Live/Dead Center and Face Driver Repair

In any centering application, the accuracy of the parts produced is no better than the accuracy of the centers holding the work piece. The accuracy and service life of a live or dead center can also be dramatically affected by today’s high-horsepower machines, aggressive machining parameters, and high-pressure coolant applications. Premature center failure is typically caused by misapplication of a center, excessive tailstock force, or high part weight−all of which can result in producing chatter, greatly reduced accuracy, and out-of-spec parts.

A byproduct of these service life issues is that the centers must be replaced more frequently as they wear or break. The cost of replacement, not to mention loss of production time due to frequent changeover, can escalate costs−often to dizzying levels.

In response to this dilemma Riten Industries, Inc. (Riten: Washington C.H., OH / USA / ISO 9001:2015), the largest domestic manufacturer of live centers, dead centers, and face drivers in the work holding industry. Since 1969, Riten continues to expand its nationally recognized repair and trade-in exchange service programs. Exclusive to the North American market for complete restoration, these programs deliver fast and economical solutions to extending end-users’ investment far beyond the normal life of average centers to achieve maximum uptime.

Notably, Riten can repair/restore to “like new” condition their standard centers and face drivers (as well as industry competitor’s products) for a fraction of the cost of new tools. If practical repair is not possible, trade-in is available for live centers and face drivers at significant savings for new standard Riten one. With competitors’ products, trade-in savings are estimated on a case-by-case basis.

RITEN REPAIR / TRADE-IN ADVANTAGE: Family owned since 1933, all Riten products are Made-in-the-USA with thousands in stock and built to order in a 35,000 sq. ft. facility in Central Ohio. The engineering team boasts extensive knowledge in the sciences of rotational dynamics, metallurgy, mechanurgy, and lubrication technology. Riten’s repair/trade-in department has specific manufacturing cells set up with dedicated equipment. Additionally, a staff of approximately 7-9 engineers are continually devoted to repairing all makes of centers for industry-specific applications in the aerospace, automotive, defense, and medical markets, etc.

In any centering application, the accuracy of the parts produced is no better than the accuracy of the centers holding the work piece. The accuracy and service life of a live or dead center can also be dramatically affected by today’s high-horsepower machines, aggressive machining parameters, and high-pressure coolant applications. Premature center failure is typically caused by misapplication of a center, excessive tailstock force, or high part weight−all of which can result in producing chatter, greatly reduced accuracy, and out-of-spec parts.

According to Riten’s National Sales Manager, Kent Hizer, “In most cases larger companies have huge overhead, so establishing a dedicated repair operation is not profitable for them. Lead times and costs also make this prohibitive, and for end-users lead time is key. Our dedicated programs are built to deliver with turnaround time typically being 1-2 weeks. Also, emergency repairs can be delivered in as little as 1-2 days.”

Each Riten product category undergoes and adheres to a dedicated Five-Step Remanufacturing Process: Receipt, Inspection, Quotation, Repair, Testing & Certification. Ultimately, this delivers total “peak efficiency” center reconditioning, as all rebuilt centers are restored to original accuracy and receive the same factory warranty as a new center.

RITEN LIVE CENTER REPAIR PROGRAM: When a Riten standard live center is returned, the unit is rebuilt to “like new” condition at 40% of the cost of a new center. This is a total reconditioning, exclusive to the North American market, which includes new: spindle, front and rear bearings, grease seal, and lubricant. All rebuilt centers are restored to original accuracy/concentricity standards and receive the same factory warranty as a new center.

The average turnaround time is 1-2 weeks. Emergency repairs can be delivered in as little as 1-2 days with prior approval from the factory. Notably, Riten repairs approximately 97% of all centers (including competitors) received−remanufacturing them to their original manufacturer specifications.

RITEN DEAD CENTER REPAIR PROGRAM: Riten repairs any dead center−regardless of the original manufacturer. Point angle and taper are restored to their original factory specification. Un-repairable tools are identified, and replacement centers are quoted for convenience.

All dead centers are refurbished on a quotation basis depending on the condition of the tool. Shipping instructions are provided to send dead centers to the factory, so that the cost of repair can be determined.

RITEN FACE DRIVER REPAIR PROGRAM: Whereas Riten face drivers outsell all U.S.-based competitors, Riten will repair most brands of competitor’s face drivers−regardless of the original manufacturer. Each face driver undergoes the rigorous Five Step Remanufacturing Process−where all wear items are replaced and the tool is re-worked to meet original concentricity specifications. All other required work is performed to return the tool to original accuracy and “like new” condition. Un-repairable tools are also identified, and replacement centers are quoted for convenience.

All face drivers are refurbished on a quotation basis depending on the condition of the tool. Shipping instructions are provided to send the face driver to the factory, so that the cost of repair can be determined.

RITEN TRADE-IN PROGRAM: If for any reason a Riten standard live center is determined to be beyond practical repair, a preferred customer trade-in allowance of up to 35% will be allowed toward the purchase of an equivalent new center. Unrepairable competitor's live centers will earn a trade-in allowance of up to 35% on a new Riten live center or face driver. Dead centers are not eligible for the trade-in allowance.

RITEN SAVINGS STANDARD CONCLUSION: American made in the Heartland of Ohio, Riten Industries provides engineered solutions for specific customer applications for the work holding industry. With the largest standard product offering of live centers, dead centers, and face drivers in the industry, Riten also manufactures custom centers to the customer’s specific process requirements, to meet any production need.

The continued evolution of Riten’s repair and trade-in programs supports their turnkey service philosophy of “Solutions, not excuses”. This is backed by a direct sales team, technical-skilled manufacturing representatives, and a robust channel of distribution partners. Coast-to-Coast on-site and phone technical support is also available−backed with unparalleled customer service.

According to Riten’s V.P. of Manufacturing, Mitchell Kirby, “We’re family owned and focus exclusively on live/dead centers and face drivers, so our efforts are not diluted by the distraction of other product lines in an attempt to produce everything to every customer. Our dedicated repair division is a natural extension of this expertise, which makes it a unique and viable asset to the industry.”