It’s all in the attitude

When it was built, Kern’s Pyramid Nano was the most precise sub micron five axis milling machine in the world. It is a marvel of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical engineering. Our ‘Pyno’ was originally custom built for Rolex Switzerland, but the machine was more of a scientific instrument than a production line mill, requiring constant attention and in-depth multidisciplinary skills to keep it operational. Six years ago, we imported it to Australia and since then it is still in daily use, making parts for various industries. Our speciality is small parts, exotic materials, super tight tolerances.

The other day, I got a call from the workshop that Pyno is randomly shuttling itself down. Error code: overheating of C axis motor. Hardly a surprise: from the day it was installed, the machine would often behave like a fussy princess, demanding and temperamental.

After some troubleshooting, it turned out that we were dealing with an issue of the intermittent connection of the thermistor line on the C axis motor. As you would know, the running wires are most fragile at the point of termination. However, accessing a thermistor line connector was almost impossible. What makes things worse: the connector was a custom made 61 pin monster.

After two hours I finally disassembled the connector. I was covered in coolant, hydraulic oil, cramped, in pain.

And properly annoyed, realising that in order to reattach the loose wire, I would need a custom made pin extraction tool.

Four days later the tool arrived from Germany. Now, I am not going to bore you with the details. Let me just say that this was the most difficult repair job I’ve ever undertaken. What kept me going is the realisation that if I can’t do it, we would have no other choice but to fly in the German technician – meaning weeks of delay in production. Yesterday, on Sunday evening, Pyno was back into action, finely slicing titanium like Swiss cheese. Until it fails again.

Why am I sharing this with you? Even industrial grade equipment could fail. And all equipment – no matter how complex or simple it is, does require maintenance, servicing and occasional repair. This is just how it is; a constant uphill battle to reverse the entropy. The good news is: With sufficient resources and the right attitude, almost everything is repairable.

Mark my words: Your most precious radio or amplifier, or antenna system will fail. It is just a matter of time. But when that happens, the worst thing you can do is to call your supplier or manufacturer, all gung-ho, highly emotional, confrontative. If your language is heavily loaded with ‘Oh I can’t believe it! Not aging! How is this even possible?’ or ‘This is a sub quality product, I demand better, it hasn’t met my expectation’, then you wont get far. That product was probably not for you to start with. The right attitude is to keep calm, emotionless, factual – and let the service man do his job.