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Old timer at my last shop swore manual offsets were pointless on newer machines
Guy named Frank at Precision Components in Dayton had been running CNCs since the 80s. He told me I was wasting time dialing in offsets by hand on our Haas VF-2ss when the probe could do it in seconds. But when his probe was off by 0.003 on a tight tolerance job for a medical part, I had to re-cut 12 pieces. Has anyone else seen a probe fail on a critical run?
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eric7233mo ago
Yeah that whole "wasting time" thing is exactly what he told me too. I used to think the same way, actually. Thought probes were basically magic and manual offsets were for old guys who didn't trust technology. But after I saw a Renishaw probe pick up a tiny chip on the stylus and throw off a whole batch of aluminum parts by .002, I completely changed my mind. Now I still use the probe for rough setup but I always check the first part with a manual indicator before I trust it.
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charlie_ellis3mo ago
That "tiny chip on the stylus" story hits home because I've seen the exact same thing with a different tool. It reminds me of how people trust GPS blindly until it sends them down a dead end road. I've noticed this pattern everywhere @eric723, where we start trusting automation too much and forget the basic checks. The probe is great for speed, but nothing replaces that moment of putting an indicator on the first part and seeing it wiggle that half a thou.
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nancyw973mo ago
Oh man, a buddy of mine ruined a whole batch of engine blocks because his CMM had a stray hair on the probe!
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