Blum probes are tough -OR- Have you hugged your probe lately?

Blum spindle probes are tough! The one in my Brother has had a rough couple weeks, first my new guy thought he loaded the probe in the carousel correctly..... and was mistaken. Changed to the probe and the spindle spit it out, bounced off a vise, hit the table and bounced down in to the bottom of the machine. Broke the stylus, put a decent dent in the probe, but the damn thing still works perfectly.

Next, I fucked up a program (and learned a lesson) and pile drove the probe in to a soft jaw. I had GOTO 1 but forgot to put N1 in the target line AND had another N1 down in the program for a long handed peck drilling cycle. You guessed it, the probe peck drilled itself in to the jaw, and it happened so fast there wasn't anything my guy could have done to stop it. The carbide stem of the stylus is now a permanent part of the jaw, and the jaw has some nice ruby jewelry to show to its friends.

Ouch! The probe's still working after the second SNAFU?

(After putting in a new stylus, of course)

Milland said:

Ouch! The probe's still working after the second SNAFU?

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Like the day it was new. I have a hard time believing it too, but we're using the probe right now to keep up with thermal growth on 3 operations, every cycle, and proving those locations on the vision system. All are bang on where they should be with no adjustments.

Crazy, right?

send a pic and story to Blum
Manufactures like to hear how well the real world looses at attempts to destroy their products

Sometimes probes live through stuff that you just can't believe. Had a Renishaw one get crashed in Z on the edge of a fixture. Crushed and bent the body 3 or 4 degrees to the side. Tip was off center by over .3" but the thing still worked. Had to replace it because it could not run the calibration program being so far off center.

Sent it to Renishaw for their "repair exchange" program expecting them to say no, you have to buy a new one. Pleasantly surprised that they sent a replacement at the exchange price despite our "core" being so damaged.

I can confirm that Renishaw OMP60 probes are tough as nails too... I too have personally tossed them from tool-changers, slam-drilled them, and other abusive smashery, only to see them keep on working like new. Unbelievable really...

Hugged my probe? So many punchlines to answer that question.

The side of one of our renishaw probes hugged the side of a part when the operator tried to rerun the facemill, but started the program after TxM6 for said facemill.

Probe was still in the spindle when he did.

Probe body runs out maybe .200" or so, we shimmed it up so the tip itself doesn't run out very much. Close enough to calibrate.

Still seems to repeat well and agrees on size.

I don't think the renishaw mp10 would stand up to the abuse you gave it, though.

Maybe so but I would never buy another. I had a Blum probe, a tool length setter probe, that got coolant in it and messed up the little pc board about the size of a quarter. $2000 to fix! Screw them!

mjk said:

send a pic and story to Blum
Manufactures like to hear how well the real world looses at attempts to destroy their products

Click to expand...

These are stories no one likes to hear except us BLUM Reps!! That is great testimonial to the Robust nature of our Probes and tool setters!! Thanks for posting!