Establishing your CNC Regular maintenance schedule
CNC machines go through a lot in their lifetime, executing heavy-duty jobs and working with materials that can cause more than the typical wear and tear if not properly cared for on an ongoing basis.
Because of this, setting and sticking to a regular maintenance schedule for your CNC router or plasma is especially critical. With it, parts and components can quickly begin to improve and positively impact the performance of your machine and the quality of your work. A comprehensive CNC router maintenance checklist is essential to ensure routine checks and procedures are followed, including lubrication, cleaning, and regular inspections.
When setting a CNC maintenance schedule, operators should take steps on both a short—and long-term basis to achieve the best results. Preventive maintenance is crucial to avoid costly breakdowns and ensure continuous productivity. Here is a closer look at some maintenance checks and tasks that should be performed daily, biannually, and annually.
DAILY CNC ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Performing daily maintenance checks on your CNC machine usually only takes a few minutes but can save you hours and thousands of dollars in the long run by getting ahead of and preventing more serious issues from mounting over time.
Daily routine maintenance helps ensure production is unaffected by easily avoidable issues such as blockages, poor air supply, and failure to maintain lubrication levels.
Daily CNC maintenance tasks include:
- Checking hydraulic fluid levels
- Checking hydraulic pressure
- Checking cooling systems cooling unit level
- Checking lube level or bearing grease
- Cleaning/removing debris from the system
- Wiping down and lubricating moving parts
- Checking critical force bolts (spindles, bearing trucks)
- Using an air gun to blow away dust and debris
- Inspecting your consumables (CNC router bits, electrodes, optics, etc.)
Note: Some of the above tasks may or may not apply to your equipment.
For recommended fluids, levels, or questions, consult your machine’s owner’s manual. It is never recommended to skip fluid checks or to use improper fluids, as improper grease and fluid are the same as or worse than no fluid or grease. If you have any questions or concerns regarding daily maintenance, the ShopSabre team is here to help.
BIANNUAL CNC PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
Beyond routine maintenance that should be performed daily, several more intensive tasks should be taken care of every few months to six months, depending on the equipment. Checking and cleaning air reservoirs, pumps, coolant tanks, and oil drainages are all important to maintaining effective operation.
Biannual CNC maintenance tasks include:
- Cleaning coolant tank of sludge, oil, and chips
- Cleaning radiator and ensuring fins are straight and undamaged
- Removing and cleaning chuck and jaws
- Checking leveling and adjusting if needed
- Performing a full system bolt check (tightening any that may have loosened from vibration/harmonics)
- Draining and cleaning the lubrication unit and adding fresh lubricant, ensuring regular and correct lubrication to prevent premature wear and ensure optimal functionality
- Draining hydraulic tank and replacing oil with fresh hydraulic oil
- Changing/cleaning suction filter and line suction filter
- Draining and refilling the cooling unit
- Adjusting for pinion wear on rack and pinion machines and replacing CNC components as necessary
- Cleaning and inspecting the tool holder regularly to ensure optimal machine performance
ANNUAL CNC MAINTENANCE
The primary goal of annual CNC maintenance checks is to ensure the machine’s alignment and calibration are intact. This is especially important if working with a 4- or 5-axis CNC machine. For more complex machines like a 5-axis CNC router, you should check machine beds, spindle lubrication, and hydraulic systems every year.
By and large, these annual checks are performed to ensure appropriate leveling, functionality, and accuracy. In many cases, these checks should be done by a CNC professional. If you’re strictly a hobbyist and do not work out of a professional shop, the ShopSabre team of experts is here and ready to help answer any questions regarding more involved maintenance tasks.
Annual CNC maintenance tasks include:
- Checking spindle for radial and end play issues
- Checking tailstock for quill function and misalignments
- Checking chuck cylinder for runout
- Checking headstock for damage or misalignment
- Checking turret parallelism and inclination
- Inspecting the entire machine for oil and air leakages
- Performing a full system cleaning
- Checking bearings for wear and replacing only as necessary
- Checking head alignment and realigning as necessary
- Cleaning computer/control cabinet(s) and changing filter(s) as needed
- Checking spindle motor for proper cooling and functionality, ensuring cooling water is clean and at appropriate levels to prevent damage
RAMP UP PRODUCTION AND PRECISION WITH SHOPSABRE CNC ROUTER
ShopSabre’s industry-best CNC routers and plasmas are designed to help shop owners grow their production through unmatched precision, repeatability, and automation all at an affordable price. Proper maintenance of a CNC router machine, including routine lubrication and cleaning, is essential to ensure longevity and optimal performance.
ShopSabre machines largely require less maintenance than the competition, thanks to user-friendly designs and advanced technology. Contact one of our sales consultants today to see just how little maintenance our router machines require.
Our machines are easy to get up and running and to learn how to operate, even without any formal training. Our team of dedicated experts offers one-on-one support to help you find the right machine and to ensure it works the way you and your business need it to.
Here are a few of the reasons ShopSabre can develop and produce such revolutionary CNC technology:
- Experienced in-house engineering talent
- The ability to totally fabricate and test designs onsite
- The ability to place the designs into production in-house
Shop our unmatched collection of CNC plasmas today to experience CNC the way it was meant to be.