The machines you use to run your business, whether it is a factory or an office, must be kept in good condition. If they are not well-maintained, the costs associated with repair and purchasing new equipment will spiral out of control. Here are a few tips to help you keep your machines in tip-top condition.
1. Read the Manual
When it comes to the proper care of any piece of machinery, there is no insight like what you get from reading the manual. Here, you will learn about all the regular maintenance tasks that are critical to perform and when they should be completed. You also will find out whether you can do the maintenance yourself or if it should be done by a specialized professional.
2. Ban Drinks Near Equipment
A lot of unnecessary equipment damage occurs when someone spills their drink on a machine. To avoid these problems, institute a policy of not allowing people to bring drinks or other harmful substances around the onsite machinery. While this may seem harsh to some employees, ask them if they want to pay for the repairs the next time a drink is spilled on the equipment, rendering it inoperable. According to Newswire, the damage fluids can cause to electrical systems is especially dangerous.
3. Handle Machines with Care
Often there is the idea that just slapping or kicking a machine will make it work better. While this might be true in some rare cases, chances are, pounding on machinery will end up doing more harm than good. The more you treat your machines like delicate equipment, the longer they will remain in good working order.
4. Don't Muscle Wires
Many machines have ports for wires. These ports often contain easy-to-break pins that fit into specific connector types. When you repeatedly switch connector ends in and out of machinery, you run the risk of bending and breaking these pins. This is not simply an expensive fix, but sometimes you are forced to buy a whole new unit.
5. Ensure Proper Lubrication
While everyone knows that machines need to be properly lubricated for optimal use, it is not always clear how failure to lubricate specific parts of a machine's surface can lead to problems. Imagine two metal surfaces coming into contact with no lubrication. As they scrape across one another, they heat up. This in turn can erode the surfaces of the metal and render the machine inoperable. Lubricants help to reduce friction and prevent this erosion from occurring, thus keeping metal parts intact.
Remember, the equipment in your plant is your means of doing business. When your machines are down, your company's bottom line is affected. To ensure your organization has equipment that works like it should, be certain to maintain all the machines that are in use.
About the Author
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who works with ETNA Products Inc., a fourth-generation family business that manufactures and distributes metalworking lubricants, coolants, rust preventatives and cleaners to customers across the United States and around the world.