Snapped a $200 carbide end mill on a stupid mistake yesterday

I was running a job in 4140 steel at the shop near Detroit and forgot to update my wear offset after a tool change. The end mill grabbed and snapped clean off in the first pass, sending a chunk of carbide flying across the booth. Has anyone else had a brain fart like that cost them big money on tooling?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_barnes10d ago

Happens to the best of us man. I've blown through a $250 1/2 inch carbide rougher on a stupid zero offset mistake in 17-4 stainless. That sound of it snapping still makes me cringe. You just gotta treat those tool change updates like a ritual. Check offsets twice on every single tool, every single time. Your wallet will thank you for it.

terryb1110d ago

My old mastercam post processor had a bug that would zero out my offsets if I breathed too hard.