Noticed a weird pattern in part dimensions after long runs
My cousin in a shop was complaining about parts coming out slightly off after the machine ran for hours. We realized the ambient temperature in the building was swinging a lot, and it was affecting the machine. He started logging room temp and saw a direct link to the size errors. Now they're looking at climate control. Has anyone dealt with this kind of environmental drift?
Ever see that on a lathe? We had one that would grow a few thou just from the sun hitting it through a window in the afternoon. Your cousin's data logging is the only way to prove it to management.
Thought room temp changes were no big deal until we logged data like your cousin! @alice_grant's right about drafts adding to the problem. Now I swear by climate control too!
Totally a thing. Is the machine itself heating up over time or is it purely the room air? I mean, we had a mill that would wander after like three hours just from its own motors. Idk, maybe it's just me but sealing up some drafts helped us too. Climate control is a big fix but even just keeping the bay doors shut made a difference. Logging data is smart, though.