One-stop medical manufacturing equipment repairs

Timely repair or replacement of equipment is critical for medical device manufacturers investing in engineering, fabrication, finishing, assembly, digital design, prototyping systems, automated fabrication, CNC finishing, and multi-axis laser-based quality assurance systems.

Maintaining equipment often presents a logistical nightmare that involves farming out components to a variety of specialty repair shops with variable capabilities, quality, pricing, and turnaround time. In response, the repair industry continues to broaden capabilities to provide a more one-stop-shop repair service to simplify the process.

Medical device manufacturing equipment uses a variety of spindles, spindle motors, arbors, and tools. A range of mechanical or hydraulic components and sophisticated electronic control elements also display real-time status information. Alarm monitoring and critical production-related data for on-the-fly analysis of events, system troubleshooting, and process improvement are also common.

Repair shops tend to specialize – a hydraulic component repair shop may not have the capability to also repair motors; a motor repair shop may not replace power supplies; and robotic equipment must usually be repaired at a dedicated facility.

However, these services can converge with larger repair service companies that offer an array of services under one roof – repair or replacement of components from mechanical to hydraulic. K+S Services repairs electronic components including replacement of controller cards for power supply, input/output (I/O), communication, and memory, as well as human machine interface (HMI) control panels.

Regardless of the type of part, it is important to look for a repair company that will conduct an initial evaluation to identify the probable cause of failure and then repair and test the part to the manufacturer’s specifications.

K+S Services operates 12 facilities globally to remain near manufacturers, enabling faster repairs for customers. Beyond standard services, repair service companies often offer specialized programs, similar to K+S’ Smart Total Asset Management Program (STAMP). STAMP assigns a full-time, on-site account manager to serve as a one-stop facilitator and manager of all repairable assets within a specific plant.

K+S Services Inc.
www.k-and-s.com