No power light on board.  No LCD on logic board.  CNC not working.  Work halted.  These are words no manufacturer of any size wants to see or hear.  It is the sound of work stopping – a mighty bad sound.

Such was the case recently for a precision turned parts company in Auckland, New Zealand.  Getting their Fuji servo amp repaired locally did not work out so they turned to ACS Industrial Services.   Now mind you, we are in the United States, not exactly around the corner for our New Zealand friends so you know they were anxious.  That CNC needed to be “earning its keep” and quickly.

Making a big investment in new automation equipment may cause you to become paralyzed with fear of making a mistake.  Buyer’s remorse is a gut-twisting feeling no one wants to have whether the item is as small as a new cell phone or a much larger purchase like a new automation system.

Here are some tips to remember as you begin your search for the perfect new automation system:

1. Know your specifications BEFORE you begin the search.  And not just generalities – get a detailed equipment specification by examining all aspects of the project.  Know your cycle times, yield, up-times, quality expectations, hardware preferences, design requirements, etc.

There are all kinds of keepers.  Goal keepers, lion keepers, game keepers, scorekeepers, book keepers and, of course, the big fish that was “a keeper”.   This morning, while having some intensely delicious coffee at The Filling Station, I met a new kind of keeper – the Gunpowder River Keeper.  Yes, this fellow is in charge of “keeping” the fabulous and famous fly fishing destination in Maryland, the Gunpowder River.  The common denominator?  Someone that keeps things safe or cared for.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and…power supplies?  Oh yeah…power supplies are everywhere and in everything.  Ubiquitous and almost as necessary as oxygen, the underappreciated yeoman power supply runs the motors of your life, from the microscopic to the 40,000 volt monster variety.

And, at any given time, a considerable bunch of them are not working.  One minute everything is literally humming along smoothly and then suddenly, it’s not.  Not moving, not humming, not doing anything except maybe emitting smoke and that unmistakable burned electrical smell.  We call that the “smoke genie” and believe me, that genie is NOT there for you to make three wishes.