The problem would go away only to return every few months. The manufacturing mystery continued for about seven months, with each failure costing $26 in raw material alone. Eventually it was discovered that the issue started with a supplier who was not getting the material to the required spec. Large lots of Swiss turned aluminum bar stock were involved, and the problem resurfaced every time there was a bad lot.

Through the use of statistics, Kathy Lyall was able to trace the problem back to the source, which ended up being a combination of diameter and surface finish issues. This was years ago, but she still remembers cracking the case.