Preplanned Maintenance

PL Lehmann, a Swiss rotary table manufacturer, has put an emphasis on preventing production downtime by “acting” instead of reacting to system failures.

“It’s far easier to schedule a repair in advance of a breakdown,” said Ivo Straessle, president of distributor Rotec Tools Ltd., which represents Switzerland-based pL Lehmann AG in North America. “We started examining preventative-maintenance tools that could help our customers avoid failures altogether or rectify problems in the shortest amount of time.”

The result is the Blackbox, a built-in monitoring system, for its 500 series rotary tables. PL Lehmann has 40-plus years of experience in manufacturing rotary tables, most of them are in demanding production environments where downtime is critical. Straessle said a monitoring system was the logical next step. “The pL Lehmann rotary tables are known for high accuracy, high spindle-clamping force and a compact design, but none of these features or functions matter if the equipment isn’t running properly.”

The Blackbox tracks vital rotary table functions, including monitoring impact to the rotary axis and gear train, checking the clamping force and temperature inside the rotary table, and monitoring internal air and oil pressure to prevent coolant or debris from entering the system.

PL Lehmann optimized its 500 series rotary tables with a built-in preventative maintenance system. Image courtesy pL Lehmann.