Preventive Maintenance Cost Planning
Every dollar spent on PM saves $3-5 in emergency repairs. Here's how to plan the budget.
Model Your Maintenance Budget
Our Maintenance Cost Calculator lets you input your fleet, hourly rates, and service intervals to get annual projections.
The PM Budget Formula
The industry benchmark for CNC preventive maintenance is 2-5% of original machine value per year. But a flat percentage doesn't account for machine age, usage intensity, or environment.
Labor Component
- • In-house tech: $35-60/hr
- • OEM service tech: $125-200/hr
- • Independent: $75-125/hr
- • Travel charges: $0-150/visit
Parts & Consumables
- • Way oil / Hydraulic oil: $200-500/yr
- • Filters (air, oil, coolant): $300-800/yr
- • Belts / Wipers: $100-400/yr
- • Coolant replacement: $500-2,000/yr
Hidden Costs
- • Production downtime during PM
- • Diagnostic software subscriptions
- • Calibration equipment
- • Safety gear / Spill kits
Standard PM Task Frequency & Cost
| Task | Frequency | Labor (hrs) | Parts Cost | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Way lube check & fill | Daily | 0.1 | $200 | $1,450 |
| Coolant concentration check | Weekly | 0.25 | $100 | $750 |
| Filter replacement (air/oil) | Monthly | 0.5 | $50 | $900 |
| Spindle runout & bearing check | Quarterly | 2.0 | $0 | $400 |
| Hydraulic oil change | Semi-Annual | 3.0 | $250 | $800 |
| Ball screw backlash check | Annual | 4.0 | $0 | $200 |
| Full coolant system flush | Annual | 6.0 | $800 | $1,100 |
| Geometric accuracy calibration | Annual | 8.0 | $0 | $1,000 |
| Estimated Annual PM Total (per machine) | $6,600 | |||
Based on a typical 3-axis VMC running single shift. Costs assume in-house technician at $50/hr. OEM service contracts may cost 2-3× these labor rates but include parts.
Preventive vs Reactive: The Real Numbers
The math is simple: planned downtime costs 5-10× less than unplanned downtime. Here's why:
| Failure Scenario | PM Cost | Reactive Cost | Downtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spindle bearing replacement | $3,500 (planned) | $8,000-15,000 | 8 hrs vs 3-5 days |
| Ball screw failure | $200 (backlash check) | $5,000-12,000 | 2 hrs vs 2-4 weeks |
| Hydraulic system failure | $800 (oil change) | $3,000-8,000 | 4 hrs vs 1-2 weeks |
| Coolant contamination crash | $1,100 (annual flush) | $2,000-5,000 + scrap | 6 hrs vs 1-3 days |
Lost production cost: Beyond repair bills, every hour of unplanned downtime costs $85-175/hr in lost shop revenue. A spindle crash during a rush aerospace job can mean $10,000+ in missed delivery penalties.
Annual PM Budget by Machine Class
| Machine Class | Value | PM Budget (Annual) | % of Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Axis VMC (new) | $80K | $2,400-4,000 | 3-5% |
| 3-Axis VMC (10+ yrs) | $30K | $3,000-6,000 | 10-20% |
| 5-Axis Simultaneous | $350K | $7,000-17,500 | 2-5% |
| HMC with Pallet Changer | $250K | $5,000-12,500 | 2-5% |
| Swiss-Type Lathe | $180K | $5,400-9,000 | 3-5% |
Age Multiplier:
Machines over 10 years old typically cost 2-3× more to maintain than new machines. Factor this in when evaluating Total Cost of Ownership for repair vs replace decisions.