Minimizing Downtime: Strategies for Hydraulic Repairs

According to Manufacturing Tomorrow, the average manufacturer experiences 800 hours of downtime annually, or more than fifteen hours a week per eight-hour shift. This includes hydraulic-powered operations, as hydraulics are often the system of choice in a manufacturing environment because of their simplicity and potential. When a hydraulic system fails and a production line goes down, workers are left idle, and upstream and downstream processes can also come to a halt.

That’s why regular maintenance and timely hydraulic repairs are vital to manufacturers seeking to minimize their downtime.

Having a hydraulic supply partner is essential to minimizing downtime. Contact CRC Distribution and ask about our custom machining services for hydraulic repair components.

Maintenance: The Key to Avoiding Hydraulic Repairs

Proper hydraulic system preventive maintenance is critical to avoiding downtime and the need for hydraulic repairs. Understanding the different types of machine maintenance approaches will help manufacturers formulate their programs.

Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance is waiting for things to fail and then repairing them. It’s the most expensive form because minor problems get overlooked until they become more significant issues. Despite its inefficiencies, about 55% of US companies take this approach.

Preventive Maintenance

Companies can reduce losses by 12% to 18% by simply practicing preventive maintenance. You can avoid many hydraulic repairs simply by performing the scheduled maintenance. Even so, only about 31% of US companies practice preventive maintenance.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance focuses on monitoring systems more prone to wear and failure. In the case of a hydraulic system, this includes paying closer attention to hoses and the condition of hydraulic fluid. Predictive maintenance eliminates 70% to 75% of breakdowns, but only about 12% of US companies practice it.

Reliability-Centered Maintenance

Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) recognizes that some hydraulic system components are more critical than others or are easier to address when they fail. Your hydraulic system preventive maintenance schedule might indicate that it’s time to change a hydraulic fluid filter at the same time that you need to change hoses. Still, a visual inspection shows the hoses to be in good working order, and hoses are easily accessible if they do become a problem. RCM maintenance saves money on hydraulic repairs by allowing some components, such as hoses, to operate longer before replacing them. It requires a vast knowledge of hydraulics to spot potential problems and a good inventory of parts to make those repairs when the time comes.

Other Measures to Prevent Hydraulic Failures

Companies can also take other measures to minimize downtime for hydraulic repairs.

Planned Maintenance

All the maintenance approaches described (except reactive maintenance) allow you to plan for maintenance. Planned maintenance enables supervisors to schedule downtime, reassign employees to other duties, and adjust the production schedule accordingly.  Some companies shut down between Christmas and New Years and bring in a crew to perform annual hydraulic system preventive maintenance.

Maintain Inventories of Frequently Used Parts

Hoses, filters, couplings, hydraulic seals, and fluid are the most frequently replaced hydraulic system components. Maintain a supply of these parts to facilitate quick hydraulic repairs and minimize downtime.

Have The Correct Tools

Ensure that you have the correct maintenance and repair tools. These include pressure and temperature gauges, seal tools, the proper wrenches (metric or standard), and perhaps even a hydraulic repair bench.

Training

Ensure that your employees are well-versed in hydraulic repairs and maintenance for the systems on your manufacturing floor. When you purchase a new hydraulic system, ensure that you select a manufacturer that offers ongoing training. This is important, especially since more and more systems are incorporating technology, including artificial intelligence and IIOT (industrial Internet of things). These innovations increase efficiency but require specialized knowledge to realize all the benefits.

Create an account with CRC Distribution to easily order service-related parts for your hydraulic system today.

Key Areas of Focus for Hydraulic Repairs

There are several hydraulic system components or areas where manufacturing engineers need to focus, thus avoiding more expensive and time-consuming repairs. 

Hydraulic Fluid

Hydraulic fluid is important because it is the source of pressure that is turned into linear motion, whether it is to open or close a gate on a conveyor belt, activate robotics, or raise and lower a maintenance boom. The major reasons for hydraulic fluid failure include:

• Contamination. Dirt and solid particles enter the system through a loose cap or other breach in the system. This contamination can also come from deteriorating hoses.
• Heat. Loss of fluid properties from system overheating.
• Moisture. Low fluid levels or other conditions allow for condensation and water in the system, leading to fluid contamination, oxidation (rust), corrosion, and other problems.
• More contamination. Worn parts in the hydraulic cylinder can cause metal shavings that circulate throughout the hydraulic system, often doing extensive damage, including scoring the walls of the cylinder bore. 
• Filters. Filters catch much of the solid particle contamination in a hydraulic system, but they must be changed or serviced regularly. 
• Improper fluid selection. Hydraulic fluids have different traits and the wrong fluid, or inadvertently mixing fluids, causes problems.

Hydraulic Hoses

Hydraulic hoses are often the most exposed part of a hydraulic system. They are vulnerable to the hazards of the manufacturing environment, including heat, cold, solvents from other processes, accidental bumping, and other hazards. In applications such as robotics, hoses flex and move with the process, causing excess wear. Hoses are made from rubber, thermoplastics, or PTFE (Teflon), all of which deteriorate to varying degrees as they age. Most hydraulic hose issues are easy to diagnose because cracking and leaking are easily seen with a quick visual inspection.

Hydraulic Hose Connectors

Hydraulic connectors join the hose with the other hydraulic system components, such as the cylinder or the pump. Because they are a union of two components, they are subject to leaks. Some connectors are also variable-flow valves, allowing you to increase pressure in the system. However, the ability to manipulate the valve also means more moving parts, which increases the potential for wear and the need for hydraulic repairs.

Rods

Connector rods transfer the energy from the hydraulic piston to linear force that powers the specific application on your manufacturing floor. Over time, rods can become bent or otherwise damaged. The rod surface can also become pitted by rust, corrosion, or other sources. These conditions affect the ability of the rod to travel smoothly through the cylinder cap and transfer power. 

Hydraulic Seals

When all the other hydraulic system components function correctly, hydraulic seals are the last and most important line of defense against the loss of hydraulic pressure. 

Like all fluids, hydraulic fluid seeks the path of least resistance when subjected to pressure. Loss of fluid means loss of pressure. As the pressure of the hydraulic fluid increases in the cylinder, the fluid seeks to escape through the space between the piston and the cylinder bore. Yes, it is a very small space with close tolerances, but it is enough for fluid and pressure to escape. The hydraulic seal, which sits in a machined groove called a gland, extends out of the gland and presses against the bore, preventing fluid from escaping and maintaining pressure.

The seal must have some flexibility as it moves up and down the cylinder bore or the rod as it travels up and down through the front cap. If the seal material is too soft, it will not form a complete barrier against the pressurized fluid. If the hydraulic seal material is too stiff, it will not allow the piston to move freely in the bore or permit the rod to slide smoothly. A seal material or profile that is too stiff for the application forces other components to work harder, creating heat and causing undue wear on other hydraulic system components.  

Replacing seals requires disassembling the hydraulic cylinder, making it one of the more labor-intensive tasks of hydraulic repair. Seal failure is often caused by other hydraulic system issues such as overheating, contaminated fluid, or failure to regulate pressure. That’s why manufacturers must maintain all of their hydraulic system components.

CRC Distribution can help you maintain an inventory of hydraulic seals to keep downtime to a minimum. Find out more about our inventory optimization and other services.

CRC Distribution Is The Answer to Hydraulic Repair Supply Needs

For more than two decades, CRC Distribution has served the hydraulic industry with custom seals, an extensive selection of chrome-plated piston rods, and other quality hydraulic components. Partnering with CRC Distribution allows you to focus on your core competencies, achieve seamless integration of hydraulic systems into your operations, and successfully manage hydraulic repairs.