Some lessons learned:
Humidity in a metal building with poor insulation requires constant vigilance to protect expensive CNC
machines. A small amount of rust from high humidity can cause inaccurate parts.
Air compressors are the weak link common to all CNC control systems. They sit outside in the weather
or, at best, a shed with terrible humidity. If the compressor is having a bad performance day, all of the
attached CNC machines are useless for the duration of compressor outage. It would be relatively easy to
cause problems at a large manufacturing facility by attacking the compressor in some subtle way.
Power in a legacy building. Adding new power panels in a legacy building that was not designed for
them is an expensive proposition. When building new buildings in this day and age, you should try to
predict increased electrical needs in the years to come. I highly recommend “over” paneling new
manufacturing buildings in an industrial park. The city will recoup the price in savings many times over
the years to come as vendors come/go.
When installing ethernet panels, strive to label/over-label everything. We did this and are enjoying the
extra flexibility daily as we patch/re-patch machines and computers.
Ordering equipment is only the start of a long process to implementation. Upon receipt, one must have
the power available before you can schedule installation or training. It takes 3-6 months to become
proficient at the use of the machine AFTER initial training. Management must have an aggressive
training attitude after basic machine training that challenges operators daily.