Had a toolholder pull out during a finish pass on a Mazak Integrex last Friday

I was running a stainless steel job, about 6 inches deep in a bore, when I heard that nasty grinding sound. The hydraulic collet let go and the whole holder spun in the spindle. Turns out the drawbar pressure was low, like under 800 psi when it should be 1200. Has anyone else had their machine drop pressure like that mid-run without throwing a warning?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathanking1d ago

The drawbar pressure should still trigger a low-pressure alarm before that happens though.

rowan_thomas2d ago

Jumped in to say this happens way more than people realize with older machines. Had a lathe at a shop I worked at years ago drop hydraulic pressure on a Friday afternoon cause someone left a chip stuck in the check valve from the last shift. No warning light until the spindle already grabbed and smoked a $400 holder. It's like your car's check engine light only coming on after the motor's already blown up. Feels like machines just assume we can read their minds sometimes lol.