Picture this: an entire factory floor, buzzing with machines, comes to a sudden halt. Conveyor belts stop moving. Robotic arms freeze mid-motion. Emergency lights flash. Operators scramble. What caused the shutdown? Not a major power outage or natural disaster—just a failed circuit board the size of a paperback novel.
When Small Parts Cause Big Problems
Circuit boards are the backbone of modern industrial equipment. From programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to servo motors and I/O cards, nearly every critical machine relies on at least one. So when one board fails, it’s not a small problem. It’s a big one. And it can cost a company tens of thousands of dollars per hour in lost productivity—what we call industrial downtime.
Failure doesn’t always come with smoke and sparks. Often, it starts with something small: a bad capacitor, a failed solder joint, or trace damage from corrosion. Moisture, overheating, or power surges can silently eat away at these boards until, one day, they just stop working.
The Real-World Cost of Circuit Board Failure
We’ve seen it all. A food processing plant lost nearly 12 hours of production when the power supply circuit on a packaging line failed. The cause? Dust buildup and heat stress on the board’s components. Another time, a high-speed bottling line came to a grinding halt because of a single broken transistor on a motor control board.
These aren’t one-off cases. They’re common. And they all share the same outcome: costly industrial downtime and a race against the clock to diagnose and fix the issue.
Electronic Troubleshooting: Finding the Fault Fast
When machines go silent, electronic troubleshooting becomes mission critical. Trained technicians start by visually inspecting the circuit board for signs of damage—burn marks, corrosion, or bulging capacitors. From there, they use diagnostic tools to test components and traces. Multimeters, oscilloscopes, and ESR meters are often essential to pinpoint the fault.
However, not every plant has the resources or expertise to do this in-house. That’s when an industrial electronic repair service like ACS Industrial can step in. Fast turnaround matters, especially when downtime costs are climbing by the minute.
Prevention Is Cheaper Than a Shutdown
The best way to deal with circuit board failure is to prevent it. Here are some simple tips:
- Keep Boards Clean – Dust and moisture are silent killers.
- Monitor Temperatures – Overheating is a top cause of failure.
- Check Connections – Loose terminals and power spikes can damage sensitive components.
- Use Protective Coatings – Conformal coatings can reduce moisture damage in humid environments.
- Perform Routine Inspections – Early detection can stop a problem before it spreads.
Call ACS Industrial for Repairs and Service for Your Circuit Boards!
Knowing how to keep industrial circuit boards in operation can be tough, but you don’t have to do it alone. At ACS Industrial Services, we specialize in preventative maintenance and repair services for industrial electronic equipment.
With over 20 years of experience, ACS is a leading industrial repair service provider when things break. We repair many different components of machinery across various makes and models. We provide a rapid turnaround time. Most repairs are back in your hands within 7-15 business days, with our Rush Repair Service typically shipping in just 3-5 business days.
Contact us for a FREE evaluation and a no-obligation quote, or call (800) 605-6419.