Tips For Finding Replacement Parts For Your Manufacturing Equipment

When you own a manufacturing business, you know how important it is to keep your equipment running as expected. Unfortunately, when a critical piece of your equipment breaks down, finding replacement parts in some cases may be much harder than you anticipated. Rather than watching your equipment do nothing but collect dust and see your company's anticipated profits go down the drain, here are some tips to use when trying to locate essential replacement parts for your equipment.

Online Parts Brokers

For almost all types of manufacturing equipment, the good news is that there is likely an online parts broker available who has the parts you will need for your equipment. If you use this option, you can often find the parts you need at much lower prices. However, keep in mind that the parts you buy may be reconditioned, meaning they won't be brand new. Before you use this option, always verify the parts you're planning to buy are in good condition and meet your needs.

Equipment Manufacturers

Should you have manufacturing equipment that is very new or only a few years old, you can probably contact the equipment manufacturer to get replacement parts. The biggest advantages to doing so are that the parts will be brand new, are made specifically to fit your pieces of equipment, and will likely be available at a reasonable price. When working with manufacturers, you may want to stock up on replacement parts if possible.

Repair Services

If you need Ultratech Saturn parts for your manufacturing equipment, one option you may need to consider using is getting your parts through equipment repair services. Since these businesses work on many different types of equipment, they are often able to build up extensive inventories of used parts for many types of equipment. Since the selling of parts is not their primary business, the parts they sell are often at discounted prices.

3-D Printing

Finally, if you have older equipment and have exhausted all other options, you may be able to get the part you need to make courtesy of 3-D printing. Once you begin exploring this possibility, you will find many businesses now offer component manufacturing through 3-D printing. While it may cost you more than some other options, you can often get the part you need within 24-48 hours.

Since your company's equipment is the lifeblood of your business, don't let the need for one hard-to-find part bring your operations to a standstill. By exploring various options, your equipment will soon be up and running once again.