Daily/weekly checklist to keep equipment in good condition

Daily/weekly checklist to keep equipment in good condition

Establishing and performing simple daily and weekly inspections for your key production equipment (such as brick making machines, water pumps, generators, etc.) is the most effective and lowest-cost method to prevent failures, ensure safety, and extend life. Below is a general checklist framework that you can adapt to your specific equipment.

1. Daily inspection before work (10-15 minutes before starting up)

This is a “warm-up check” to ensure safe and smooth operation throughout the day.

Cleanliness and surroundings:

Clean debris, oil, and water on the surface of the equipment and the operating area.

Make sure that the passages around the equipment are clear, there are no stumbling blocks, and safety facilities such as fire extinguishers are in place.

Appearance and structural inspection:

Look: Go around the equipment and check for obvious oil, water, and air leaks. Check the fuselage for new cracks, deformation or rust.

Check the tightening: Use your hands or tools (such as a wrench) to check whether the anchor bolts, protective cover bolts, mold fixing bolts, etc. in key parts are loose.

Safety device confirmation:

Check whether all safety shields, protective doors, emergency stop buttons, safety gratings, etc. are intact, secure, and functional (you can press the emergency stop button to test).

Lubrication and oils (visual inspection):

Check whether the oil level in the lubricating oil cup/oil window is within the normal scale.

For hydraulic equipment, check the oil level in the hydraulic tank.

Check each lubrication point for signs of dryness.

Electrical and pneumatic circuit (visual inspection):

Check whether the cables and air pipes are damaged, aged, crushed, or gnawed by animals.

Check whether the terminals, plugs, and connectors are loose or discolored.

2. Daily inspection after work (after shutdown)

This is a “finishing check” to get ready for the next day and take care of the day’s issues.

Thorough cleaning: Be sure to remove all residual materials from the working parts of the equipment (such as molds, indenter, workbench) to prevent hardening from affecting accuracy and next startup.

Operation status review: Recall whether there were any abnormal sounds, vibrations or smells during the operation of the equipment that day, and simply record them.

Fill out the inspection form: Record the day's conditions on the inspection form, and note any minor problems found.

3. Regular weekly inspections (weekends or fixed non-production days can be selected)

Conduct a more comprehensive and in-depth examination.

Deep cleaning: Clean the cooling fan, motor casing, and inside the control cabinet (after power outage) that are not easily accessible inside the equipment.

Key component inspection:

Transmission components: Check the tension and wear of the belt/chain; check whether the coupling is offset or loose.

Status of wearing parts: Check molds, cutting tools, seals, filter elements, etc. for excessive wear, cracks or aging, and plan to replace them.

Functional testing:

Under the premise of safety, test whether the manual and automatic functions of the equipment are normal.

For equipment with pressure and temperature instruments, observe whether the indications are normal.

Systematic lubrication: According to the requirements of the equipment manual, replenish or add grease to all bearings, guide rails and other points that need to be greased this week.

Comprehensive Tightening: Using tools, perform a systematic tightening of all bolts found or suspected to be loose during this week's inspection.

4. Inspection records and problem handling

Use an inspection form: Make a simple form listing inspection items, standards, results and inspectors. Make it a habit to check and sign.

Problem classification:

Small problems should be dealt with immediately: such as cleaning, tightening, and replenishing lubricants, which can be solved by yourself.

Record and report abnormal phenomena: such as abnormal noises, performance degradation, instrument abnormalities, etc., record them and promptly report or arrange maintenance.

Immediate shutdown of serious hidden dangers: such as structural cracks, safety device failure, serious leakage, etc., the machine must be shut down immediately, a warning sign must be posted, and professionals must be notified to deal with it.

Summary: The value of inspection lies in "persistence" and "carefulness and meticulousness". Spending a small amount of time every day on preventive inspections is far more cost-effective than spending a lot of time and money on emergency repairs after a failure. By incorporating this checklist into your daily work, you can firmly take control of the "health" of your equipment and ensure continuous and stable production.