The more often a machine is cleaned, the easier and quicker it is to maintain. Failure to wipe down machine areas regularly will result in build up and will require significant time and energy to restore. Be careful when choosing your cleaners;

some acids are very corrosive, which can kill your DI resin. Phosphoric acids are a safe choice, but the area should always be rinsed thoroughly with water after cleaning. Here’s a look at the various machine areas that should be kept clean.

The work table needs to be clean and free of dings or burrs for proper grounding. If you have a non-submerged machine, plastic grass mats can be placed around the base of the table in the table tray to reduce excess spray and collect some of the sludge, which will help extend filter life. It is important to keep the table tray clear of accumulated sludge, which could cause corrosion and leaks that could rip on the ball screws.

The lower arm and head can accumulate excessive dirt from being submerged. Build up on the arm will cause O-ring wear, leaking and accuracy problems. Build up on the head and ceramic plate will cause current loss and reduce machine speed. It takes about 15 minutes to clean these areas and should be performed every 500 hours.

An EDM seal plate keeps the water in the machine tank, allowing the lower arm to move. It is made of a plastic material or stainless steel depending on the age of your machine, and is designed to be slippery. The lower arm O-ring rides along the surface to seal the water. This requires proper tension to guarantee seal integrity and longevity. Plastic seal plates should be cleaned regularly to prevent dirt from gouging the surface and causing a leak, which would affect machining accuracy.It only takes about five minutes to clean the seal plates regularly.
The conductivity sensor is located in the clean tank of the fluid system. It measures the current carrying levels of the water in between the two probes. If dirty, the sensor reads lower than the water’s actual level. Exact levels of water conductivity must be maintained for accurate cutting. If levels are too high, it will cause extreme rust, oxidation and cobalt erosion. A conductivity sensor requires about 10 minutes to clean and should be done every 300 hours.

Fan coolers or chillers remove heat and control the water temperature. Variations in water temperature will affect productivity and product quality. Most heat is generated by the high-pressure pump and can get quite hot without a cooler. Cooler fins transmit that heat to the air. Fin efficiency is lost as shop dust, grit and oil smoke coat their surface. These can be cleaned periodically with compressed air. Failure to maintain them regularly will require a pressure washing to get them clean again. Adding a simple furnace filter at the air intake will keep the cooling fins clean.

A filter pump’s intake screen can be very problematic. It can get plugged with paper towels, shop rags or large flakes of dry sludge. Screen blockage will affect circulation and machine performance. This should be checked by hand regularly or on a weekly basis.

The auto-threader automatically threads the wire through the workpiece, allowing for many unattended hours of operation. To maintain peak performance and unattended run time, it will take about 45 minutes to clean and adjust auto-threaders, and this should be performed about every 300 hours.