In today’s world, it sometimes seems like everything is disposable. Even in manufacturing, machine maintenance is a dying art, and many shops start searching for expensive replacements at the first sign of trouble.
That’s not our philosophy at Wagner Machine Company—while we regularly update machines to keep up with technology and customer demand, we’re also proud to have several long-running workhorse machines in our fleet. In fact, some have been machining tight tolerance parts for more than a decade, all thanks to the skill and dedication of our expert maintenance team. Our shop’s commitment to in-house maintenance and repairs helps to keep customer prices stable while preventing downtime through reliable equipment performance.
Workhorse Machines That Have Stood the Test of Time
While our fleet features plenty of cutting-edge machines, technology, and automation, we’re particularly fond of our more senior equipment. Three machines in particular stand out in our CNC machine shop: our first 5-axis mills and our first Swiss machine.
Our Hanwha Swiss Machine
Our Hanwha ML-20H was purchased as a distributor demo unit over 20 years ago. It was our first Swiss machine and our first lathe with live tooling, Y-axis, and the ability to work on the main and sub spindle at the same time. It has run far more parts than any other machine in our building and it can still hold tolerances tighter than .0005” with repeatability nearly as good as the day we bought it. It’s so reliable that we often run it 18-20 hours each day as part of our Swiss machining services, including unattended overnight.
The machine’s longevity is so impressive that Hanwha has taken note. After we discussed its longevity with a Hanwha representative during our time at IMTS, the CEO of Hanwha North America himself came to our shop to see it in action.
Our Hurco 5-Axis Mills
We still have the first and second Hurco 5-axis mills we bought — and both are now approaching 15 years in our shop. They excel in the prototyping aspects of our 5-axis milling services, and they maintain impressive precision on complex machined parts. Most of our production 5-axis machines are dedicated to machining small parts, so when a production run of large parts came through, our VMX42U was up to the challenge. It is currently in the middle of a six-month production run, removing more than 200 pounds of material every single day with features repeating at less than .0005” from part to part.
In-House Maintenance to Keep Machines Running—And Projects on Time
Machines don’t last this long by accident. Our three-person in-house maintenance team has spent years learning the ins and outs of our equipment to help keep it running smoothly. From replacing belts, spindles, and wipers, to troubleshooting rotary axis encoders and advanced electronics (new and old), they go well beyond basic maintenance.
Many shops rely primarily on manufacturer service calls for large repairs, but this often incurs high costs and requires long waits that can delay projects. At Wagner Machine, our team handles most diagnostics and repairs independently, often completing repairs before the manufacturer could even send someone out to diagnose the problem.
We have built some strong, long-term relationships with these machine tool manufacturers, often having direct access to trusted representatives. While most manufacturers will only warranty parts installed by their own service techs, some have come to trust our team’s expertise so much that they honor warranties on components we replace.
How Machine Longevity Improves Pricing
The customer impact of maintaining this equipment becomes clear when you examine the numbers. Several of our veteran Swiss machines, for instance, technically have book values of zero, and yet we replaced the bar feeder on our original Hanwha a few years ago—a $25,000 investment into a $0 machine.
Investing that much money in an old machine may sound counterintuitive, but not when you consider the big picture. The bar feeder was regularly faulting out and was no longer supported by the manufacturer. We could not reliably run unattended resulting in a loss of 40+ hours per week of production. Something had to be done and our maintenance knowledge made the decision obvious. Purchasing a new machine with similar capabilities and minor productivity improvements for over $150,000 and passing 6x the cost on to our customers didn’t make sense. Instead, we knew that our current machine was reliable, accurate, and required only about $1,500 of predictable maintenance every few years so we chose to replace the bar feeder.
Having a maintenance team who knows our equipment allows us to extend the life of these machines, and we can pass those savings directly to our customers. As long as it is reliable, holds great tolerances, and is almost as fast as a new machine, the real question is why would we replace it?
The Equipment You Need for Your Next Project
As proud as we are of these long-running machines, we’re still selective about which machines we keep over the long term. For our more extreme precision machining services, equipment is rotated out more often to ensure the utmost accuracy. The key is understanding project needs and machine capabilities to determine which parts are best served by which machines.
From high-volume machining to wire EDM services and beyond, we have the capabilities to complete any of your projects. And you can rest assured that all our equipment gets the same close attention from our in-house maintenance team, keeping costs down and maintaining tight tolerances and production schedules for our customers.
Request a quote today and find out how we consistently can exceed your high standards!