CNC Maintenance Tips for your Machinery

CNC maintenance should be carried out on all machinery. The frequency with which you need to carry out maintenance will of course change depending on how many hours your machines are running for. Below are some tips that you can follow yourself as well as guidelines on when you should call in your CNC machining experts you find when you click here.

CNC Maintenance : Daily Care

1. Check that the hydraulic pressure of your machine is correct. This is generally 4.5 MPa. If in doubt, consult the manufacturer of your machine
2. Ensure that there are sufficient hydraulic fluids. There will be levels clearly marked for optimal running
3. Check the pressure of the chuck. Once again if you are ensure, consult the manufacturer or manual to find the precise pressure required for your machine
4. Add lube to the lube level if it needs replenishing
5. Check that the cooling unit level is correct in the case that your machine has a cooling system
6. Clear out the chip pan daily and grease if necessary
7. Clean the exterior of your machine so that you can see inside clearly
8. Wipe and lubricate and areas that are made from stainless steel

These are all CNC maintenance essentials that should be carried out daily. Weekly you should take out the filter of the CNC control cabinet and clean it. Every 500 hours or approximately every three months you should clean the filters in the coolant tank and grease the chip conveyor. Twice a year or every 1000 hours there are more maintenance procedures that should be carried out by a certified engineer. These include:

1. Cleaning of sludge, oil, and chips from the coolant tank
2. Cleaning of the jaws and chuck of your machine
3. Draining of the hydraulic tank. This should also include the changing of the hydraulic oil and the changing of the suction line and filter
4. Cleaning and checking of the radiator and its fins
5. Cleaning of the lube unit, including adding new lubricant
6. Levelling of the machine
7. Inspection for damage of way wipers and replacement where necessary
8. Checking of the headstock
9. Inspection of the spindle for end play
10. Checking of the tailstock
11. Inspection of the inclination and turret parallelism
12. Running of a program to check for backlash in the X and Z axes
13. Checking of the X and Z gibs

Carrying out of regular maintenance of your CNC machine is not costly, and it will save you money in the long run. Failure to carry out regular CNC maintenance can be very costly indeed, each hour your machine is not running losing you large amounts of profit. Never carry out any maintenance that you are unsure of yourself. Always contact your manufacturer or local team of CNC experts. With professional maintenance and daily care from yourself, your CNC machines should always be running at their optimal levels and allowing for the smoothest of operations on your factory floor.