22/12/2025
My least favourite time of the year that is unavoidable, downtime for maintenance is now past. As a young apprentice, I was bewildered by the old tradesmen that were always bitching & complaining & grumpy for this n that. Most of which wasn't much at all. No one prepares you for what is to come with older age.....aches & pains, where they shouldn't be. If you do decide to get down on the floor on your knees, or lay down to get to the conveyor tank, you best have a backup plan to return to a standing position. Growing older sucks, 40 years ago I could clean the machine completely top to bottom, remove the coolant tank and swarf conveyor, clean that thoroughly and have it all reassembled back up and running in less than 8 hours. It's just taken me 3 days to do the exact same machine and job.
Anyone that's ever stripped a CNC machine down for maintenance or cleaning will know all too well, they are just nasty. There's swarf buildup, oils, grease, coolant, lost tools & small parts in every imaginable place they just shouldn't be. Good news, I found my missing torch, batteries were flat though.
Many machines appear pristine on the outside, remove a cover or 3 and you will unearth a festering swamp that has a smell all of its own and refuses to support any form of life that is non lethal. I let the Hicell go 2 years, as a trial, it was not as bad as I expected. I do believe that because I only use our own rain water supply, not mains or scheme as we are off grid here, that the machine itself does not rust or suffer the ill effects of the chemicals in town water supply. I've seen some disgusting machines in the past, with only a few months use on them.
On a side note, I now know that under the machine was the final resting place for a large proportion of the local millepede population. If anyone has a solution to keep them outside, let me know. I've tried many products, all failed.
Well, time for a short break, then back into it next year.
Thanks to all that have shown an interest in what I do, cheers.šŗšŗ
