Fixing up older machine tools. (rebuilding, remanufacturing and retrofitting nachines)

From: Modern Machine Shop | Date: April 1, 1993| Author: Koepfer, Chris | Copyright information

Rebuilding, remanufacturing and retrofitting are some of the options available to machine shop managers who want to improve the performance of old equipment. Rebuilding is the least expensive option and entails a shorter production downtime since it merely tries to restore the original performance specifications of the machine tool. On the other hand, remanufacturing costs can be expensive since it makes an old machine perform better than when it was new by replacing all parts. Usually done w...

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