While I'm waiting for Tormach support to come back from the weekend, curious if anyone has experienced a similar failure. Today the Z axis on my mill started to seize up during rapid moves in the upward direction. My machine is a series 3, a little under a year old, and has been used somewhat regularly but not heavily. I can get the Z axis to move at less-than-rapid speeds, but it makes a squeaking noise as the screw turns, like a squeaky wheel.

For a little while now it also seemed to me like the Z axis was "noisier" than it used to be--there seemed to be more vibration when the head was rapiding up or down than I had remembered it making. Not sure but maybe 6-10 operating hours ago this might have started? I checked the Z axis ways and they seemed a little dry (I have the automatic oiler set up per the manual and it seems to run properly) and I gave the ways and screw a good soak with the oilcan but the squeaking noise didn't seem to change.

Anyway, curious if any have had similar experiences and might have a preview of what I'm in for. I'm mostly hoping it's just a bearing or something I can get to without taking the machine half apart. At least it happened while the warranty is still definitely in effect :P