When to Fix It Yourself vs. When to Call Service

When a machine acts up, the first reaction on the floor is often "let me have a go at it myself." Some problems really are fastest to fix yourself; with others, doing it yourself turns a small problem into a big one, or even gets someone hurt. Knowing where the line is protects both the machine and your staff.

What You Can Handle Yourself

Broadly speaking, anything the operating manual says the user should perform falls within what you can handle yourself:

• Ingredient adjustments: water content, dough temperature, resting, filling moisture and particle size, amount of dusting. These are the root of most quality problems; see articles such as Wrapper Tearing, Filling Leakage, and Inconsistent Piece Weight.
• Fine-tuning settings: speed, weight, wrapper-to-filling ratio, and other settings the manual permits.
• Daily cleaning: removing detachable contact parts according to the manual, washing, drying, and reinstalling them.
• Simple external checks: power plug, switches, emergency stop button, whether the machine is level, whether parts are tightened, whether there are foreign objects in the hopper. See Electrical Problems.
• Clearing blockages: after stopping and cutting power, removing detachable parts according to the manual to clear the jam. See Filling Blockages and Uneven Feeding.

When Not to Take Things Apart Yourself

• Internal mechanisms you can only reach by opening the housing or guards: calibration of drives, gears, belts, cams, and cutting mechanisms.
• Electrical cabinets, controllers, wiring, motors: leave these to a qualified electrical technician or the manufacturer.
• A burning smell, smoke, or sparks.
• Metal banging, breaking sounds, severe vibration. See Machine Noise, Vibration, and Overheating.
• Repeated tripping.
• Parts that are deformed, broken, or visibly worn.
• Actions the manual doesn't cover, or disassembly when you're not sure how to put it back together.

Taiwan's Occupational Safety and Health Facilities Rules (職業安全衛生設施規則) Article 43 requires guards and enclosures on hazardous parts such as prime movers, shafts, gears, and drive belts; Article 57 requires that when machinery is being cleaned, oiled, inspected, repaired, or adjusted, operation and feeding be stopped and accidental start-up be prevented by locking out, posting signs, and similar measures, and that a hazard prevention plan be established in advance and communicated to the workers involved; Article 279 requires appropriate clothing and headwear when operating or approaching running machinery where hair or clothing could be caught. These principles apply even within the scope of what you handle yourself.

Safety Sequence When Handling It Yourself

1. Press stop, turn off the power, and unplug the machine or cut the main switch.
2. When several people are working, lock the switch and hang a "Under maintenance, do not energize" tag, and keep the key yourself.
3. Make sure the machine has come to a complete stop, and release pressure from any devices with residual pressure.
4. Work according to the manual, use the proper tools, and don't scrape contact surfaces with sharp objects.
5. When finished, count your tools and parts, confirm everything is reinstalled and the guards are back in place, remove the lock and tag, and only then restore power for a test run.

What Information to Prepare When Calling for Service

The more complete the information, the better the technician can judge which parts to bring and whom to send, often saving a round trip:

• Machine type, model number, and nameplate information (a photo is most accurate).
• When it was purchased or last serviced.
• What happened: when it started, during which motion it occurs, and how often.
• Photos or videos: record abnormal noises from a safe distance and photograph panel codes.
• Any recent changes: new ingredients, a new product, moving the machine, a change in power supply, reassembly after cleaning.
• What you've already done: what you cleaned and which settings you changed.
• Operating voltage and the factory's power supply (single-phase or three-phase).

Dong-Yih Machinery's Service Scope

Since its founding in 1989, Dong-Yih Machinery has had a machinery repair shop. Today we manufacture automatic encrusting and forming machines, portioning and cutting machines, steamed bun and mantou machines, and more. For how to request service and our service scope, call us at 06-257-4644, or leave your requirements on the Contact page.

FAQ

Q: Which machine problems can I handle myself?
A: Things the manual says the user should perform, such as ingredient adjustments, fine-tuning settings, cleaning, external checks, and clearing blockages after stopping and cutting power.

Q: When shouldn't I take things apart myself?
A: Internal mechanisms, electrical cabinets and motors, a burning smell or smoke, banging or severe vibration, repeated tripping, deformed parts, and any disassembly the manual doesn't cover.

Q: What should I prepare when calling for service?
A: Photos of the model and nameplate, the symptoms and when they occur, photos or videos, recent changes and what you've already done, and the operating voltage.

Q: Whom should I call for repairs?
A: Contact the manufacturer or a service provider; you are also welcome to call Dong-Yih at 06-257-4644 to ask.