Preventive maintenance is essential: these 5 types of automation spare parts must be replaced regularly

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May 08, 2025

Introduction

In the field of industrial automation, unplanned downtime is the biggest killer of production efficiency. Studies have shown that 60% of equipment failures are caused by the gradual aging of key spare parts rather than sudden problems. Through scientific preventive maintenance (PdM) strategies, companies can reduce maintenance costs by 30%-50% and extend the service life of equipment by regularly replacing the following 5 types of vulnerable spare parts.

1. Power modules and electrolytic capacitors

Why must they be replaced regularly?
The power module is the "heart" of the automation equipment, and the electrolytic capacitor is its most vulnerable component. Long-term operation will lead to:
Capacitor capacity attenuation (about 5%-10% per year)
ESR (equivalent series resistance) rises, affecting the filtering effect
Risk of sudden explosion, resulting in damage to the entire machine
Replacement standard
✔ Capacitor bulging or leakage visible to the naked eye
✔ Power supply output voltage fluctuation exceeds ±5%
✔ System log frequently records low voltage alarms
Recommended replacement cycle
Normal environment: 5-6 years
High temperature and high humidity environment: 3-4 years

2. Cooling fan and heat dissipation system

Why are heat dissipation components so important?
For every 10°C increase in temperature, the life of electronic components is halved
Overheating of the inverter will cause a 20%-30% performance reduction
Failure signs
✔ Abnormal vibration or noise (bearing wear)
✔ Measured air volume is 70% lower than the nominal value
✔ Equipment surface temperature rises 15% from the baseline value
Maintenance recommendations
Continuous operation environment: 18-24 months
Equipped with infrared thermal imager for quarterly inspection

3. Relay and contactor contacts

Serious consequences of contact aging
Increased contact resistance will cause local overheating (up to 150°C)
Signal transmission distortion leads to PLC misjudgment
Key replacement indicators
✔ Oxidation and blackening of contact surface
✔ Action time delay exceeds 20%
✔ Coil resistance changes ±15%
Industry practice
Load current>10A: 2 years/500,000 actions
Signal relay: 5 years or 1 million times

4. Connectors and cables

Hidden sources of failure
Vibration can cause terminals to loosen, causing intermittent failures
Insulation aging may cause short circuit accidents
Inspection points
✔ Significant decrease in insertion and extraction force (>30%)
✔ Cracked or hardened insulation layer
✔ Contact resistance >1Ω (new parts are usually <0.1Ω)
Best practices
High vibration areas: annual comprehensive inspection

Use torque wrench to install in accordance with regulations

5. Mechanical transmission components

Ignored wear risks
Belt/chain stretching can cause positioning accuracy to decrease
Bearing wear causes vibration values to exceed the standard (ISO 10816 standard)
Monitoring methods
✔ Vibration analyzer to detect acceleration values
✔ Laser alignment instrument to verify mechanical concentricity
✔ Metal particle detection in lubricating oil
Replacement cycle reference
Synchronous belt: 2-3 years or 10,000 hours
Linear guide: 5 years/20km running distance

Conclusion: Build a preventive maintenance system

Establish spare parts life archive: record the installation date and working condition of each type of spare parts
Develop a graded replacement plan:
Class A (critical safety parts): mandatory periodic replacement
Class B (performance-affecting parts): condition monitoring replacement
Class C: replacement after failure
Use intelligent monitoring tools:
Vibration sensor
Infrared thermal imager

Online insulation detector

Contact: John Yang	Email:sales3@askplc.com
Mobile(WhatsApp): 86-18150117685	Wechat: 86-18150117685

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Preventive maintenance is essential: these 5 types of automation spare parts must be replaced regularly