I think he is asking if he goes back on the maintenance will he have to buy each versions upgrade . I know we let it slip for a couple of versions and had to buy each version to get back up to date .

Thinking out loud , with a C axis one would think you could keep the same Z zero position and index the spindle 90 deg for each lead . 12 TPI for example would be a 3 tpi thread . 1st start would be a C "0" 2nd start would be C "90" 3rd start would be C "180" 4th start would be C "270"

We have 2 18i controllers with C axis use , we use a G87/G88 and have used a .005" feed rate when drilling . I don,.t see why you could not use that slow of a feed rate for milling .

does the TL have the intuitive package ? if so simply procedures and programs can be easily and quickly programmed right on the machine .

If the machine is a box way design I bet it's way oil mixing in with the coolant . We run 6061-t6 on our lathes and if a part gets any way oil on it mixed with coolant we get similar staining . Seeing that you have swapped out the coolant and cleaned the system and the problem disappeared I suspect it's tainted coolant with traces of way oil . We have a coolant supplier come in every few months and take samples , they send a report on what they find in the coolant .

do you have live tooling on the lathe ?? have you considered thread milling ??

Yup we can't all live in million dollar mansions and drive Rolls Royce,s around now can we LOL . Last 3 shops I have been in all had a Haas , and they all made $$$ . The TL series lathe is a tough machine to live without when doing small parts runs and 2nd op procedures that require CNC work .

Myself I would not be blowing the stuff around . I would use a vacuum to suck the waste up from it , less contamination to the machine and environment . I have manually machined tons of the stuff used to make bushing and thrust washers with the reddish brown version of it . If the stuff is hard on tooling , imagine what it will do to the ball/lead screws and the ways . I would also use some form of a respirator as well , early versions of the material where known to be carcinogenic and contained asbestos . Always nice to find out years after you spent many a hour in front of a mill or lathe getting covered in the stuff .

Tool manufactures must love it when a ceramic tools is required for a job , they have such a sort life span for what they cost . Manually they don't last and even when used on a CNC lathe the life is not much more , plus when they chip they typically facture the whole insert scrapping it , so IMO they can be a big waste of money .

On the HAAS TL series you can use a M code to change the end of the thread from angle out to no angle out for threading into a run out undercut at the end of the thread . M23 command angles the thread out at the end , and M24 command will not angle it out .

Up turning is what they called it in a class I took , work well for real heavy cuts , as you stated applies pressure onto the ways rather than lifting the turret off the ways .

turned pure carbon once and won't do it again , was horrible to work with , dust everywhere , could not touch the part with bare skin , it was a mandrel for producing chemistry beakers for a lab . had to machine it dry as well it could not get wet in any way or it would explode when put in the autoclave or what ever contraption they where using to produce the parts .

what grade of SS is the part ?? we drill 303/304 with a 1" KSEM drill all day , run about 900rpm with .012" feed rate . last shop I was at we pushed a 2.375" U drill thru 4140 ( can,t remember if it was ANN or HTSR ) on a HAAS ST-20 with no issues so I would think a PUMA should do similar assuming the material is not 316 or better grad wise .

from my manual days I used aluminum grade insert tooling for turning , and for milling I used a standard solid carbide endmill/slotdrill and slowed rpm the feed rates down to suit procedure . I also remember having to spring cut some turned diameters to get the size needed .

simple question , what's so fast advancing in this trade that you need to continually update MC or any other cad/cam package on a yearly basis ?? too it,s a big $$$ grab .