PRE-HOLIDAY MAINTENANCE: ENSURE YOUR MACHINES ARE READY FOR SMOOTH OPERATIONS AFTER LUNAR NEW YEAR
Before the long Lunar New Year holiday is the perfect time to perform maintenance checks on your machines. Proper preparation ensures optimal performance, reduces risks, and minimizes downtime when you return to work.
4 Reasons Why Machine Maintenance is Crucial
1. Optimize performance: Regular checks improve efficiency and reduce energy waste.
2. Prolong equipment lifespan: Maintenance prevents premature wear and extends machine life.
3. Reduce risk of breakdowns: Early detection of issues avoids costly repairs.
4. Minimize downtime: Ensure your machines are operational immediately after the holiday.
4 Key Maintenance Tasks to Perform Before the Long Break
1. Backup NC data and replace batteries
2. Replace pulse coder batteries
3. Rust prevention for machine table and Axes Covers
4. Move axes to their home positions before shutdown
- Backup NC Data and Replace Batteries
To prevent the loss of NC data due to a drop in NC battery voltage when the power is off for long time or due to an unexpected failure, backing up the data is very important. To avoid data loss caused by a weak battery, follow these steps:
Preparation:
• USB or Compact Flash card
• Suitable batteries
Procedure:
1/ Backup all NC data (programs, offsets, macros, parameters) from the control panel.
2/ Keep the machine powered on and close the emergency stop button.
3/ Remove the battery from the NC controller (on the top). First, disconnect the battery wires, then remove the battery from the battery box.
4/ Replace with a new battery and reconnect the battery wires.
Note: The NC data backup method can be found in the maintenance instructions of each machine, so please check carefully. Due to differences in the quantity and location of the battery box as well as the battery type between machine models, please refer to the detailed maintenance instructions.
- Replace Pulse Coder Batteries (If Pulse Coder Has Batteries)
The loss of position data and other data may occur due to a drop in battery voltage when the machine power is turned off for long time. To prevent this, it is recommended to replace the battery at least once a year.
Preparation:
• Suitable batteries
Procedure:
1/ Turn on the NC power. Note: Always keep the NC power on while doing this.
2/ Return the home position for all axes (Identify the axis No. 1 of the rotary head).
3/ Remove the battery cover of the pulse coder.
4/ Replace the new battery, paying attention to the direction of the battery when replacing.
5/ Put back the battery cover to its original position.
Note: Due to the difference in the quantity and location of the battery box as well as the battery type between machine models, please refer to the detailed maintenance instructions.
- Rust Prevention for Machine Table and Axes Covers
The environment inside a CNC machine has higher humidity than we might think, making it prone to rusting. If the machine is turned off for long time and the doors are closed, please be sure to take rust prevention measures.
Preparation:
• Rust inhibitor (spray)
Procedure:
1/ Use compressed air and dry clothes to wipe off the water on the machine table and axes covers.
2/ Spray the rust inhibitor on the areas of the machine table and axes covers that are prone to rusting.
- Move Axes to Home Positions Before Shutdown
In case of axes position data loss due to battery drain or other reasons and the axes are no longer at the home position, the recovery process may take some time. If the home poisition is lost, absolutely do not move the axes. Recovering the axes to the home position ensures that the axes will operate correctly when restarted.
Procedure:
1/ Before turning off the machine, move all the machine axes to the home position. If there is a peripheral device such as a 4th, 5th axis, also perform the home position recovery for all axes of that device.
2/ As a precaution, ensure that the tool magazine is positioned at tool number 1.
Plan your machine maintenance today and get ready for a productive start to the new year!
Tags: Machine Maintenance
