Quote Originally Posted by Ryan Murphy View Post
.... Do you think the best troubleshooting method would be to check the temp of the z motor next time I experience the Issue?
Run a long job, 30-90 minutes-- even if you're just cutting air-- then place your hand on the z-stepper and then a hand on the z stepper driver (if you can do so safely) and see if they are hot. If you can hold a hand there for over 2-3 seconds, then you're under about 140F. If it's hotter than that, it's not great, though many motors run fine up to at least 200F and you might still be okay. For the electronics in your driver, I'm unsure what the max temp is, but at least you'll have a good idea about how toasty things are getting and if it is a problem worth investigating or if it's nothing to worry about.

Also, for troubleshooting, cutting air is perfectly fine. Your z axis is working just about as hard not machining something as it is if there was wood or plastic there. You can always zero out your machine exactly 3 inches above your table, run a long job, then check to see if 0 is still 3 inches above the table. It's handy when you think you fixed the issue, but don't want to risk destroying another job to find out.