Upgrading an Old Forging Press: Improved Reliability and Reduced Downtime

An old forging press in the workshop, in service for 12 years since the plant’s early days, has a structurally sound main body but suffers from frequent minor faults such as unresponsive buttons and unstable hydraulic pressure due to long-term use, repeatedly delaying production schedules. To avoid the high cost of purchasing new equipment, the electrical and maintenance teams carried out a low-cost in-house upgrade using off-hours, without disrupting daily production.

Before the upgrade, the equipment’s original mechanical buttons were unresponsive due to oil buildup, and the hydraulic pressure gauge had lost accuracy, forcing operators to rely on experience to judge parameters, which often led to non-conforming forgings. The upgrade included replacing the old buttons with touch controls and digital hydraulic pressure gauges, renewing all aging wiring and oil pipelines, and thoroughly cleaning oil sludge inside the tank, completed in one week.

Post-upgrade, the equipment operates with responsive controls and clear, readable hydraulic pressure data, eliminating the need for experience-based operation. Fault frequency has dropped significantly, from 2-3 repairs per month to zero breakdowns for several consecutive months. This demonstrates that targeted maintenance and upgrades can restore old equipment to reliable operation, with performance comparable to new machines, effectively controlling equipment investment costs.