August 2026 Volume 8

Conclusion Remember project planning can eliminate or at least greatly reduce unplanned downtime. If you don’t have the time or funds to make all needed repairs at one time, at least you're aware of the overall situation and can plan for your best possible outcome. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Jeff Fredline PRESTRADE Phone: 615-517-4282 Email: jeff@prestradesolutions.com MAINTENANCE

Clutch and Brake Mechanisms Does your plan include any upgrades such of normal-use item such as clutch and brake linings, packing, springs, air or hydraulic seals? When you listen to the clutch and brake actuate, do you hear air blow by or if a hydraulic clutch or brake is there a pressure loss? Remove any inspection covers to verify the condition of the friction and driven plates/splines. A major source of delay is caused by the discovery of worn clutch/brake hubs, driven plates and friction plates including drive splines. It’s much more effective to discover these costs upfront and plan for them. Knockout Assemblies Knockout assemblies must function properly if you want to have trouble-free operation. Particularly, the lower knockouts take a lot of abuse. They are not easy to work on and are located under the bed of the press. Visual and functional checks can be performed, and any identified conditions can be noted to be corrected as part of the rebuild. Verify lubrication to all rotating members of the system and check bearing clearances with jacks and indicators. If this system requires maintenance, then plan for it so you have it in the schedule and does not cause an issue later in the project. Ram Assembly and Gibbing Several areas should be inspected to ensure that you have covered all the potential damage. Place the ram on bottom dead center without the tooling in the press. Turn off the air to the counterbalance cylinders and drain the surge tank system. Place a 50-ton or larger jack under the center of the ram with a dial indicator and base mounted between the hard plates on the bed and the ram face. Place a second indicator between the connecting rod and the ram, and set to zero allowing for travel to be measured. Using the jack, lift the weight of the ram and connection to allow for measurement of the clearance in the ram pocket and record. If the clearance is showing excessive wear, then plan for the additional downtime and cost of correction of the wear. Wedge Arrangement for Die Space Adjustment Critical to optimal operation is the wedge adjustment. Remove the hard plate, clean out the wedge adjusting assembly and note any areas of excessive wear. If the relationship of the sides of the wedge to the frame shows wear, it will require welding and machine work to correct. If the wedge or auxiliary wedge is worn, they will also require machine work to correct. Make sure that you check the adjusting screw to make sure that it works properly. Plan for repairs as necessary.

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2026 25