Rebuilding, Remanufacturing, and Retrofitting Services

Call us for quotes on rebuilding or retrofitting the following machines.

Hardinge CHNC's, Hardinge Chuckers, Brown & Sharp Ultramatics, Davenports, Acme Gridley's, and many other types and models of machine tools.Available with Fanuc, Mitsubishi, Seimens, Fagor and other PC based CNC controls.

As machine tool production hours add up on an existing piece of equipment certain questions must be considered.

Should the existing machine be fixed? To what degree? Or should a new machine replace the old?

Short of buying a new machine three options are available to fix the older machine tools: rebuilding, remanufacturing, and retrofitting. While sometimes used interchangeably, each of these three terms describes a rather specific kind of machine tool rework. Rebuilding: The objective of rebuilding is to get the machine back to its original performance specifications. A rebuilders will tighten mechanical components and replace worn parts so the machine can once again perform like new. Controls may be part of the rebuild, but rebuilders generally concentrate on the iron. Rebuilding is the way to go if your machine is not making good parts because of component wear. Relatively simple enhancements, often in kit form can be installed by a rebuilders to improve a machine's performance.Such improvements are "bolt-on-types," which do not require much if any engineering. Rebuilding is the most common and least expensive way to return a machine to maximum operating efficiency. Specialized machine tools benefit greatly from rebuilding because replacing this type of equipment is difficult and expensive. Rebuilding an older general-purpose machine may bear close scrutiny. Rebuilding is often confused with remanufacturing. While it is true that the lower of a rebuild can be though of as a repair, the top end of a rebuild may overlap the bottom end of remanufacturing. It is useful to realize that they are distinct in both scope and objective.

Remanufacturing: Remanufacturing a machine tools means rebuilding a new machine on an existing base. The goal of the remanufacture is to bring your old machine up to current performance specifications; making it perform better than it did when it was new. This transformation may be very extensive and expensive. Remanufactures can approach 70 percent of the cost of a new machine and can tie up a machine for the better part of a year or longer. Remanufactures replace or refurbish everything. Belts, hoses, bearings, and motors are replaced or repaired. Ways and ball screws get replaced or reworked. The base casting or weldments are scraped to precision fit with other components. Nothing is left to chance in a properly executed remanufacturing process. A remanufacture reworks and even redesigns machine components to perform in the areas of speed and accuracy beyond what they could do when new. Spindle speeds can be increased by reworking the machine's carrier to accept a direct drive. Bypassing the original transmission improves thermal stability by eliminating heat generated by the gearing, and higher speeds can be achieved with the new spindle drive. By upgrading the axis drives you can also improve performance of the machine. Ballscrew pitch and strength, along with component mass are all considered when boosting machine performance. Control updating is often included in this process. Frequently the original control lacks the current features that would allow the user to take advantage of the mechanical enhancements that the remanufacture can bring to the machine. That's when a retrofitter will bring the electronic expertise to the machine renewal.

Retrofitting: Retrofitting, by itself, deals with the upgrading the electronics on a machine tool. With the speed of change in electronics, it's increasingly common for a machine control to be obsolete before the machine shows significant signs of wear. As a result, many powerful aftermarket controls are available. Retrofitters often work with remanufactures or rebuilders adding their expertise to a job. Some companies are in a position to provide all three services. Contact us if you have a machine that you would like to consider for any of the above services. Based on location and machine type we can provide an estimate or recommendation of other qualified company for you to contact.