Rong Fu CNC crash now Z axis stuck

[Cadillac STS]

I was just cutting a 2.27 hole in 1/4 inch steel. Should be no problem.

It was running fine then suddenly the end mill jammed and the whole machine froze there. I hit the e stop right away.

It was stuck and the VFD was whistling. The endmill is stuck in the metal, it turns a little but is stuck. I unscrewed the Allen screw to release the endmill and the it will now turn. Turned the motor on a couple seconds and it turns free if the endmill

I think what happened is the endmill broke through the metal bottom and jammed on it.


Problem is the Z axis won’t move manually or with the CNC controller. I tried to help it up carefully with that machinist jack in the picture but it won’t budge up.

It moves a tiny bit with manual hand wheel.
what is the problem and how do I free up the quill?

 

[Cadillac STS]

Solved it. I was trying to leave the setup where it was to not lose my bearing. So I didn’t take that apart. Then I thought if there is a serious problem that part is not important.

I took the jig apart and the quill was really wedged down into the work. Pulled out the support and the steel and it came back to life again and works.

On the part I happened to move Z axis right down in the middle to be sure it was where I wanted it on the steel before running the part. You can see the endmill mark right in the middle. So I can orient the axes to that spot, re zero Z and begin and save the part.