In today’s disposable society, it’s hard to find anything built to last. Everything from razors to phones and shingled roofs never seems to last as long as they should. For those of us in manufacturing, this trend has extended to the CNC equipment we use to build our everyday products. Companies often find it more practical to discard and replace aging equipment rather than repair it. It’s rare to find a 40-year-old CNC mill or lathe still in everyday production.
But if you walk into any of the thousands of screw machine shops around the world, it’s common to see row after row of older mechanical multi-spindle lathes churning out precision products at phenomenal speeds. Many of those machines were built long before the operators running them were born, and have produced more value than CNC machines built and decommissioned since.
Shops using Davenport Model-B machines enjoy a particular advantage: these machines were built to last. There are hundreds of Model-Bs built prior to WWII that are still in production, and an estimated 6 to 8 thousand total Model-Bs still making parts today. What is the secret to Davenport’s longevity?
It’s Davenport OEM Remanufacturing
While most screw machine OEMs have long since closed their doors, Davenport Machine still provides OEM parts and service to the hundreds of contract and captive manufacturers that require high-volume precision-turned components. While nothing lasts forever, those Model-Bs can get a new lease on life when sent back to the factory for OEM remanufacturing.
Not to be confused with many aftermarket rebuilders and repair shops, Davenport is the only company that takes your machine and remanufactures it from the ground up. Here’s a short list of what we do when we remanufacture machines:
- Coolant pans are cleaned and reused.
- Principal castings are cleaned, reconditioned, requalified, and inspected to new OEM specifications.
- Nearly every other worn part and critical component is replaced or upgraded.
- Upgraded parts are made to the latest revision and adhere to today’s tightest quality standards.
When Davenport remanufactures an old machine, every surface that determines the accuracy of parts produced and reliability of operation is returned to the same condition as a brand new machine off our line. In fact, we use the exact same manufacturing equipment during a remanufacture as we do when building our new Davenports.
Why go through such a painstaking restoration? That level of craftsmanship and detail lets us offer you the same warranty that we give our new machines. If we couldn’t stand behind our product, we wouldn’t feel right offering it to you.
If your machine was built in the last 75 years and you want to save up to 25% off a new one, consider a rebuilt Davenport Model-B.
That is, of course, unless you like things that are disposable.