drafts helped us too. Climate control is a big fix but even just keeping the bay doors shut made a difference. Logging data is smart, though.