Tips for Taking Care of the Smallest Parts in Your Factory

When most people think of factory maintenance, they think of big projects to take care of major equipment. However, smooth factory operations depend on every part in every component in your factory working together properly, even the smallest parts that are easily overlooked. If these small parts fail, the big machines will fail, as well. To ensure you don’t overlook any of these basic, foundational parts, here are some tips for taking care of the smallest parts in your factory.

Control the Humidity

In a large, climate-controlled factory, humidity might not seem to be much of a concern. The truth is, though, that elevated humidity levels will affect the small parts in your factory long before you notice any damage to major components. That’s why it’s important to deploy dehumidifiers throughout your facility to keep the humidity at a stable and acceptable level. If you don’t, then screws, washers, and other small parts may start to rust, affecting the ability of various machines to run smoothly.

A Well-Oiled Machine

Proper lubrication of small parts in your factory is crucial to keeping your factory humming. Components such as industrial washers, as tough as they are, still require a good deal of lubrication to ensure they can be removed if the need ever arises. Other small parts such as springs and rollers will begin squeaking if not regularly lubricated, which can lead to an unpleasant working environment for everyone at your factory.

Check the Torque

If the equipment in your factory produces a lot of vibration, then some of the smallest parts may begin to work their way loose over time. To prevent a malfunction of these components, it’s a good idea to check the torque on mission-critical parts on a regular schedule. Before these tests, it’s important to consult the equipment manuals to ensure you establish the correct parameters for testing so that you can see if any changes have occurred in these parts since the last time they were checked.

Have Spares Available

Even if you take excellent care of the equipment in your factory, there will be occasions where small parts mysteriously come up missing. For these inevitable occurrences, it’s important to have spare parts available so that you can replace missing parts without interrupting your factory’s operations. It’s a good idea to keep these parts under lock and key so that you can keep an accurate inventory of what you have so that you’re never caught without the parts you need.

The key to taking care of the smallest parts in your factory is understanding that these parts exist in the first place. The best way to do that is to gain a clear understanding of the inner workings of various pieces of machinery from the day they’re delivered. By taking a close look at new equipment and familiarizing yourself with the associated manuals, you’ll be sure to always be aware of small parts that may need your attention down the road.