CNC lathe breakdown maintenance

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In previous posts, we had discussed both routine maintenance as well as scheduled preventive maintenance on used cnc lathes and how valuable they can be in ensuring continued optimum operating levels of used cnc lathes. However, there may be times when used cnc lathes will simply need a breakdown maintenance performed because of the failure of a component unexpectedly. Such a breakdown maintenance may also be needed in case of a crash because of incorrect programming or operator error in handling accurate z offsets or improper tool setting and such. Breakdown maintenance on used cnc lathes is always very expensive.

This high cost comes because of three reasons. First the machine is inoperable and so productivity comes down to zero. Second of all, the spare parts needed may not be available immediately and there may be a lead time to receive them which means the lost productivity time is extended. Thirdly, your delivery cycle of parts to your customer gets extended because your machine is down and you may not have another station where these parts can be machined. Finally, you may need to pay premium rates to outside services since you need them on an emergency basis to perform the maintenance operations.

Since breakdown maintenance on used cnc lathes cannot really be avoided and they usually happen unannounced without any indications, anything you can do to reduce the costs of such breakdowns is a step taken in the right direction. Steps that you can take to reduce the burden of breakdown maintenance includes maintaining an inventory of long lead time delivery spare parts. It may be wise to keep a hydraulic pump, some turret seals, coolant blocks, a video board and such in stock.

Some companies are known to purchase an used cnc lathe just so they can butcher it to get spare parts to keep their active cnc lathes running without waiting for spare parts to arrive. Another step that you can take is to enter into a breakdown service contract with your outside source. Such contracts are usually not that expensive and come in handy in an emergency. If you have internal personnel that are well trained in maintenance procedures, that will alleviate emergency premium labor costs from outside sources.

Other than that, breakdown maintenance is usually expensive and you only hope that there is not too much breakdowns occurring. Past a certain point, it might simply be wise to get rid of an used cnc lathe and simply get a new one!