Warning: A simple tool change on our old Mazak turned into a three hour ordeal

I was swapping out a worn end mill on our shop's Mazak VCN 510C and the tool just would not seat right in the spindle. Spent an hour checking the pull stud, cleaning the taper, everything looked fine. Finally called over our lead guy, Mike, and he spotted a tiny, almost invisible burr on the tool holder flange that was throwing off the whole alignment. Had to stone it down by hand, which took another two hours with all the checking. Has anyone else had a burr cause that much trouble on a quick change?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_adams1313d ago

Yeah, those tiny burrs are the worst.

margaretm2313d ago

Tell me about it. Had the same thing happen with a collet chuck last month. That tiny lip of metal might as well have been a brick wall. Makes you triple check every holder now.

black.val13d ago

Exactly. It's wild how something you can barely see stops everything dead. Had a drill bit holder with a burr so small I needed a magnifier to spot it, but it threw off the runout enough to ruin a whole batch of parts. Now my pre-shift ritual includes running a fingernail over every taper and flange. That kind of stuff just rewires your brain for good.