Experts share top tips for machine maintenance

Injection molding machines have sophisticated systems designed to help users properly care for their assets. But there’s still need for the expertise of OEMs and skilled maintenance personnel.  

Bill Duff, GM of sales and marketing for Yizumi-HPM, who spoke to Plastics Machinery Magazine for an upcoming story on maintenance, has seen some of what can go wrong. He recounted a recent service call at a plant where a new press was overheating. The plant’s troubles, in turns out, weren’t with the machine at all — it was with the plant’s neighbor, an industrial processor of silica.  

“We opened up this [heat] exchanger, and all this ... it looked like a beach in there,” he said. 

Sand was clogging the cooling system. Improper plant cooling — often due to poor maintenance of tower chiller systems — is one common cause of premature machine damage. And it’s not covered by the press warranty, Duff said.  

Yizumi-HPM works with its customers to help them set up and properly maintain machines, and it offers service contracts to molders that might otherwise not have the resources to care for their presses. But, Duff, “we don’t cover stupid.”  

To help maintain both warranties and machines, he advised that plants perform regular checks, monitor oil condition and temperature, and address issues, such as leaks and machine alarms, as they arise. 

“As you get some years and hours on a machine, especially a hydraulic machine, you’ll start to see some leaks develop. It’s just natural for a machine, and then you need to maintain it,” Duff said. “When you get a leak on a hose or a valve, fix it. Immediately.” 

Watch for comprehensive stories on making your machinery last in the November issue and on www.plasticsmachinerymagazine.com. 

Contact: 

Yizumi-HPM, Iberia Corp., Ohio, 740-382-5600, www.yizumi-hpm.com