Predictive Machining: Learning to Stop Failures in Their Tracks

Predictive Machining: Learning to Stop Failures in Their Tracks

No one likes unplanned downtime. Schedule disruption, loss of production, missed deliveries, and overtime pay required to catch up on orders can kill productivity and profitability. Simply put, downtime that occurs unexpectedly or as a result of failure impacts shops in a way that planned downtime or preventative maintenance of machines does not.

The need for predictive maintenance should be top of mind for manufacturers. In fact, in a study conducted by Vanson Bourne of GE Digital, manufacturers averaged at least two unplanned downtime outages over three years, with each event costing companies as much as $250K per hour. Since preventative and predictive maintenance allow you to carry out repairs before a breakdown occurs and avoid unplanned expenses—it’s easy to see why this technology is essential for minimizing costly surprises while maximizing runtime.
The problem is that while machine monitoring solutions have had the capacity to report on equipment status and preventative maintenance schedules, they have NOT been able to monitor machine health or alert you to issues before they happen… until now.

In this informative whitepaper, you’ll learn about MHmax: Makino’s cutting-edge predictive maintenance software program which utilizes predictive maintenance technologies to help you mitigate unplanned downtime. We’ll show you how it works, and we’ll reveal the specific predictive maintenance examples and components that MHmax assesses and monitors within these four major machine subsystems:

  • Spindle Health
  • Coolant system
  • Hydraulic system
  • Mechanical system

Utilizing a suite of sensors and an onboard computer that employs analytical software to run predictive analysis on each machine, MHmax analyzes data and identifies vulnerable points that could cause production disruption if they are not addressed. In addition to predictive maintenance tools, MHmax also provides a real-time portrait of a machine’s status, which can be enormously helpful in optimizing processes, improving equipment utilization and enabling more worry-free hours of unattended or lightly tended machining. The advantages of predictive maintenance are huge, not only in terms of cost reduction but less stress as well.
MHmax reports its findings using one of three levels of connectivity based on customer communication protocols:

  • Level 1:  Displays results on the machine only
  • Level 2: Connects one or more machines to customer network. MHmax can connect with designated recipients’ email or text alerts
  • Level 3: In addition to Level 2 connectivity, Level 3 offers alerts to be “pushed” to the Makino dispatch system in order to facilitate a proactive response from Makino Customer Service

Not only can it alert an operator that an error may occur in the future if they don’t attend to an issue, but depending on the connectivity level, all information is easily accessed in one simple dashboard. No more walking from machine to machine with a clipboard and pen to gather data.

MHmax is an important part of implementing industry 4.0 in the production machining segment and can be applied to specific Makino equipment across many industries including automotive, job shops, precision contract machining as well as medical.  Its analytical insight allows shops to plan predictive maintenance for when it’s most convenient, instead of spontaneously reacting to unplanned downtime. Not worrying about having surprise shutdowns is one of the many benefits of predictive maintenance that MHmax delivers.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “what is predictive maintenance?” or wanted to learn more about predictive maintenance machine learning, download this whitepaper and discover how MHmax uses the power of predictive technology to reduce headache-causing production shutdowns, saving you frustration and lost profits.