Machine tools were first used by man over 3200 years ago. The first tools included bow drills, potter’s wheels and lathes. These eventually included tools needed to make metal parts, and incorporated machine-guided toolpaths.

As the industrial era boomed hundreds of years later, giving way to more advanced needs for building locomotives and metal melting equipment, these evolved to include many more advanced pieces of machinery. The steel industry of the 19th Century was the catalyst for an explosion in machine tools. From wall to wall, factories were full of machine tools for manufacturing I beams for construction, sheet metal for trains and engine blocks for automobiles.

Today, the maintenance of machine tools used for shaping and machining metal and rigid materials is crucial to their proper function. Neglected machine tools accrue residue and build-up that are not only damaging to equipment, but dangerous to the user. Employing a machine tool repair service ensures preventing build-up, so the machine can function safe and efficiently.

When enlisting a machine tool repair service to maintain your lathe, for example, any metal parts of the machine that are in regular contact will be oiled and cleaned. The drive belt on a lathe is also secured for tension and consistency. Lathe repair, however, is only a small segment of what a machine tool repair service can maintain and fix for your shop.

The golden rules of maintaining machine tools are that the machine tool parts that regularly rub together should be well lubricated to avoid damage, and that all belts should be consistently tightened for consistent function. But having your machines kept up and maintained is imperative to your cost saving. That’s because machine shop repair costs and the cost of rebuilding tools are usually much greater than the cost of regular machine tool repair service.