Got it covered

Bruckner Supply, an integrated supplier at Eaton Hydraulics in Shawnee, Oklahoma, manufactures hydraulic motors. Keeping its dozens of Okuma and Mazak machining centers running 24/7 is critical.

“We need to keep the machines running all the time, except for planned maintenance,” says Larry Parris, maintenance coordinator. “When even a seemingly small thing like a damaged way cover on one of these machine tools shuts it down, the costs ramp up very quickly. We need a nearby source to service our equipment repair and refurbishing needs.”

The manufacturer of the telescopic steel way covers on these machines, Hennig, Inc., has a service center “just up the road a bit,” which in Oklahoma is about 30 miles. When way covers at Bruckner are damaged, they are shipped to Hennig, analyzed for damage, quoted, repaired, then shipped back to the company, usually for reinstallation by Bruckner’s maintenance team.

Hennig’s three technicians, all certified welders, do the repairs and component replacements at the service center or, when needed, onsite at the customer’s location. The covers are straightened, cleaned, polished and reassembled, plus repaired and refurbished as needed.

Generally, according to Hennig service and repair manager, Dave Menke, way covers get worn, dirty, bent or corroded by continuous exposure to oil and coolant.

“Wiper lip, rollers, scissor assemblies, wiper casings, sidebrass and guides can all get damaged, even in normal use,” Menke says. “Then, of course, there are crashes from lift trucks, falling parts and even flying parts that don’t get properly chucked in the machine tool. We’ve seen some rather interesting damage come our way.”   Item 148

This article appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2007.

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