Machine tool maintenance: how to extend the life of numerically controlled machines
The importance of preventive maintenance for CNC machine tools
Just like any other equipment within a company, it is crucial to check the health of machine tools. Failure to do so can result in very serious risks, including decreased productivity, machine downtime and even unexpected repair expenses. This is why, in recent years, many manufacturers have embraced a philosophy of prevention by conducting regular and rigorous checks on CNCs and replacing mechanical and electrical components subject to wear and tear. Otherwise, meeting the standards demanded of a modern smart factory operating within an Industry 4.0 supply chain would be impossible.
Advanced monitoring and diagnosis: how to prevent unforeseen breakdowns
Before maintenance, however, there is monitoring. Companies can use highly sophisticated software that enables the real-time monitoring of all their machining centres, conducting diagnostics, even remotely. This ensures continuous data transmission and collection from the machines so that any production anomalies can be detected and corrected well in advance and in the shortest time possible. This technological integration enables continuous monitoring of crucial aspects of CNCs, such as temperature, vibrations and performance, and ensures uninterrupted operations.
Preventive, corrective or predictive maintenance of CNC machine tools
How does CNC maintenance work? First of all, a distinction must be made. Even today, many people believe that maintenance solely entails repairs or replacements, but this is not the case. A check-up is not merely a corrective action, but also and, above all, a regularly scheduled intervention that verifies whether the parts of a machine are intact and working properly. With this in mind, any parts that have lost effectiveness over time are replaced as a preventive measure to prevent breakdowns and disruptions in production. More specifically, ordinary (or periodic) maintenance entails scheduling an appointment to optimise machine performance and pre-emptively address potential wear and tear issues. Extraordinary maintenance, on the other hand, focuses on rectifying a specific fault that has just occurred in order to resume production.
Personnel training
Effective machine tool maintenance necessitates more than just the use of state-of-the-art software; a team of highly specialised technicians capable of immediate intervention is also necessary. This is why most mechanical and electronic service partners are allocating more and more time and resources to train personnel. The aim is to create a business unit with in-depth and extensive expertise in machine tools.
Assistec can help you organise the maintenance of your CNC machine tool
At Assistec, we offer electrical or mechanical servicing for machine tools, including repairs for axis drives, spindles and motors, as well as the sale of spare parts (fuses, batteries and electrical equipment for cabinets). For over 25 years, we have been searching for and finding the best solutions to provide a comprehensive all-round service capable of optimising any company's machine fleet, also for multiple brands such as Fanuc, Mitsubishi and more). Moreover, driven by a perpetual quest for improvement, we have recently inaugurated a new department dedicated entirely to the integration of CNC machine tools and robots.
Avoid downtime and anticipate production risks by scheduling a maintenance or CNC monitoring appointment. Contact us or call +39 0522989436 for more information. One of our operators will get back to you with a personalised offer.
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Technical support for Mazak machines: on-site electronic and mechanical repairs
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However, a machine stoppage does not always allow the root cause of the problem to be identified immediately.
A fault may affect the control system, a drive or an electronic component, but it may also be due to mechanical elements, the tool changer, the pallet changer system or the machine’s geometric conditions.
For this reason, the ability to carry out an analysis directly at the customer’s premises allows us to assess the machine’s actual behaviour and identify the necessary intervention.
Assistec provides on-site electronic and mechanical support services, including for Mazak machines fitted with Mazatrol 640 and Mitsubishi M64 control systems, drawing on the expertise it has developed in servicing multi-brand CNC machine tools.
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PLC logic for machine safety is one of the areas that may require attention when an existing machine tool has outdated or inadequate safety functions, or when these functions are no longer suitable for the machine’s current configuration.
However, improving machine safety is not simply a matter of modifying a few lines of PLC code. The process must begin with a risk assessment, followed by identifying the required safety functions, checking the devices already installed and determining how they should interact with the PLC, drives, sensors, interlocks and machine components.
On CNC machine tools, changes to PLC logic may be required, for example, to correctly manage automatic doors, permissive signals, stopping functions, protective devices or newly integrated automation systems.
For this reason, modifying PLC logic should be considered part of a broader machine safety and functional verification process, rather than an isolated software task.
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The CNC spindle is one of the most important elements of a machine tool: it is the component that transmits motion to the tool and, together with the machine’s other systems, determines precision, machining quality and production reliability.
When a spindle begins to show signs of wear, the problem is not limited to the component itself. Abnormal vibrations, loss of precision or increased noise levels can, in fact, compromise the entire production process, leading to scrap, premature tool wear and unscheduled machine downtime.
For this reason, the overhaul of CNC spindles should not be regarded as a simple repair job, but as a technical operation aimed at restoring the spindle to its original operating condition and ensuring stability and precision once again.
Relying on a professional service allows the real causes of the problem to be identified, worn components to be replaced and more serious faults that could halt production to be prevented.
