Investing in Fluid Dispensing Uptime

Robert Anton Wilson famously quipped that "Entropy requires no maintenance." Nowhere is this truer than for an advanced manufacturer running a modern fluid dispensing system.

Without maintenance, a faulty or broken fluid dispensing system or robotic dispensing system can have an outsized impact on your manufacturing line. Yet, with some smart investments and a bit of planning, you can get ahead of downtime. You can even stop it from happening.

The High Cost of Downtime

A common mistake is to misjudge the cost and availability of a given spare part. Belts can break, a valve can clog, or a circuit board can short out. Every minute your production line is down costs your organization money.

And when you are waiting for a part, time is your enemy. In most cases, the minimum wait for a part is three days, depending on your geographic location. Meanwhile, your production line is down. Every cost of running your operation continues, without shipping orders that earn revenue.

Depending on your operation, the cost of downtime can be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In many cases, keeping a small inventory of spare parts can prevent a one-hour issue from turning into a two-week problem.

The difference between an hour to fix a fluid dispensing system and days or weeks of costly downtime is dispensing parts in your inventory.

Short Term Savings, Long Term Problems

Every dollar counts in the manufacturing business. A dollar saved here can become dollars earned in another area of your business.

When an organization decides not to stock a repair or maintenance kit to support their fluid dispensing technology, they are taking a calculated risk. Before you make this choice, study what the impact will be on your operation if a critical part breaks. How long can you afford to stop production?

Is the potential downtime cost worth the immediate savings? Remember that a temporary short-term savings can result in an expensive problem in the long term.

Robotic Dispenser: Worst Case Scenario

Something that every manufacturer wants to avoid is tearing down an operating robotic dispensing system in order to fix a broken one. Commonly called “cannibalizing,” removing a belt from a working robot may help ease the symptoms of a broken part but it does not cure the problem.

That’s because the downtime and manpower to remove and replace the belt is expensive. Also, that work will need to be repeated after the new part arrives. Your team will need to install and adjust the part on the production robot you initially cannibalized to keep your line operational. Thus, your organization will need to complete twice the work that could be saved by having spare parts in stock.

This series of unfortunate events can cost a company up to $500,000 per day, depending on the scope of your operation. To put this number into perspective, a $5,000 investment in parts would likely prevent the scenario above from escalating into such a costly issue.

How to Prepare Your Fluid Dispensing Systems

Nordson EFD fluid dispensing and robotic dispensing solutions are known for being innovative, reliable, and durable. Even so, high-wear parts break down, and require maintenance.

Specifically, Nordson EFD recommends keeping inventory of the following replacement parts.

Automated dispensing systems (table top robot) :

• Wear and tear items: Belts, motors, fuses, switches, etc., all of which are included in hardware kits
• Back up replacement in case of electrical or hardware failure: CPU, PCBs, and camera

Fluid dispensing equipment (typical replacement parts). We recommend that you refer to your specific product manual to ensure you have the proper items in stock (see fluid dispensing systems manuals here):

• Valve rebuild kits for spare wetted components
• O-rings/seals chemically compatible with your materials
• Spare inlet fittings, tubing, and liners
• Spare jetting nozzles for quick swap over

What you should keep in stock is dependent on the fluid dispensing technology your operation is using. A best practice is to anticipate and plan for your replacement parts needs. By doing this, you can avoid the costs and stress of having a critical part couriered to your location.

Additionally, Nordson EFD does not always have a part or kit on hand to ship to you if there is a problem. While we fully stand behind our systems, we may need to order materials from a supplier. This adds more time and cost to the problem at hand.

When robotic dispensing systems break, it is always urgent and chaotic. You desperately need the part. Yet, securing the part is seldom as simple as ordering it. As you wait, costs increase, and you lose valuable production time.

Fortunately, with foresight, you can plan around the problem.

Assess Your Fluid Dispensing Risks

To assess the risk of purchasing spare parts and maintenance kits, check if your application could have shutdown issues. This will help you understand the potential problems your organization may face.

In our experience, there are a few select areas that are considered riskier than others. They include:

• High volume production facilities
• Medical device manufacturers, specifically those who require:
  • Sterilization
  • Regulatory standards
  • Certification standards

Addressing the Machine Building Challenge

Machine builders work in a unique space in the manufacturing industry. We understand that they often meet unique challenges when working with fluid dispensing systems. Customers are price-sensitive, and no organization wants to lose a bid over a few dollars on a quote.

A machine builder might be tempted to skip or cut back on an investment in fluid dispensing maintenance kits or spare parts. Keeping a project bid low is often smart. However, the risks of this choice can hurt the end user.

Maybe taking the parts kit off the list will reduce costs and get the end user to select a bid. However, when the system fails and there are no spare parts to fix it, this will affect a machine builder’s relationship with their customer.

While fluid dispensing is typically just one system integrated into a complex automation solution, experienced machine builders understand that they need to prepare for maintenance on the fluid dispensing system because it can have an outsized impact on your operation.

Fluid dispensers are often a small part of a larger operation. However, it can greatly affect a machine’s effectiveness. When the machine goes down, the end user is going to need service to help them and / or possibly visit them to assist.

This is an expensive way to conduct business. A few thousand dollars in your bid can mean the difference between a small problem and a costly shutdown.

Recommending the parts kit after delivery is a good option here. The customer should be ready to replace worn parts. And while Nordson EFD solutions are robust, they do require routine maintenance to operate at peak performance.

Plan for Maintenance

A good way to prevent unplanned downtime is to integrate a fluid dispensing maintenance routine in your process. This planned upkeep of your systems helps ensure a predictable cycle and keeps your production line profitable.

In many cases with the proper tools on hand, an organization can make these repairs quickly using internal resources.

For more complex maintenance tasks, you can schedule the Nordson EFD Global Support team to come to your site and do the work. Please contact your representative to discuss service options.

In most cases, maintenance mainly involves greasing important moving parts, especially on robots, and doing preventative upkeep.

To keep your fluid dispensing equipment or automation system running well, schedule annual maintenance. This is usually all you need.

Conclusion

The difference between costly downtime and a 1–2-hour fluid dispensing issue comes down to having replacement parts or a maintenance kit on hand.

Smart planning and preparation usually prevent 98% of potential problems in the field.

A wise person once said, “proper planning prevents poor performance”. By making maintenance and stocking a priority for high wear parts at your facility, you can optimize your uptime and profits.

Ultimately, these items are an investment in your uptime.

Resources

Valve Rebuild & Maintenance Kits

Automated Dispensing Systems – Service & Replacement Parts Manual

PICO Pµlse Series Operating Manual

Liquidyn P-Jet Series Jet Valves Operating Manual

Liquidyn P-Dot Series Jet Valves Operating Manual

797PCP Series Progressive Cavity Pump Operating Manual

关于Anthony Buzzerio

Anthony Buzzerio现任诺信EFD公司应用/系统工程师，拥有五年流体点胶行业经验。他毕业于罗德岛州布里斯托尔的罗杰威廉姆斯大学，获工程学学士学位。