Night shift taught me to check the coolant level before I even turn the machine on

Used to just walk in, load the part, hit cycle start, and deal with alarms later. Then Tuesday at 2:30 AM on the Haas mill, the low coolant alarm went off mid-run and the tool snapped on a 316 stainless job. That insert was $28 and the part was scrap. Now my first move is always checking the tank sight glass and topping off if it's below half. Has anyone else had a crash that could have been avoided with a 30 second pre check?

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milaw1428d ago

Feeling that pain for you, man. That 2:30 AM crash is the worst kind of wake up call. I had the same thing happen on our old lathe with a stuck chip auger, cost me a whole shift of rework on a batch of aluminum flanges. Now I spend those extra few minutes before startup walking the machine, checking the lube levels and the air pressure too, just to keep my heart from sinking later. It's amazing how a tiny habit can save you from a really bad morning.