To-do’s for maintaining machines

Author Kurt Vonnegut once noted that a “flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” The same might be said of some manufacturers. But when preventive maintenance practices are overlooked or ignored, the likely consequences are costly repairs, replacements and downtime.

With the economy during COVID-19 affecting equipment purchases and staffing decisions, machines of all types are being kept longer and often with fewer technicians, which presents challenges for manufacturers. The good news is that machine builders and service support firms stand ready to assist. Three such companies — Graymills Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. and UP! LLC, which does business as The UP! Service Network — recently discussed what they consider to be six important to-do’s for maintaining machines. As for the don’ts, there’s just one: Don’t ignore the do’s.

Do Read and Use the Manual

The No. 1 best practice for maintaining equipment is to “read the freaking manual,” said Graymills’ Tom Kucklick with a laugh.

As technical sales/applications specialist at the Broadview, Illinois-based maker of metalworking pumps, ink pumps and parts washing equipment, he is familiar with a common scenario at plants of all sizes.

“When the machine is delivered, the supervisor or plant manager grabs the manual and puts it in a file for safekeeping, but the employees who need to read and use the manual never see it,” Kucklick said. “Whether it’s your car or industrial equipment, manuals contain the necessary information for maintaining equipment. We spend a lot of time troubleshooting on the phone with customers who don’t refer to their manuals.”

An automatic, agitating immersion cleaning machine is shown. Image courtesy of Graymills

Do Replace Fluids and Filters

For companies that do routinely review their machine manuals, advice from Justin Kueker, senior product manager of service at Mitsubishi Electric Automation in Vernon Hills, Illinois, should come as no surprise. He oversees servicing of CNC-equipped mills and lathes for metalcutting.

“Some of the biggest things when it comes to preventive maintenance are the basics,” he said. “Regularly change fluids and filters to ensure smooth operation.”

Kucklick agreed.

“Hydraulic machine oil, for example, doesn’t last forever,” he said. “Manufacturer recommendations need to be followed.”

As for filters, Kucklick said clogging is good and certainly not a reason to go without them.

“When die change filters clog, it’s because they’re doing their job,” he said. “Nonetheless, I’ll go into facilities that are operating without filters in the housings because the filters are clogging up. Sure, replacing a $20 disposable paper filter monthly will add $240 to a company’s annual operating costs. However, that’s a lot less than the amount of revenue lost due to downtime resulting from not regularly replacing filters.”

Kucklick said filters with stainless steel shell cartridges can be cleaned simply by “banging them a couple of times in a garbage can or using a parts washer.”

Do Monitor Movement and Speed

Kueker said movement as it pertains to axes and spindles also warrants ongoing attention. He stressed the importance of routinely taking machines through their paces to evaluate axis movement and spindle speed.

“Looking for deviations and out-of-spec movement is necessary for avoiding breakage,” he said.

David Rhodes, general manager of The UP! Service Network, a 3-year-old industrial service network based in Mason, Ohio, that matches service requesters with service providers nationwide, concurred.

The UP! Service Network matches service requesters with service providers nationwide. Image courtesy of UP!

“There’s a range of parts that can break depending on the machine types,” he said. “Perhaps it’s a toolchanger that isn’t grabbing a tool properly or an x- or y-axis that is out of alignment. Whatever the scenario, machine shops need to practice preventive maintenance, whether with in-house technicians, (with) a service agreement through the machine builder or through outside service providers.”