Pre-Shutdown Preparations for CNC Automatic Drilling Machines Before the Spring Festival

During the long Spring Festival holiday, prolonged shutdown of CNC automatic drilling machines is prone to “holiday malfunctions” caused by rust, data loss, pipeline freezing and cracking, electrical moisture damage, etc., which will affect post-holiday production efficiency and equipment precision. Pre-holiday preparations shall center on the five core principles of Cleaning, Rust Prevention, Power Off, Safety and Moisture Proofing, and be implemented step by step in accordance with the following procedures to create a stable dormant environment for the equipment.

I. Comprehensive Cleaning: Remove Impurities and Eliminate Corrosion Risks

Thoroughly cleaning impurities inside and outside the equipment to prevent cutting chips and oil stains from accumulating and corroding components during the holiday is the basic step of pre-holiday preparations.

• Internal Cleaning: Prioritize removing iron chips, aluminum chips and oil stains from the worktable, fixtures, machine bed interior, as well as guide rails and ball screws. Use an air gun to blow away residual impurities in gaps, then wipe and dry with a clean cloth. At the same time, clean slag and chips from the drill pack, tool magazine and tool claws, remove all tool shanks and cutting tools, clean them separately and store in a sealed container. Do not leave tool shanks in the spindle.
• Key Part Cleaning: Carefully wipe the spindle taper hole with a clean cotton cloth to remove residual cutting fluid and impurities, preventing taper surface rust from affecting subsequent clamping precision. Clean the surfaces of the hydraulic system, pneumatic components and triple units to ensure no oil stain accumulation; disassemble the cutting fluid tank, remove sedimentary impurities at the bottom, rinse thoroughly and drain dry.
• External and Electric Cabinet Cleaning: Wipe the external sheet metal parts, operation panel and display of the machine tool, and clean dust on the display surface with an air gun to keep the whole machine clean in appearance. Turn off the power, open the electric cabinet, clean dust on the ventilation fan, electrical components and circuits with a dust-free cloth, check for loose wiring terminals, and ensure no dust accumulation inside the electric cabinet.

II. Lubrication and Rust Prevention: Core Protection to Preserve Precision

Metal components are vulnerable to humid air erosion during long holiday shutdowns. Sufficient lubrication and rust prevention treatment are required to maintain equipment precision and service life.

• Comprehensive Lubrication: Manually run each axis for the full stroke 2-3 times to evenly coat the guide rails and ball screws with lubricating oil, ensuring unobstructed oil circuits of the lubrication system; inject special lubricating oil (e.g., Klüber from Germany) into the vertical and horizontal oil nozzles of the drill pack with a grease gun, pressing 3-5 times as the standard to ensure sufficient lubrication of the drill pack’s transmission components. Meanwhile, check the oil level of the lubrication system, replenish in time if insufficient, and clean the lubrication system filter to prevent pipeline blockage by impurities.
• Rust Prevention Treatment: Apply anti-rust oil or anti-rust paste on exposed metal surfaces such as the worktable, guide rails and ball screws; apply anti-rust oil to the spindle taper hole and seal it with plastic wrap to prevent moisture intrusion. The removed cutting tools and tool shanks shall be coated with anti-rust oil and stored separately in oil-sealed containers, and the fixture surfaces shall also be treated for rust prevention.

III. Energy and Medium Control: Cut Off Risks and Prevent Accidents

Standardly cutting off the supply of energy and media, and emptying residual pressure and accumulated liquid can effectively avoid potential safety hazards such as electric leakage, freezing and cracking, and leakage during the holiday.

• Energy Cutoff and Lockout: Move each axis to the mechanical origin or the middle of the stroke, park the turret and tool magazine at Position 1, press the emergency stop button, turn off the main power supply of the machine tool, disconnect the external main power switch, hang a “No Switching On” warning sign and complete mechanical lockout (LOTO) to prevent misoperation of switching on. Check the battery power of the machine tool drive; replace it in time if the voltage is too low to avoid loss of processing programs and machine tool parameters after power off.
• Medium Emptying and Protection: Turn off the air, water and hydraulic sources, empty the pressure media and accumulated water in pneumatic pipelines, air cylinders and hydraulic systems, twist the drain switch of the triple unit until all water is drained, then refill with anti-wear pneumatic oil to ensure the oil level reaches 2/3 of the oil pipe height. Disassemble the internal and external cooling water pipes of the water pump, blow away residual water in the pipes with an air gun to prevent pipeline freezing and cracking at low temperatures; add preservatives to the cutting fluid if the holiday is long to prevent deterioration and failure of the cutting fluid.

IV. Data Backup and Environmental Protection: Detailed Control to Build a Solid Safety Line

Proper data backup and environmental regulation can avoid data loss or equipment damage caused by sudden incidents during the holiday, laying a foundation for post-holiday resumption of production.

• Data Backup: Fully back up all important data such as processing programs and machine tool parameters in the equipment’s D drive to a USB flash drive or office computer for dual storage to prevent data loss. Record the state of the machine tool before shutdown at the same time to facilitate rapid resumption of production after the holiday.
• Moisture and Dust Proofing for the Environment: Place several packs of desiccant inside the electric cabinet; turn on the electric cabinet heater or industrial dehumidifier in humid southern areas to keep the workshop temperature and humidity within a reasonable range. Cover the whole machine with pearl cotton or a special machine tool cover to prevent dust from entering; note that the protective cover should not be completely sealed to avoid internal moisture accumulation and rust formation.
• Safety Protection: Block the holes at the bottom of the equipment and cable entrances, place rodenticide to prevent small animals from biting the lines and causing malfunctions. Conduct a simulation test on the effectiveness of safety devices such as emergency stop buttons and limit switches to ensure that the interlock signal can cut off the power source correctly and build a solid safety line.

V. Post-Shutdown Inspection: Regular Monitoring to Respond to Sudden Incidents

It is recommended to arrange a special person to conduct an inspection once a week during the long holiday to timely detect and handle environmental abnormalities and ensure equipment safety. Inspection contents include: checking for water leakage and rain leakage in the factory building, whether the desiccant in the electric cabinet is invalid, and whether the temperature and humidity are abnormal; confirming the closed state of power and air sources and the integrity of the “No Switching On” warning sign to prevent unauthorized operation by others; checking the equipment for abnormal odors, accumulated water or traces of pests, and keeping detailed inspection records.