Reinshaw probe ejected from spindle, permanent damage?

Mskiin · Mar 16, 2021

Good evening all,

My wife was talking to me while i was moving my z axis, when i went to hit the other axis button, I accidnetly hit the tool release and ejected my probe onto the table breaking the tip.

Is it possible that I didn't damage the whole unit? Its 4k bucks that I wish to not spend. Anyone else drop one and can confirm it was ok? Or am I pretty screwed?

thanks

13engines · Mar 16, 2021

I doubt there's a single soul around here that can give you an affirmative answer even if the same thing happened to them. My guess is every incident of this sort is unique.

I'd say the only way you're going to know if it's toast or not is install a new tip, and manually check that you get a trigger signal. Then try to calibrate it, and if you have success there, make a few measurements of objects where you know the size to a high degree.

Besides... are you going throw out a $4K probe on someone's guesstimate of problems? Doubtful.

Another avenue you could take is to send it in to Renishaw for evaluation.

Mskiin · Mar 16, 2021

13engines said:
I doubt there's a single soul around here that can give you an affirmative answer even if the same thing happened to them. My guess is every incident of this sort is unique.

I'd say the only way you're going to know if it's toast or not is install a new tip, and manually check that you get a trigger signal. Then try to calibrate it, and if you have success there, make a few measurements of objects where you know the size to a high degree.

Besides... are you going throw out a $4K probe on someone's guesstimate of problems? Doubtful.

Another avenue you could take is to send it in to Renishaw for evaluation.

Thank you. I did order a new tip and I threw it in with the broken tip, and just checked that it worked in a bore which it does. Bounced back and lightly touched and it set it. I wasn't going to throw it out, but I was just trying to see if someone else at least got lucky with an incident and it was ok. The tip took the brunt of the force, and the probe body doesn't have any physical damage, but I know there are sensitive components that could have been damaged. What a stupid mistake. I am kicking myself right now. I did find a site called RFM that does repair exchanges for 1150. So at worst case i'm out that. thanks for the quick reply.

machineit2 · Mar 16, 2021

Many people disable the control panel button to release the tool, I know I did. You have your hand on the tool anyway, why not use the one on the head.

Also, if I remember right, Renishaw (sp?) has an exchange program for the probes at a discounted price.

Mskiin · Mar 16, 2021

machineit2 said:
Many people disable the control panel button to release the tool, I know I did. You have your hand on the tool anyway, why not use the one on the head.

Also, if I remember right, Renishaw (sp?) has an exchange program for the probes at a discounted price.

How do I disable the button on the control?

CarbideBob · Mar 16, 2021

It is hard to hurt these inside and you are not the first to toss it against the floor or rapid it into the part or fixture.
I freely admit to a sort of bias to these products going back to the early 70s when just friends trying to probe things.
One friend employing the other said "Maybe you should just start a separate company on your own"...Who'd of guessed?
Bob

D Nelson · Mar 17, 2021

Them things are made out of ground up chuck Norris movies and wood pecker lips. I bet it’s fine
Don

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Mike1974 · Mar 17, 2021

D Nelson said:
Them things are made out of ground up chuck Norris movies and wood pecker lips. I bet it’s fine
Don

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

They might survive a fall from the spindle (body section), but they won't survive a full rapid Z move... ask me how I know. :ack2:

Install new tip, tram in, run calibration and see what you get. The only way to know.

AARONT · Mar 17, 2021

machineit2 said:
Many people disable the control panel button to release the tool, I know I did. You have your hand on the tool anyway, why not use the one on the head.

Also, if I remember right, Renishaw (sp?) has an exchange program for the probes at a discounted price.

IIRC it was about a $1500-$2000 core charge on the body. Reimbursed once they receive the old one.

toolsteel · Mar 17, 2021

Agree with what others have said....
Renishaw does have an exchange program. I thought the price was $1500-$2000 range. I know they will "overnight it too if/when neccesary. I exchanged one that was pretty damn flat once....oops.
If it calibrates and repeats....I would go with it.
Probe, indicators etc....they all fly pretty damn good....they dont land for shit though :sulk:

LockNut · Mar 17, 2021

I had a rather large HMC throw my probe into the cutting area once. Pretty violent, went clattering around inside. Found it in the coolant trough. Changed the broken stylus, calibrated and off we went. This was 20 years ago. They have only gotten better.

Mike1974 · Mar 17, 2021

2 quick stories.

When I was super green, maybe a year into just loading a cnc mill and running parts, I asked a guy how to manually turn on the spindle and change the rpm so I could use my edge finder. Edge finder in spindle, he says "here like this (similar to hold my beer), cranks it up to 6500 or something, edge finder blows up. Thank god the door was closed as it hit, and this was before all the safety interlocks so it could have been open! :ack2:

Was working at a shop and checking a part. All the bores (bunch of staggered ports done with a rough and finish carbide tipped porting tool) were undersize?? Ok, call up finish tool, nothing loads into the spindle. Hmmm... Start looking all around the machine, underneath, nothing, <<scratching head>>. Noticed a bulge in the chip conveyor shoot. Apparently the tool arm dropped it and it "rode" the conveyor belt out the back of the machine and half way up before it jammed.

thesidetalker · Mar 17, 2021

Change setting 76. I have it set on all my machines for this reason.

But that only helps keeps the probe in the spindle.. doesn't stop people from crunching probes. Last one was $2200 I think.

76 - Tool Release Lock Out

BT Fabrication · Mar 17, 2021

How about a ramp up to 10,000rpms?

thesidetalker · Mar 17, 2021

BT Fabrication said:
How about a ramp up to 10,000rpms?

Guilty here. Did that once, and luckily I hit reset before it got going too fast and exploded. Checked runout after and it was still a tenth or 2.

I suppose you could add a small S-value to the end of your program or even toolchanges, but that's not fool proof. Jog cut some softjaws at high speed, then change to your probe to set the part.. still easy to have an accident.

Too bad you can't set RPM limit per tool.

Tjugo7 · Mar 17, 2021

BT Fabrication said:
How about a ramp up to 10,000rpms?

I ramped up to 30,000..., probe took flight and made an impressive dent in the sheet metal. Bought a new stem and tip, centered and calibrated and all was good.
According to Renishaw at the time they either work fine or not at all.

/Staffan

friesen · Mar 17, 2021

I dropped my brand new probe onto the way cover during setup trying to center it, after leaning into the tool release button.. arg.. anyway, it all still worked, but the nose has a ding in it.

mhajicek · Mar 17, 2021

Mike1974 said:
They might survive a fall from the spindle (body section), but they won't survive a full rapid Z move... ask me how I know.

A 50 taper hori will pancake it pretty good against the tombstone.

That one was a full price replacement.

A little bump you can probably recalibrate and keep using it, a moderate bump and it's about $1500 for a swap out.

friesen · Mar 18, 2021

Mike1974 said:
They might survive a fall from the spindle (body section), but they won't survive a full rapid Z move... ask me how I know.

Hey, at least the spindle was cushioned.

Mike1974 · Mar 18, 2021

friesen said:
I dropped my brand new probe onto the way cover during setup trying to center it, after leaning into the tool release button.. arg.. anyway, it all still worked, but the nose has a ding in it.

I don't know what it is about that. I've had both setup guys now hit the tool releases by accident. Once with the probe, broke the stylus, and once with a tool over the toolsetter, broke the linkage on the toolsetter. We took small round pieces (dial indicator back plates) with a rare earth magnet and attached it so the magnet holds the plate over the button. Strong enough magnet that you can't accidentally force the plate into the button, but slides easily out of the way to get to the button.

Reinshaw probe ejected from spindle, permanent damage?

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