Faced with a highly competitive marketplace, manufacturers cannot afford extended downtime on critical machines. ATS offers timely, on-site Emergency Repair Services for your machine tools. Our expertise includes electrical, electronic, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic maintenance for all types of manufacturing equipment including machine tools, cells, flexible manufacturing systems, PLC’s, CNC’s, robotics and AC/DC drives.

Machine Tool Emergency Repair Services from ATS are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at a cost much less than the OEM charges. Our maintenance technicians are located throughout the country, which typically allows us to minimize the costly travel expense normally associated with emergency repairs.

Our highly-trained maintenance technicians are experts at advanced troubleshooting techniques and root-cause analysis. Unlike OEMs, whose expertise is limited to their individual product line, we are knowledgeable on a broad range of machines and control types. Our technicians are supported by a 2000+ person maintenance organization which has in-house repair and parts inventory capabilities. This combination of technical skill, support structure and practical know-how means ATS can provide quicker repairs resulting in less production downtime for your facility.

At ATS, our core competency is maintenance. We help manufacturers produce more by improving productivity and reducing operating costs. Our Field Services are typically performed on a Time and Materials basis, but Fixed Rate prices are available for long-term or recurring requirements.

Many manufacturers recognize the need to perform preventive and predictive maintenance on critical machinery, but fail to dedicate the time and resources necessary to execute such programs. The Telescopic Ballbar Analysis is a non-invasive procedure which can be performed quickly, making it very cost-effective.

ATS uses Renishaw Telescoping Ballbar equipment to dynamically evaluate machine tools for mechanical integrity, geometric condition and electronic performance and tuning.

The results are analyzed and organized in an easy to understand report that includes recommended corrective actions. Ideally, the Telescopic Ballbar Analysis can be utilized as a predictive tool when performed on a periodic schedule. Over time, ATS can trend the data collected and monitor for unfavorable changes that will forewarn impending failures before they occur.

With an ATS Ballbar Analysis, vital information is available in less than three hours, with subsequent tests taking even less time. Telescopic Ballbar Analysis can benefit you in the following situations: 

New/Rebuilt Machine Tool Acceptance:

New Products or Design Changes:

After a Crash:

As a Preventive/Predictive Maintenance Tool:

Machine Relocations:

Over 40% of scrap parts are caused by misalignment of production machinery. With the proper testing and expertise, the majority of these errors can be easily corrected.

Utilizing state-of-the-art Renishaw interferometer laser equipment, ATS Laser Alignment Service provides an evaluation and calibration on the mechanical integrity of machine tools. During the evaluation, we develop an initial machine profile that provides the footprint necessary to identify the appropriate actions required to ensure parts quality and peak performance of your equipment.

At your request, ATS will provide machine alignment and control compensation or assist your maintenance personnel in making adjustments to improve your machine’s capability.

With the ongoing push to lean manufacturing and the elimination of excess capacity, reliable machine performance has become extremely critical. Manufacturers can no longer risk relying on machines that may not meet performance standards.

A Machine Tool Health Assessment is the machine tool equivalent to a medical physical examination. It is a series of non-destructive tests and observations specifically designed to identify the current condition, accuracy, expected future performance and ongoing reliability, including any recommendations for corrective actions.

The tests performed vary depending on the type of machine, accuracy designed into it and the physical work envelope. The following list provides examples of the type of procedures that might be used to perform a given machine health assessment.

• Ballbar analysis
• Oil analysis
• Interferometer laser profile
• Vibration analysis
• Spindle error mapping
• Electronic monitoring
• Electronic levels
• Visual inspection
• Operator interview

Generally, there are two reasons for performing a Machine Tool Health Assessment. The first is to verify a machine’s condition at the time of purchase, transplant, rebuild or as a pre-purchase evaluation of performance specifications.

The second reason is to benchmark machine performance. This will assure high accuracy and reliability for a planned production run, especially small lot size runs, tight tolerances and demanding specifications.

Machine Tool Health Assessment is just one of the Field Services offered by ATS. We provide many key elements of production equipment maintenance to customers throughout the U.S. on a project or contractual basis. With each of our Field Service products, we provide the expertise, discipline, processes and systems to help our customers increase productivity and reduce costs.

The many benefits of proper shaft alignment for rotating industrial equipment are often overlooked when seeking cost reductions and productivity improvements. Proper shaft alignment can dramatically cut operating costs and lower power consumption while increasing mean time between failures and the overall life expectancy of the equipment and its components.

With the Rotalign Ultra Alignment Laser, ATS provides precision shaft alignment for rotating industrial equipment. With this service, ATS can precisely measure the linear and angular misalignment of coupling points under operating conditions. Adjustments can then be made and performance re-verified to make sure the equipment is performing within specifications.

Laser shaft alignment can be utilized in a predictive or reactive maintenance mode. In a predictive mode, the laser is used to obtain data on the machine or equipment’s current condition. This data is then compared to historical information to determine if the equipment’s condition is stable or degrading.

In a remedial mode, the laser reduces the time to repair by quickly identifying where and exactly how big the problem is. Trial and error adjustments are eliminated. Verification of the repair is quick and documentable.

Applications include:

• Alignment of shafts, turbines, generators and air compressors
• Alignment of Pin and Crankshaft grinders
• Spindle tram on machine centers and lathes (horizontal and vertical)
• Alignment of headstock and tailstock on conventional and slant bed lathes
• Straightness profiles in the vertical and horizontal planes simultaneously
• Indexing table alignment

Repairs utilizing the laser, with its built in computational capabilities allow the alignments to be done quickly, reducing downtime and lowering the cost of each alignment.

Scrap can affect a manufacturing facility in many ways. ATS can help reduce scrap in general and the affects of it on production.

Ways Scrap Affects Production

1. Increases production costs because they have to manufacture more in order to meet demand.
2. Cost of labor, more parts means more time. Could mean running 3 shifts instead of 2 or even worse, running 6 or 7 days instead of 5.
3. Cost of tooling, have to make more plus re-work to meet demand.
4. Floor space to stage re-work.
5. Inspection capacity, CMM, personnel etc.
6. Cost to expedite parts to customer.
7. Potentially have to invest in redundant equipment in order to meet demand.

Ways ATS Can Affect Scrap

1. ATS has the capability to verify geometric alignment of each independent axis of the machine.
2. ATS can verify how the axes relate to each other when used simultaneously.
3. ATS can verify positioning capabilities down to the micron level.
4. ATS can identify the features of the part that any error will affect.
5. ATS can predict the performance capability of the machine on various parts being considered.
6. ATS can identify errors caused by fixturing issues such as hysteresis or movement.
7. ATS can verify speeds and feeds which affect everything from size to finish.
8. ATS can verify the effects of environmental issues such as heat, cold and even material growth.
9. Whenever a ball screw is replaced on a machine using encoder or resolver feedback, that axis should have the linear compensation adjusted, likewise if a scale is replaced, the linear compensation should be verified and adjusted for accuracy.
10. ATS can provide machine certifications required for various quality programs.
11. If a machine is being considered for rebuild or relocation ATS can identify needed repairs.
12. If a new part is being considered to be run on a specific machine, ATS can verify the capability of that machine to be able to run that specific part.
13. Anytime a machine is crashed or moved the machine condition and performance should be verified. (This can typically be done with the Ballbar in as little as 4 hours.)
14. ATS not only has the capability to identify issues with the machine but we also provide a very comprehensive report outlining the repair method required and can provide the repair as well if requested.

In general if there is a quality issue with a CNC machine tool or component, Specialized Reliability Solutions has the capability to identify and correct it.

The importance of performing scheduled Preventive Maintenance (PM ) on robots and other industrial equipment is often overlooked when seeking cost reductions and productivity improvements. In fact, properly scheduled and performed PMs can dramatically decrease parts usage, reduce operating costs, improve mean time between failures and improve the overall life expectancy of the robot and its components.

We employ many former OEM service engineers/ technicians and specially trained technicians throughout the United States. ATS provides a cost effective alternative solution to the OEM. ATS can provide a customized solution ranging from diagnostic, repair and debug to basic annual standard PMs to a complete turnkey PM program which would include scheduling, requisitioning parts and tracking ATS progress and work order history via a customized CMMS.

PM activites include

• Clean and lube articulation joints
• Inspect and verify operation of end effectors
• Inspect control panels
• Inspect cables
• Inspect mechanical components
• Inspect and clean remote control panel & pendants
• Backup and archive machine programs and parameters
• Prepare exception report depicting abnormal components or specifications
• Present report to customer maintenance supervision.

The next time you "re-schedule" a PM or have a failure, call the Specialized Reliability Solutions group at ATS and let us help you avoid more of the same in the future.