Machine Alignment

[CADCAM396]

How often does your company Align there machines? and how is it done? contract out laser, in house maintenance.
Do you have standard schedule for checking and align if needed?
In our case this involves fairly large format Vertical 5 axis routers up to 180 inch travel.
our smaller machines we do in house and seem to not move as much once they are aligned.

TIA

[Matthew Hajicek]

When I was at Conventus Orthopaedics, we'd have Productivity Quality do a laser and ballbar once a year.  Now that I'm on my own, I'll probably shoot for every other year, unless I notice an issue.  The first time makes the most difference.

[TylerBeer]

we do ball bar once a year, or if there's problems

[CNCAppsJames]

Once a year seems to be the most common frequency I run into.

[YoDoug]

We typically wait until we crash a machine requiring an alignment, but that seems to happen once a year or so on every machine. 

[CADCAM396]

thanks for the input
yep seems the division of our company that I keep getting sucked into. does that (crash machine, run weeks of parts, discover they are making scrap) then panic hits and they call me. unfortunately day shift mostly quit and we are heavy on night shift, how they are not reporting crashes is behound me or maybe not, night shift has mostly at companys i have worked at had a different set of rules?
any how, am trying to make the powers that be aware they need to monitor machine condition, status.
another hard one is they put a machine in 2 years ago 180 inch travel 30k lbs on brand new 18 inch deep pad and cannot understand that it has most likely settled in that time. ugh
just looking for ideas and thoughts.

[Matthew Hajicek]

So no one's inspecting the parts as they come off the machine?

[CADCAM396]

apparently not.
not a single machinist in the group. I suspect most do not know how.
I teach when working with each individual but it is an ongoing excersize in turnover. I normally do not work in this facility. Am tooling machinist in another plant, and like it that way.