Don’t cut corners on spare parts
By Wayne Hunter, operations manager, Emmegi (UK)
When you need to replace your router cutter or saw blade, it’s probably tempting just to choose the cheapest option – after all a blade is just a blade right? But the old adage ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ is as true when it comes to the tools and spare parts for your machine as it is for the machine itself.
I think it’s a false economy to buy cheap spare parts and even consumables for any type of machine, but particularly for a really good quality one from the likes of Emmegi. That’s not just because you are likely to need to replace cheaper tools and parts more frequently, but also because the quality of a tool like a saw blade will have a decisive impact on the quality of the finished product – and why would you do anything to compromise that?
Remember also that not all cutting oils will be recommended or even suitable for a particular machine’s lubrication system, so you could potentially do some damage if you choose something cheaper which isn’t compatible just to save a few pounds.
At our Coventry HQ, we keep every Emmegi router cutter, collet, saw blade, grease and oil that is included in our spare parts catalogue in stock for immediate delivery – along with lots of generic cutters and blades which can be used with various other machine options. Customers are invariably surprised at the breadth of our range – we even supply things like replacement tabletop rubber strips for our popular ACCA XL extendable work benches.
The only catalogue items that might be stocked in Italy rather than in Coventry are machine parts that are serial number specific, but these are still available to customers on very short lead times.
As you would expect, router cutters and cutting oils are by far our most popular items, driven in part by the huge increase in recent years in the numbers of CNC machines being bought by aluminium fabricators across the UK and Ireland. We’ve also willingly stepped in recently to supply parts to fabricators who would previously have been buying from Promac.
We employ a dedicated spare parts manager at Emmegi (UK) – Craig Smith – who is vastly experienced and can give expert advice on which products to choose. Craig knows the right cutting oils for every machine and the best specification of router cutter based on cutting length, diameter, and overall length so it’s always worth customers giving him a call if they are in any way unsure.
Ask Craig what tips he would give to help fabricators make the most of our spare parts service and he would always say – check the speeds and feeds on your machine carefully before ordering your router cutter because these will have such a big impact on the cutting process. And he would also add, even when you have ordered your cutting oil, make sure you use the right top up volumes because this will vary considerably depending on the type of machine.
Two versions of the Emmegi spare parts catalogue (for the UK and Ireland markets) are available free to fabricators by contacting: service.uk@emmegi.com or via: 02476 676192.
