Even if you’re staying on top of regular equipment maintenance, oil expeller presses and dry extruders will eventually require rebuilding to replace worn and damaged components. Well-executed machine rebuilds help maximize your machine investments by keeping your processing equipment operating at peak performance.
However, expeller press machine rebuilds can add enormous burdens for processors if not executed properly. Every minute a plant remains shut down for maintenance eats away at the bottom line while equipment sits idle instead of producing profits. That means every minute wasted tinkering with equipment instead of turning to the experts adds up to be an expensive mistake.
Taking the wrong approach to your processing plant’s machine rebuild — whether you attempt to do it in-house without the right expertise or call on a machine shop that doesn’t have the specialized capabilities — could be detrimental to both productivity and profitability.
Here’s a look at the risks of not partnering with an equipment expert like Anderson to handle your expeller press, extruder, or expander machine rebuild.
The danger of a DIY machine rebuild
The specialized tools and mechanical expertise required to proficiently tear down and rebuild complex oilseed processing equipment aren’t necessarily the same skills or tools needed to perform routine maintenance on expellers or extruders. While your in-house staff might be able to replace the lubricating oil in the gearbox on their own, they might need additional support to remove and replace the entire barrel liner or rebuild the entire gearbox assembly. Since these components can weigh up to two or three tons, you’ll also need to invest in the proper tools and lifts to efficiently maneuver these massive parts into place.
Mastering the art of the do-it-yourself machine rebuild demands hiring and training a team of qualified service technicians with the expertise to handle extensive equipment rebuilds. It also requires building the infrastructure to support this process, providing your team with the space, equipment and resources to tear down and rebuild machines in-house efficiently.
Many processing plants cannot do extensive machine rebuilds themselves — but that doesn’t necessarily stop them from trying. Without the right tools, operators could spend unnecessary time on tasks, such as manually prying a worm from a shaft. Improvising repairs can lead to serious personal injury and expensive equipment damage.
Turning to the experts at Anderson can alleviate processors from the burden of building their own capabilities to handle machine rebuilds in-house. By tapping into Anderson’s experience spanning nearly 140 years, processors can bring decades of expertise to their operation without finding or training staff or investing in specialized tooling.
Anderson has already invested in the specialized capabilities needed to rebuild expellers and extruders in a safe, timely, efficient and effective manner — saving your operation from the costly risks of doing it yourself. For example, Anderson is equipped with large tanks and pressure washers to thoroughly clean sticky buildup from used machines, along with liner pullers, bearing pullers, bearing heaters and cooling chests to help move and manipulate metal components. Considering that these components can weigh up to two or three tons, Anderson’s service and support can dramatically lighten the load of a complicated machine rebuild.
The pitfalls of choosing the wrong machine shop
Admitting you need help with a machine rebuild is the first step, but not all machine shops are created equal when rebuilding specialized oilseed processing equipment. Sending your equipment to an unqualified shop — one that doesn’t have experience rebuilding mechanical expeller presses, extruders or expanders — could exacerbate your issues.
Processing equipment can easily fail if it is not rebuilt to precise dimensions and tolerances or does not use the highest quality materials to withstand the temperature, pressure, and mechanical force of pressing. Shoddy rebuilds and subpar materials could lead to more expensive breakdowns and downtime in the future — snowballing your maintenance costs instead of controlling them.
When choosing a partner for an expeller press machine rebuild, you can’t go wrong selecting the best. And who better to rebuild your processing equipment than the company that originally invented it? As the original designers and inventors of the expellers, extruders and expanders we sell and service today, Anderson has been building (and rebuilding) oilseed processing equipment for nearly 140 years. Our certified service technicians bring decades of combined experience repairing and rebuilding our equipment, fostering unmatched proficiency and expertise in processing machine maintenance.
Anderson strives to provide the highest quality components precisely engineered to meet OEM specifications. Our longstanding commitment to quality ensures that your expeller press, extruder or expander will be rebuilt to the proper dimensions and tolerances, using the best materials and leveraging our reliable inventory of spare parts.
While subpar replacement parts from other shops could lead to more expensive breakdowns and avoidable downtime, our goal is to extend the longevity of our machines so you can keep crushing. In fact, some of Anderson’s equipment is still in operation after over a century — proving the dependability and durability of our high-quality standards.
Dependable expeller press machine rebuilds
An extensive machine rebuild can quickly become an expensive drain on a processing plant’s resources, whether you attempt to build your own capabilities in-house or call on an unqualified machine shop that doesn’t specialize in this equipment.
Partnering with the experts at Anderson can give processors the peace of mind that their machines will be adequately rebuilt using the highest quality parts and the industry’s most experienced team. Thanks to our time-tested efficiencies and deep-seated expertise, we’re equipped to quickly rebuild expellers, extruders and expanders so you can get back to crushing sooner.
If you’d still rather tackle your machine rebuild in-house, schedule an on-site visit from Anderson’s service techs, who will guide your staff through the process with hands-on maintenance training. Whether we execute the machine rebuild for you or help you do it on your own, we’re committed to keeping your machines at peak performance, squeezing maximum profits from your products.