Understanding Machine Tool Vibration
In precision manufacturing, machine tool vibration is a critical factor that can significantly impact production quality and equipment longevity. All machinists deal with vibration, or “chatter,” but its complexities often go unnoticed. Let’s look at what it is, its causes, and why it’s crucial to monitor and manage it effectively. What is It? Machine tool […]
VibePro 7 – End-of-Life
This notice is to inform all VibePro 7 users about the upcoming end-of-life (EOL) for VibePro 7 and the update to VibePro 8. As of July 31st, 2024, active support for VibePro 7 will be discontinued. Starting August 1st, 2024, the only option to use VibePro 7 will be locally on your existing platform, as the ability […]
Using Technology on the Factory Floor to Fill Human Gaps
In the manufacturing sector, there’s been a trend toward having fewer people on the floor at any given time. It started with the advent of automation. Reshoring initiatives hastened it, forcing companies to run leaner operations to remain competitive. Finally, skilled labor shortages, due to several factors, have kicked this trend into overdrive in recent […]
Spindle Predictive Analysis
How it Works and Why You Need It We talk to a lot of people about spindle predictive analysis. In these conversations, we’ve learned that many companies are reluctant to invest in predictive analysis for their spindles. One comment we often hear is that people prefer to use their own “naked ear” to know when […]
What Is Machine Tool Monitoring?
Machine tool monitoring has become an indispensable asset to machine shops operating in today’s competitive manufacturing landscape. Reactive maintenance strategies are no longer sufficient in an environment where customers will not tolerate unexpected machine tool failures that impact production schedules, delivery dates, and part quality. Implementing monitoring-based predictive maintenance practices allows manufacturers to solve problems […]
Understanding The Three Approaches to Spindle Maintenance: Reactive, Preventive, and Predictive
In machining, there’s no denying that some form of spindle maintenance should be in place to mitigate failures and downtime. While the ultimate goal of any maintenance strategy is to reach net-zero downtime, the method employed will dictate how close manufacturers can come to achieving that goal. Approaches to spindle maintenance fall into three categories: […]
Understanding the Four Stages of Spindle Bearing Failure
Bearing failure is a leading cause of spindle breakdowns. The truth is, it’s easy to take bearings for granted. Out of sight, out of mind. But bearing systems are at the heart of every spindle and can’t be forgotten. They’re highly engineered and manufactured to hyper-precise tolerances. As such, they require strict maintenance protocols and […]
How Investing in Predictive Maintenance Can Boost the Bottom Line
Equipment maintenance is one of the biggest cost centers for many manufacturers. Machine tool operators are certainly no exception to this rule. Maintenance programs of the past sought to increase the uptime and lifespan of spindles by ensuring they were well cared for on a routine basis, thus minimizing the chance that they would break […]
Critical Spindle Installation Steps: Balance Correction & Vibration Baselining
Last month, we discussed the importance of proper spindle installation. In particular, we reviewed important basic steps — pre-installation inspection, mounting, lubrication hookup, post-installation inspection, and start up/run in. But there are two steps that we left out last month. Not because they’re important, but because they’re the most important. Those steps are balance correction and […]
The Key Ingredient to Improving Reliability Success in Your Machine Shop
One topic we hear more and more about these days is reliability. Essentially, this refers to initiatives designed to keep manufacturing facilities up and running efficiently and, well, reliably. It consists of several components such as predictive maintenance, planning, scheduling, data collection and analysis, and much more. Today, we’ll review a critical component to the […]
