Routine inspections & preventative maintenance
Breakdowns are always expensive. There are many reasons, some of which cannot be forseen - but also many which can be predicted and prevented.
Having machines inspected and assessed annually can alert you to possible problems and
allow any required maintenance work to be scheduled to fit in with production, rather than
breakdowns disrupting it. Catching potential problems early can save costs in regards to both
replacement parts and lost production.
To minimise problems, keep all filters clean, ensure ventilation fans & cooling systems are working correctly.
Lack of lubrication - or the wrong type of oil - is one of the commonest causes of mechanical breakdown.
Visible dust accumulation inside electrical cabinets should not be ignored - something needs attention.
Keep oil in the right places; tanks and reservoirs, not only in it's storage drums or in the machine pit. Check levels and note any leaks regularly.
Dust build-up in electronic systems can be catastrophic - the dust
in a machine shop tends to be conductive and can cause internal shorts. This leads
to erratic operation, random crashes or total system failure.
The photo below is just
one example of many such repairs - an apparently failed CNC control that we restored
to full operation, with a fraction of the time and expense of a replacement
system - which would have been the only other option.
Oil seeping in to electrical cableways and conduits leeches the plasticisers
out of PVC insulated cable - the commonest type used - and it becomes brittle to
the point the insulation cracks and splits, allowing electrical shorts with
sometimes disasterous consequences to the machine.
