Electrical Interconnect Test Equipment
OEM Refurbishment Cycle
Maintaining uptime and throughput is imperative to any manufacturing, test or service operation and equipment maintenance is a vital contributor these efforts. In concert with regular and periodic maintenance steps, every Maintenance Plan should include an equipment refurbishment cycle.
In the case of Electrical Interconnect Test Equipment the regular and period maintenance is quite simple and though automated self-test, filter changes and general housekeeping is an excellent way to address regular wear and tear of daily use, it is unable to address the impact of cycle counts and operating hours on any component, sub-system or system itself. Only a refurbishment plan can address these factors.
Refurbishment schedules vary on a number of factors including operating voltages, dwell time, operating environment (temperature, humidity, dust), number of cycles, time in general. Nexeya Canada can, based on the particular system and scenario, help develop a refurbishment plan best suited to your needs. Planning for refurbishments is not unlike any other planned maintenance activity; proper planning ensures minimized costs and optimized operations.
To have manufacturing equipment operating at peak condition Nexeya Canada recommends making a refurbishment schedule as part of your overall maintenance plan.
A typical refurbishment includes:
Incoming Test: based on the production test protocols our incoming test is meant to run the system through a battery of tests to identify any potential areas that require additional attention or provide feedback for reported concerns.
Visual inspection: more than just a ‘once over’, the factory inspection includes looking past the obvious, at the sub-system and component level. Hardware, structures, wiring, connectors, sub-systems, instruments and switch cards are all reviewed.
Disassembly: the system is disassembled into the main subassemblies; each are reviewed a second time via the application of incoming tests and visual inspections. Any required repairs are made to the subassemblies. Based on the type of system, and noted at the onset, some subassemblies are considered end of life and beyond economical repair (BER) once they pass a certain number of cycles or operating hours; these subassemblies are replaced as part of the refurbishment process. Other non BER units are recertified, recalibrated and reinstalled.
With the system disassembled the chassis and chassis wiring is assessed. Repairs and rewiring is performed as required or requested.
All switch cards are replaced with new units. The relays on the switch cards cycle millions of times during their life. Factors such as dwell times, voltage levels, environmental conditions all have a significant impact on a relays life span. Due to these factors and the fact that the failure mode of a relay is often catastrophic (zero functionality upon failure) all relay cards are replaced during a system refurbishment.
Assembly: the entire system is assembled by a factory trained operator.
Assembly Test: each assembly is tested prior to being installed on the system.
Final Testing: each system is subjected to a full battery of production tests and burn in periods.
Warranty: the system receives a full 12 month factory warranty.
With systems in operation for more than 20 years Nexeya Canada is confident in the reliability and performance of our designs and products. In many cases original investments have paid for themselves over many times and produced hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars of products. An investment in a system refurbishment as part of a preventive maintenance package is a cost effective way of maintaining your operations, delivering value to your customers and generating revenue for your organization.