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c/cnc-operators•rubyreedrubyreed•2mo ago

Showerthought: The time my coolant line blew at 2 AM on a Friday

Was running a big aluminum job for a car shop in Dayton. Had maybe 20 parts left. Heard a weird hiss, then coolant just sprayed everywhere. Like a geyser. Hit the e-stop, but the mess was unreal. Floor was slick, chips were floating. Had to shut the whole machine down, mop for an hour. Boss was mad about the delay. Figured out a fitting on the spindle line just gave out. Old plastic part. Had to run to the supply house Saturday morning to get a brass one. Fixed it, but lost a whole day. Anyone else have a simple part fail and wreck your weekend?
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3 Comments
cooper.viola
Ever think a tiny part couldn't ruin your whole weekend? That coolant line sure changed my mind.
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sam_anderson
I mean I gotta push back a little here. A plastic fitting failing on a Friday night sounds like a blessing in disguise. If that thing held on for another week and blew during a rush job on a Tuesday you'd have way more than just a lost weekend. You'd be dealing with a full rebuild and a pissed off customer threatening to pull the whole order. Plus you got to the root cause, swapped in brass, and now it's basically bulletproof. @cooper.viola would probably agree that sometimes the universe picks the least inconvenient time for things to fall apart. Idk, maybe it's just me but I'd rather lose a Saturday than a whole production run.
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barbarahill
Can a single plastic part really hold that much power over a person's weekend?
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