HAAS® Alarm overtravel — OVERTRAVEL — Axis exceeded soft limit
Part of: our HAAS® alarm reference · covering 60 of the most common alarms.
What it means
The control has stopped a move because it would have taken an axis past its software-defined travel limit. This is a safety feature, not a hardware fault.
Common causes
- Wrong work offset active (G54 vs G55 etc.)
- Tool length offset (H value) wrong for the tool in spindle — Z especially
- Programmed Z move calculated from the wrong reference point
- Probing routine asked to move past the table edge
What to check first
- Confirm the active work offset matches your setup
- Confirm tool length offset matches the actual tool in the spindle
- Check the position display in machine coordinates — see how close to the limit you are
- Jog away from the limit slowly with reduced rapid
Prevention
Most overtravel alarms are programming or setup issues, not machine faults. Build a habit of always confirming your tool length offsets and active work offset before pressing cycle start — especially after a tool change or a fixture swap. On 5-axis machines, simulate moves before running them; trunnion clearances are easy to misjudge.
If you’re still stuck
If you’ve worked through the checks above and the alarm hasn’t cleared — or if it cleared and came back — that’s the point to call. Persistent alarms after a reset usually mean a real component fault, and pushing through them risks turning a simple repair into a bigger one. Keith covers HAAS® breakdowns across the UK with same-day phone diagnosis.
A note on this guide. Alarm wording and numbering can vary by HAAS® machine model and software revision. The descriptions here are written in plain English to help you understand what the machine is reporting and what to check first — they’re not a substitute for the official HAAS® operator manual or for a qualified service engineer’s diagnosis. Always confirm the exact alarm message on your screen and consult your machine’s documentation before attempting any repair.