Machine Tool Monitoring & Maintenance | Digital Dialogue | ACE Micromatic | ifm
Machine tool monitoring and maintenance are essential to ensuring smooth operation, longevity, and optimal performance of machine tools in industrial settings. Companies can minimize downtime, improve productivity, and reduce costly repairs by monitoring and maintaining machine tools.
mojo4industry organized a Digital Dialogue on “Machine Tool Monitoring & Maintenance”, where esteemed industry experts shared insights on the significance of monitoring and maintaining machine tools to ensure smooth operation, longevity, and optimal performance in industrial environments. The discussion also covered best practices to enhance machine tool uptime.
While sharing his comments on machine tool monitoring & maintenance benefits, Senthil Kumar Pandian, National Head – Service, Micromatic Machine Tools Private Ltd, said, “Maintaining machine tools is crucial for the smooth operation of factories and organizations, as it forms the core of our production team. Without proper maintenance, machine operational efficiency might decline. In today’s technology-oriented and regulated industrial landscape, we can ensure continuous machine operation through advancements like Industry 4.0 and IoT. This involves connecting machines across the entire production floor, enabling comprehensive management monitoring. By adopting such an approach, machine uptime can be optimized compared to traditional methods.”
While sharing his comments, Syed Samiulla, Group Lead – TEF, SEG Automotive India, said, “Maintenance plays a crucial role in manufacturing or production companies. Without proper maintenance, machine efficiency and uptime can suffer significantly. Employing reactive maintenance methods often leads to frequent breakdowns, resulting in increased downtime for operations. This can cause delays in delivering products to customers, elevate production costs, and inflate inventory expenses.”
Syed further adds, “On the other hand, embracing preventative maintenance strategies such as predictive maintenance, time-based maintenance, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) can yield substantial benefits. These proactive approaches enhance machine performance, reduce breakdowns, and curb company expenses. By implementing these practices, manufacturing companies can elevate their profit margins and achieve improved earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT).”
Arvind Talange, Sales Manager – Pune, ifm, said, “The advantage that two colleagues have discussed pertains to concrete benefits for customers. These benefits include identifying crucial stages in the production process. Ensuring and increasing availability leads to enhanced quality. Potential equipment issues can be spotted early, making it possible to plan for replacements. This, of course, leads to cost reduction, which is a key goal of maintenance and repair operations within an organization. Several features and advantages emerge from early diagnostic detection and maximum efficiency. This includes seamless integration of sensors or devices into the ERP system. This integration facilitates the smooth implementation of independent, well-structured quality planning.”
When asked Syed, what are some of the best practices to ensure machine tool uptime, he said, “Best practices refer to proactive approaches to maintenance activities. In this context, prioritizing preventative maintenance is essential. The saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ applies here, as anticipating issues is more effective than addressing them after they’ve happened. When we engage in preventive maintenance, we use a standardized checklist tailored to the specific mission requirements. This checklist helps us identify potential deviations during the mission. By adopting this approach, we can significantly enhance the mission’s lifespan and establish a benchmark practice that can benefit various industries to adopt.”
Talange lists some of the best practices to ensure machine tool uptime. He said, “In industrial maintenance, there are three primary processes, each associated with costs. Firstly, there’s reactive maintenance, where costs can be notably higher due to a “run to failure” approach. Unplanned downtime is generally more expensive than scheduled maintenance, often leading to additional damages. Secondly, we have preventative maintenance, which involves scheduled downtime before failures occur. While this approach carries spare parts and labor costs, it contributes to equipment longevity and operational stability. Lastly, there is predictive maintenance or condition-based maintenance. This method employs real-time technology (RTM) to optimize equipment usage. Maintenance actions are taken only when necessary, minimizing production costs. RTM-enabled machines can relay their operational status in real-time, automatically planning maintenance to reduce downtime and enhance overall quality.”
Pandian lists points to consider when ensuring machine tool uptime. He said, “In preparation for preventative maintenance, reviewing past breakdown incidents is beneficial. Incorporating these incidents into the checklist can help ensure trouble-free operation for six months or a year. Additionally, it’s worth noting that many customers might not have replacement parts readily available prior to preventative maintenance. Therefore, ensuring the availability of required parts is crucial before initiating preventative maintenance.”
“Moreover, the cost aspect plays a significant role. Properly addressing these points can lead to changes that positively impact the entire team. This will mitigate the risk of recurring issues following preventative maintenance. This strategy is essential for preventing post-maintenance breakdowns and ensuring customer satisfaction,” Pandian concluded.
