Economic Value of Remanufacturing an Arter Surface Grinder

With economic conditions constantly in flux, budgets are tightening in manufacturing and everywhere else. But when push comes to shove and companies must replace or upgrade current equipment, choosing the best route forward can be difficult. As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), we come across many customers facing this dilemma with their decades-old Arter surface grinders.

A majority of companies that come to us for help as the OEM on their Arter surface grinders have us look at original parts and aspects from their machine that was manufactured in the 1950’s or before. While these machines are proven to last, 50+ years of use takes its toll on the machine and there is a time that it needs to be remanufactured, which is the more affordable route to take than buying new.

What goes into the remanufacture process?

Each remanufacture involves different aspects, depending on the condition of the machine. The most common areas that need remanufacturing are the ways needing to be re-scraped, chuck needIng to be rebuilt, and hydraulic systems needing to be remanufactured. From there, each remanufacture is what each machine needs. Knee problems, new chuck control, seals being replaced, and more smaller issues are common when remanufacturing the machine and are all included.

In all, the machine is remanufactured to last decades longer, which isn’t bad for the machines that were first manufactured 50+ years ago.

The grind performance on an Arter is unmatched. Above is from a test grind of a remanufactured Arter surface grinder.

Benefits of Remanufacturing

So why does the process of remanufacturing trump buying new?

1. Price savings

Remanufacturing over buying new gives an advantage in the price department. While comparable grinders run $100,000+, rebuilding an Arter can cost around half of that while maintaining the grind quality that only an Arter provides.

2. Performance

It is hard to find the quality of the Arter machine grind finish in competitor’s grinders. Remanufacturing provides a way to get back to the OEM specs of the machine and the ability to keep that high performance standard.

3. Longevity

With a lot of the models being produced through 1940-1970, the longevity the machines have provided throughout its life can be reproduced through remanufacturing with OEM specifications. Our goal is to provide a similar lifespan to the machine that it achieved when manufactured the first time.

4. Familiarity

Remanufacturing a current machine provides an operator with no learning curve they would have with the purchase of a new machine. Lost hours in training on a new machine can be detrimental to production.

Is it worth putting money into a machine that is sometimes 50+ years old? We’re here to say absolutely when it comes to the Arter brand. Returning the machine to OEM specifications provides new life to the machine that has already proven to last decades.

Contact our team to get started on getting a quote to you for your Arter surface grinder remanufacture.

Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc. is a Rockford, Ill. manufacturing company and is the OEM for Magna-Lock USA workholding, MagnaLift & Power-Grip lift magnets, and Arter Precision Grinding Machines as well providing surface grinding services. They are located at 5015 28th Ave. in Rockford, Ill. with a phone number of 815-962-8700. Check out more at obsidianmfg.com/brands.