You’ve invested wisely in high quality beveling tools, and you want to make the most out of your investment. These tools really are an investment instead of just a purchase—you intend to use them to produce your own high quality products and get a return on your investment through increased sales and customer loyalty.
Like other investments, you want to protect them and get the highest return out of them that you possibly can. The steps below can help your beveling tool last as long as possible in order to achieve that high return on your investment.
Proper Use and Training –Review the manual for any new beveling tool to make sure all personnel know the proper way to use it. A skilled veteran operator may know instinctively how to use any beveling tool, but newer lines may have features built into it that can make its use even easier and safer, especially for the larger stationary machines.
Of course, any new operators must be given training. It takes time to learn how to use beveling tools correctly, such as how to apply the correct amount of pressure to prevent chattering with portable tools. Chattering is certainly not good for the finished part, but it’s not good for the beveling tool either.
Maintenance –Beveling tools come with maintenance recommendations, and may also include checks based on usage. Follow these recommendations closely and periodically check tools for any signs of unusual wear, unexpected noises, or motions that are not smooth. These may indicate problems that need to be addressed even before the schedule says the tool is due for maintenance.
Cleaning and proper storage is an important part of maintenance as well. Don’t let debris accumulate in stationary beveling equipment, and don’t leave portable bevelers laying out in the shop or field where they can accidentally be damaged—not to mention lost or stolen. Make equipment cleaning and storage part of your shop’s work instructions.
Applications –Never use a beveler in applications that it’s not designed to do. Trying to bevel a metal composition that is too hard or brittle for a particular tool’s design can either wear out the tool more quickly or damage it outright.
It should also go without saying that you should never disable a safety mechanism in order to process a difficult part—but we’re going to say it anyway. Damaging a tool is bad enough, but damaging yourself or an employee is never acceptable.
You wouldn’t take money out of your wallet and just throw it out into the street—yet if you aren’t taking proper care of your beveling tools, the effect will be the same. Either you’ll have to invest in a new tool before you should, or you’ll start to see the effects in scrap, production delays, or dissatisfied customers.
If you aren’t sure about proper methods of maintaining or using a beveling tool, the staff at Saar-Hartmetall is available to help. Contact Saar-Hartmetall today at (859) 331-8770 or by e-mail at contact@saarusa.com for any assistance that you may need. Our quality line of GERIMA beveling tools are built to withstand heavy workloads, but just like any other tool from any manufacturer, they aren’t indestructible.
We’d rather help you maintain the tools you have, and seek us out for a new beveling tool when yours reaches the natural end of its life—but if something catastrophic has happened to your beveling tool, the Saar-Hartmetall staff will be happy to help you find a new model that suits your needs.