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Preventive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance

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We recently had one of our older machines ( DEK 265GSX built... - Jun 18, 2013 by Dave

When I was at DEK training they suggested to remove and insp... - Jun 18, 2013 by Evtimov

Seems a little overboard. Maybe open up the machine and blo... - Jun 18, 2013 by dontfeedphils

I think 3 months is over-board as well. If it needs to be d... - Jun 18, 2013 by Reese

I do it as part of annual maintenance on machines; but any m... - Jun 18, 2013 by DEKHEAD

I agree with everyone else here, 3-6 months for blowing dust... - Jun 25, 2013 by BIN95.com

Look at it this way, It ran from 96 to now. I think handlin... - Jun 27, 2013 by Larry Groves

I think we are all on the same page with this one. Since yo... - Jul 26, 2013 by gallionc

Dave

#69369

Preventive Maintenance | 18 June, 2013

We recently had one of our older machines ( DEK 265GSX built in 1996 ) begin to have a problem of shutting itself down without warning, after checking out whatever I knew to try and find the cause, I pulled out the Y3 enclosure and removed all the cards to clean the edge connectors, visibly check for any signs of heat damage and remove any build up of dust on the cards ( there wasn't any significant buildup ) After putting everything back together, the shut down problem stopped, ( it has only been a week so I am cautiously optimistic ) My point is this, I am now being asked if pulling and cleaning control cards on this machine and others would be a good idea to do on a regular basis, like every three months. I say no for the following reason: There is always the chance of damaging the card when it is pulled out, especially on an older piece of equipment and if there is no problem present, then that kind of action should be avoided.[ if it isn't broke, don't fix it ] Am I wrong in this line of thinking? Anyone have any other thoughts on this?

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Evtimov

#69378

Preventive Maintenance | 18 June, 2013

When I was at DEK training they suggested to remove and inspect the cards. I think it was every 6 months - it might be depended on how many shifts you work. I personally don't like to do that either, because even on the training there was a problem when we put the cards back :). I personally will do it when needed.

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dontfeedphils

#69379

Preventive Maintenance | 18 June, 2013

Seems a little overboard. Maybe open up the machine and blow it out from time to time. In my experience, management likes to over-react to issues that would be considered anomalies and then try to lump them into PM issues.

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Reese

#69387

Preventive Maintenance | 18 June, 2013

I think 3 months is over-board as well. If it needs to be done, I would do it on an annual basis. I have performed similar maintenance on our machines, but yearly. But if not, when you exhibit problems, this would be a good place to start. So doing it as needed may work for you.

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DEKHEAD

#69388

Preventive Maintenance | 18 June, 2013

I do it as part of annual maintenance on machines; but any more frequent seems overkill (and asking for trouble). Most common cause of spontaneous reboot issue is PSU connection to backplane.

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BIN95.com

#69572

Preventive Maintenance | 25 June, 2013

I agree with everyone else here, 3-6 months for blowing dust out of panel a bit excessive, once per year will be fine in most environments. If you find it needs to be more frequent, you need to explorer dust preventative measures. (Check panel seal, or instal one, cooling fan filter, or use electronic cooling device to better seal panel, etc.) For more annual Electrical preventative maintenance tips, we have a great article at http://bin95.com/electrical-preventive-maintenance.htm

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Larry Groves

#69615

Preventive Maintenance | 27 June, 2013

Look at it this way, It ran from 96 to now. I think handling the cards can cause problems (especially in an old machine). That said, a lot of times the fix for an intermittent is making sure the connections are good but I would not mess with it unless it was acting up

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gallionc

#70063

Preventive Maintenance | 26 July, 2013

I think we are all on the same page with this one. Since you ran from 96 until now without any issue I'd say that now you know what causes the problem, make a note of it for next time and move on. I have found with our older machines that "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is a good rule of thumb. I have shot myself in the foot more than once by following the recommended factory PMs to a "T" on the older machines. When PMs come due, I ask the operators if they are having any issues and address those. As long as the machines are running well and keeping within tolerance, make sure the moving parts are sufficiently lubed, adjusted properly, and the solder pots (if its a wave) and accessible areas are kept clean.

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