Plan Maintenance Around the Machine and the Production Schedule
A useful preventive-maintenance program is not a generic checklist. Founders CNC builds the schedule around the machine type, operating hours, environment, production risk, tolerance requirements, service history, and the time your operation can make available.
The objective is to identify wear, drift, contamination, feedback degradation, alignment changes, and developing electrical or drive problems during planned service—not during a critical production run. Between scheduled visits, we may evaluate some control and drive problems through remote support when safe access is available.
Program Elements May Include
- Machine-specific inspection and service checklist
- Baseline condition and service-history review
- Geometry checks using test bars and indicators
- Renishaw ballbar and laser measurement where appropriate
- Automatic tool-changer inspection and alignment checks
- Drive, motor, electrical, and communications diagnostics
- PROFIBUS and DRIVE-CLiQ system checks where applicable
- HEIDENHAIN encoder and scale evaluation where applicable
- Documented findings and recommendations for corrective work
How We Build the Program
Inventory and risk review
We identify the machines, controls, operating patterns, critical production demands, recurring failures, and available service windows.
Baseline inspection and measurement
We establish the machine’s starting condition so later visits can be compared against meaningful data instead of memory.
Prioritized maintenance plan
We define tasks and intervals based on machine risk and use. A three-shift production machine should not receive the same schedule as lightly used toolroom equipment.
Scheduled service and findings
Each visit documents observed conditions, completed tasks, developing concerns, and recommended corrective actions.
Adjust the plan
Intervals and tasks can change as operating hours, production demands, machine condition, and failure history change.
Can Preventive Maintenance Eliminate Breakdowns?
No responsible maintenance program can promise that every failure will be prevented. It can, however, expose many developing problems early, create a defensible machine history, and move more work into scheduled service windows. When a failure stops production between visits, our emergency CNC repair service troubleshoots the complete machine.
A 2025 Fluke survey of 600 manufacturing decision-makers and maintenance professionals in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany reported that 61% of manufacturers experienced unplanned downtime during the prior year. The exact cost varies by operation, but the practical lesson is universal: unplanned downtime deserves a plan.
What You Receive
- A program tailored to the covered machines
- A planned service cadence coordinated with production
- Recorded inspection and measurement findings
- Prioritized repair or adjustment recommendations
- A machine history that supports trend-based decisions
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a CNC machine be serviced?
The interval depends on hours, duty cycle, machine type, environment, tolerance requirements, failure history, and production consequences. We set an initial schedule from the assessment and adjust it as evidence accumulates.
Can you cover machines you have not serviced before?
Yes. The first visit establishes the machine’s identity, configuration, history, and baseline condition.
Does preventive maintenance include repairs?
Routine tasks are defined in the program. When an inspection identifies additional repair work or parts, we document the finding and obtain approval before proceeding outside the agreed scope.
How will service history be documented?
After each visit, Founders CNC provides documentation tailored to the covered machines and work performed. The package may include inspection findings, measurements, recommendations, photographs, and applicable Renishaw or HEIDENHAIN reports.
How are estimates and service visits billed?
A scheduled estimating visit may be provided at no charge when agreed in advance. Any dispatched diagnostic or service visit carries a four-hour labor minimum plus travel. Andy Moore remains involved in reviewing and scoping quoted repairs.
What warranty applies?
Founders CNC provides a 30-day labor warranty. New and refurbished parts carry the applicable manufacturer or supplier warranty.