Large businesses that operate many different kinds of machinery for their processes have to worry about breakdowns and repair time every day that they operate. Even one hour down can set the business back hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Because of this, many of these businesses operate with in-house maintenance crews that have a wide variety of skills. Having a machine shop and people that can use the tools in it is often cheaper and more efficient than having to wait on parts from an outside vendor.
Repairs Take Time
In the manufacturing industry, the time it takes to get a machine or production line back up and running after a breakdown can make a huge difference for the business. Depending on the product being made on that line, the demand for the product, and the number of people that cannot continue working because the line is down can really impact a company. The time spent working on the assembly live to get it working again needs to be as short as possible so having a crew of maintenance personnel that can handle all the different repair possibilities is important.
Repair Or Replace Broken Parts
Having a machinist available to repair a part can save a lot of time. Some of the operation needed may require the machinist to turn a part on a lathe, make a piece from raw stock using a mill, or a combination of many processes. When repairing the part is not possible, making a replacement quickly might be the next best thing. In some cases, a part is fashioned out of raw stock on hand to act as a temporary fix until a new part can be acquired. Once the production line is running again, a new permanent part can be fashioned or ordered if need be.
A Well Equipped Shop
If you are setting up a machine shop for your maintenance crew to work with, there are some machines that should be available. A lather that can turn metal is important. Often a lathe is used to turn a piece of square stock into a round pin or rod. A milling machine that allows the machines to carefully remove very small or very large amounts of metal from a blank or stock. A good welder to join pieces, fill holes or gaps, and create solid bonds is critical in any metal shop. And a variety of other hand and power tools your maintenance team to make or repair just about anything you need. The goal is to equip the shop and the crew for just about any scenario you can think of and allow them to maintain and repair production equipment quickly.
Contact a company, like Allied High Tech, for more help.
