Thermo-chillers serve a key function in sectors such as life sciences, pharmaceutical and biotech, where correct product temperature is vital to process precision and reliability. Such is the criticality of temperature control that preventative maintenance becomes a crucial element of owning and running a thermo-chiller. With this thought in mind, our team of experts here at SMC has devised a separate preventative maintenance standard for each chiller series in our portfolio, bringing complete peace of mind to your temperature-critical processes.
By Kees van Kampen, Product Manager Thermo Control Equipment, SMC Netherlands
MARCH 2022
After many years of serving the medical research industries, we know a thing or two about temperature control. Just like a car benefits enormously from correct and timely maintenance, as well as repairs that become necessary over time, the life cycle of a thermo-chiller is pretty similar: some parts will need servicing or replacing based on running hours. By approaching these tasks in a preventative manner you can avoid any potential for temperature drift. In tandem, adopting such a strategy makes for low TCO (total cost of ownership) as it prevents any costly unplanned downtime or process errors from unexpected equipment failure.
The preventative maintenance standards that we created for each SMC thermo-chiller series is a recommendation for the life cycle of the unit, setting out the daily, monthly, three-monthly, six-monthly and winter-time inspection schedules. The standards also provide a list of parts that benefit from periodic replacement. These components, depending on the model, include the pump, pump seal, fan(s) and other mechanical parts like expansion valves and the compressor.
Here at SMC we’ve made life extremely easy for owners of our thermo-chillers. For instance, the chiller will activate an alarm when the dedicated hour counter for a specific part reaches the predetermined maintenance time. By way of example, the alarm for changing the pump seal in our HRS series of thermo-chillers is set at 8000 running hours.
SMC´s SMC´s HRS Series – Multiple cooling capacities available to easily accommodate your different requirements
As a further benefit, the complete documenting and archiving of all service activities, by either SMC facilities or officially approved and audited third-party service partners, allows searchable operating history. We have a presence in 82 countries worldwide, where professional repair teams guarantee the comprehensive and high-quality servicing of all SMC air-cooled and water-cooled models. Every facility is equipped the necessary technology, tools and skills, along with the appropriate certifications, such as F-gas in the EU. Ultimately, we offer a solution for the complete cycle, from purchase, through full service, to end of product life, ensuring peace-of-mind along the entire journey.
Here at SMC, we boast close-to-zero incidents of chillers returning to our factory for repair. This high level of reliability is among many differentiating factors in the marketplace, bringing complete confidence to your investment and ongoing operations.
