Determining causes for machining chatter or finish problems

1. Which axis or axes?
2. One tool or multiple?
3. Is it at a quadrant?
4. Are you having problems with size varying?
5. Was the job just setup?
6. Was the machine crashed recently?
7. Is this a different batch of parts or different lot of castings?
8. Harder material or improper hardening?
9. Have you been changing inserts more often?
10. Is it an interrupted cut?
11. Is the material casting more porous then usual?
12. Is it on both pallets?
13. Changing the RPM? Could it be at critical speed?
14. Is there any vibration coming through the floor from other equipment?
15. Are you filling the lube pump less than before?
16. Are you filling the lube pump more that usual?

Cutter chatter and machining finsh problems checks and troubleshooting:

1. Check that the finish tool is not dull, chipped or broken
2. Make sure the coolant is flushing properly throughout the cut and is pointed away from the tool,not toward it
3. Make sure your breaking the chip properly and not making spirals
4. Check to make sure the finisher is not taking off too much in one pass measure after roughing
5. Make sure an insert is made for the material you are cutting
6. Check feed rate and spindle speed
7. Check the hardness of the parts
8. If lathe check to make sure it is on the centerline of the part
9. Try a different tool holder

Common machine problems of poor part finish and machine accuracy.

1. Is the machine level?
2. Are all of the feet touching the pads?
3. Check the backlash?
4. Try slower feed
5. Parts harder or more porous (castings)
6. Check gibs for play
7. Bearings or ballscrew bad
8. Is the axis loud in rapid?
9. Broken lube line
10. Lube pump strainer clogged
11. Metering block faulty
12. Improper oil in lube pump reservoir.
13. Tool clamp pressure low
14. Coolant issues- low, mixture, contaminated, etc.
15. New tooling, are they balanced?