Daily Maintenance Checklist for CNC Milling Machines Used to Drill Center Holes on End Faces—Ensure Long-Term Machine Life

This article focuses on CNC milling machines used for drilling center holes on end faces, presenting a four-tier standardized maintenance checklist—daily, weekly, monthly, and annual—that covers key service items such as cleaning, lubrication, spindle maintenance, fixture upkeep, hydraulic system checks, electrical system diagnostics, and precision calibration. It also highlights common pitfalls to avoid during workshop maintenance. Standardized maintenance helps ensure stable machining accuracy, reduces the frequency of breakdowns and downtime, and significantly extends the machine tool’s service life, making it an invaluable resource for machining technicians to implement in their daily operations.


Daily maintenance checklist for CNC milling machines used to machine center holes on end faces, ensuring extended machine tool life.
The CNC milling machine for face‑center‑hole machining (milling‑drilling machine) is a core piece of equipment that serves as the benchmark for precision finishing of shaft‑type components. The stability of the machine’s accuracy directly determines the coaxiality of the center holes and the flatness of the end faces of workpieces such as motor shafts, transmission shafts, lead screws, and pin shafts, thereby affecting the quality of all subsequent processes, including grinding and dynamic balancing.
Many factory machine tools begin to exhibit spindle vibration, positioning errors, oil leaks and unusual noises, and reduced accuracy within just six months—not due to equipment quality issues, but rather to inadequate daily maintenance and the absence of standardized maintenance procedures.
Juxin Machine Tool has compiled a set. Technicians can directly save and use it. A standardized maintenance checklist, organized into four tiers—daily, weekly, monthly, and annual—ensures straightforward implementation with minimal labor, effectively extending machine tool life, maintaining consistent batch‑processing accuracy, and reducing downtime due to failures.

I. Daily Maintenance (Before and After Shift; Essential Routine Tasks)

Daily maintenance is essential for the stable operation of machine tools; it is quick and effective, preventing minor issues from accumulating into major failures.

[Pre-Shift Inspection]

Pressure Monitoring : Check the air pressure and hydraulic pressure; maintain them within the standard range of 0.5–0.7 MPa. Do not start operation if the pressure is abnormal to prevent unstable clamping and machining misalignment.
Fluid Level Check : Check the oil levels of lubricating oil, cutting fluid, and hydraulic oil to ensure they remain within the specified range, with no shortages or signs of cloudiness or degradation.
Exterior Safety Inspection : Inspect the machine tool guard, safety interlocks, and emergency stop button to ensure they are intact and securely fastened; verify that the limit switches are properly positioned, thereby eliminating potential safety hazards.
Idle warm-up : Start the machine and let it idle at low speed for 3–5 minutes to preheat the spindle and drive components. Listen for any unusual noises or vibrations, and confirm that the equipment is operating normally before commencing production.

[Post-Shift Cleaning and Maintenance]

Thoroughly remove debris : Clean the machine table, fixtures, spindle taper bore, and guideway guards of any residual metal chips; do not allow chips to accumulate overnight to prevent scratching of precision working surfaces and jamming of moving components.
Cleaning fixture Key tasks include thoroughly cleaning iron filings and oil contamination from the contact surfaces of the Juxin Hydraulic Self-Centering Double-V Fixture to ensure precise alignment and prevent positioning errors during subsequent machining operations.
Equipment wiping for rust prevention Wipe the exposed precision-machined surfaces of the machine tool and apply an appropriate amount of protective lubricant to prevent oxidation and rust.
Drainage and pressure relief : Drain the water accumulated in the air‑treatment unit’s filter, shut off the machine tool’s air and power supplies, and ensure proper standby protection of the equipment.

II. Weekly Maintenance (Ensuring Precision and Stability, Eliminating Batch‑to‑Batch Variations)

Weekly maintenance focuses on core machining components, with targeted upkeep to ensure the stable benchmark accuracy of face milling and center‑hole drilling.
Lubrication System Maintenance : Check the oil supply status of the automatic lubrication pump, clear any blockages in the oil lines, and replenish the rail‑specific lubricant to ensure smooth operation of the lead screw and guide rails, with no sticking or dry friction.
Spindle Maintenance : Clean the spindle end face and chuck of metal chips and debris; inspect the spindle for runout or unusual noises; check the chuck for wear to prevent tool deflection, which can lead to tool breakage and hole‑position deviations.
Cutting fluid maintenance : Remove iron filings and debris from the bottom of the cutting fluid tank, check the cutting fluid concentration, and replenish water and fluid as needed to prevent odor, spoilage, and tool‑stick‑to‑workpiece issues that can damage the workpiece’s center hole.
Workwear inspection and tightening : Inspect the hydraulic fixture, material-support bracket, and positioning components for proper fastening; check the hydraulic lines for leaks; and ensure stable clamping with no looseness.
Chip removal system cleaning : Clean residual iron filings from the track chip conveyor, verify smooth operation, and prevent chip‑jamming failures.

3. Monthly Maintenance (Comprehensive Equipment Inspection to Extend Equipment Lifespan)

Monthly comprehensive maintenance, identification of hidden faults, correction of precision deviations, and adaptation to the demands of long-term mass production.
Precision verification : Check spindle runout and the coaxiality of both end machining, verify the machining accuracy of the center hole, and make timely fine adjustments to correct any minor deviations.
Hydraulic System Maintenance and Overhaul : Conduct a thorough inspection of the hydraulic circuit and seals, identify and address leaks and pressure instability, and clean the hydraulic oil filter element to ensure precise and adjustable clamping force.
Transmission Component Maintenance : Inspect the lead screw, bearings, and drive belt for proper tension; adjust and tighten as needed to eliminate transmission backlash and prevent machining vibration.
Electrical System Inspection : Clean dust from the electrical control cabinet, inspect wiring and terminal connections for looseness, and verify the sensitivity of sensors and limit switches.
Machine tool level calibration : Recheck the machine tool’s levelness and tighten the foundation bolts to prevent displacement and accuracy drift caused by prolonged vibration.

IV. Annual Maintenance (Comprehensive Overhaul to Restore Machine Precision to Like-New Condition)

For the annual major professional overhaul, it is recommended that it be carried out in collaboration with the manufacturer’s engineers to thoroughly address equipment wear and restore the equipment to its original factory‑calibrated precision.
Replace the spindle lubricant, aged seals, filter elements, and other wear‑prone components.
Geometric accuracy inspection and calibration of the entire machine, correcting precision deviations in the guideways, spindle, and worktable.
Perform a thorough cleaning of the hydraulic and cooling systems to prevent blockages in the oil and water circuits.
Comprehensive electrical system inspection, with replacement of aging wiring and components to ensure stable equipment operation.

V. Key Maintenance Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls (A Must-Read for Workshops)

Accumulation of metal chips on the machine tool’s working surface is prohibited, as it can cause long-term scoring of the guideways and fixtures, directly compromising the equipment’s accuracy.
It is prohibited to leave the cutting fluid unchanged for extended periods; degraded fluid can easily cause built-up edge, workpiece scratches, and accelerated tool wear.
It is prohibited to skip hydraulic and pneumatic inspections; unstable pressure can lead to workpiece clamp deformation, positioning deviation, and batch scrap.
Operating equipment while it is malfunctioning, or failing to promptly shut down and inspect it when abnormal noises or vibrations occur, will accelerate wear on critical components and significantly shorten the machine tool’s service life.

Summary

The precision and service life of a CNC milling machine for end-face center-hole machining depend 30% on equipment quality and 70% on routine maintenance. Standardized daily, weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance not only ensures stable datum accuracy in center-hole machining of shaft-type workpieces—reducing batch scrap and tool wear—but also significantly lowers equipment failure rates, extends machine tool lifespan, and cuts major overhaul costs. Workshop technicians can save this checklist for immediate implementation of standardized preventive maintenance, keeping the equipment in like‑new machining condition over the long term.
This article is shared by Juxin Machine Tools, which specializes in the R&D and practical application of milling and drilling equipment for shaft-type components. Colleagues are welcome to save, share, and engage in discussions!

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