When is a repair not a repair?

Tewkesbury, UK -- In most instances of machine downtime, repair is often the most cost effective remedial action. However, unless this repair is carried out to the same exacting standards as those governing the machine or component's original build, an economic approach can rapidly degenerate into a false economy.

Likewise, a simple like-for-like replacement of parts is often not the right course of action. If a machine or device has been running for several years, chances are that the tolerances are no longer the same and the performance figures will almost certainly be different.

This is where the knowledge of the original equipment manufacturer pays dividends, not only towards the continuing optimal performance of the machine or process, but also towards ensuring the best possible repair available on the market.

Modern CAD and analysis capabilities give engineers access to a vast array of testing capabilities able to generate data that, in the past, could only be obtained from monitoring operational performance over extended perods of time.

These capabilities give engineers a far deeper insight into how components interact with each other and how their day-to-day operation will be affected by varying degrees of process and environmental conditions.

OE manufacturers are, therefore, the only complete source of information with regards to any repair activities. Not only will they know the original design and test specifications of the product, they also know, through a great deal of testing, how the current performance relates to factors such as wear patterns, component fatigue, tolerances and revised performance capabilities.

Although other repair agents exist, they lack this intimate product knowledge. With the best will in the world, a repair agent can analyse and test a product to enhance their knowledge but in the end, it all boils down to guess work as they do not possess the original specifications.

Life testing is a vital part of any product development programme. The ability of a supplier to make an assessment based on actual performance versus the original specification allows the original manufacturer to make the well-informed and accurate judgements that are simply out of reach to third parties.

Not only can an original supplier interrogate these results and use them to gauge the cause of failure or wear, it can also suggest the best possible course of remedial action which, in some cases might not be a simple like-for-like replacement.

Another major factor to consider in any repair offering is the length of time taken to do these repairs. Downtime is expensive for any company; so realistic timetables are essential to allow companies to factor in repair schedules.

Greater experience of the product more often than not means that repairs can be performed to tight deadlines. These can also be more accurately forecast by the original supplier, especially where longer shutdown periods are involved.

Brian Sims is internal sales manager at Moog, which designs and manufactures motion control systems combining electric, hydraulic and hybrid technologies for applications including plastics, metal forming, textiles, power generation and simulation.