Common Bucking Unit Operation Errors and How to Avoid Them?

Bucking units, as critical tightening control equipment in industrial production, bear the heavy responsibility of ensuring accurate and stable torque on connected components. Despite their advanced performance, operator negligence or improper operation can still lead to various operational errors, resulting in equipment failure, poor product quality, and even safety accidents. Understanding common operational errors and their causes, and taking effective preventive measures, is crucial to ensuring efficient and safe equipment operation.

I. Common Types of Operational Errors
1. Failure to Set Equipment Parameters According to Regulations
Operators fail to strictly adjust key parameters such as torque, speed, and pressure according to process requirements, resulting in substandard equipment operation. This error can lead to under- or over-tightening, compromising connection quality and even damaging the equipment.
2. Neglecting Equipment Pre-Inspection
Before starting the equipment, thorough safety checks and equipment status verification are not performed, and abnormalities in mechanical components, lubrication systems, and electrical systems are overlooked. This negligence can easily lead to mechanical seizures, electrical failures, or sensor malfunctions during operation.
3. Misoperation of the Control Panel
Unfamiliarity with the user interface or improper operation can lead to accidental button presses or parameter changes, causing the equipment to malfunction or stop working. For example, accidentally pressing the emergency stop button or incorrectly switching operating modes.
4. Neglecting Equipment Maintenance
Failure to lubricate, clean, and calibrate the Bucking Unit at the prescribed intervals results in increased wear of mechanical components, sensor deviation, and gradual degradation of equipment performance.
5. Failure to Wear or Use Personal Protective Equipment During Operation
Operators fail to wear protective gloves, safety glasses, and other equipment as required, increasing the risk of personal injury during operation.
6. Performing Adjustments or Repairs While the Equipment is Operating
Randomly removing protective covers or adjusting mechanical components while the equipment is in operation can easily cause mechanical damage or equipment failure.
7. Ignoring Alarm Signals
When the equipment issues an abnormal alarm, the operator fails to promptly stop the machine for inspection and continues operation, leading to escalating problems and worsening equipment damage.

II. Analysis of Causes of Operational Errors
Inadequate Training
Operators lack a comprehensive understanding of the Bucking Unit's structure, operating principles, and operating procedures, resulting in weak operating skills and safety awareness.
Lack of Awareness of Operating Procedures
Some personnel adopt a compulsive approach, ignore safety operating procedures, and operate the equipment haphazardly, failing to develop good work habits. Inadequate Equipment Management
The company's safety management and equipment maintenance systems are incomplete, lacking effective supervision and inspection, and operational issues are not promptly identified and corrected.
The equipment interface is complex or inconvenient to operate.
The operation panel design is not user-friendly, and information is not clearly displayed, increasing the likelihood of misoperation.

III. How to Avoid Operational Errors
1. Strengthen Operator Training
Regular, systematic training should be conducted to ensure that operators understand the equipment's operating principles, parameter adjustment methods, and safe operating procedures.
Using real-world cases, typical operational errors and accident lessons should be explained to enhance safety awareness.
Establish and strictly enforce training procedures through assessments, ensuring that only qualified personnel are allowed to operate the equipment.
2. Establish and Strictly Implement Operating Procedures
Clearly define each operating procedure, especially equipment startup, parameter setting, operation monitoring, and shutdown procedures.
Create an operational checklist, and verify each item before and after operation.
Post operating procedures and safety warning signs in a prominent location on the equipment to remind personnel.
3. Preset and Lock Equipment Parameters
Preset and lock frequently used parameters to prevent unauthorized personnel from modifying them. Adopt a user-friendly human-machine interface design that highlights key parameters and reduces operational errors.
4. Strictly implement the equipment maintenance plan.
Regularly lubricate mechanical components to ensure smooth movement.
Perform periodic equipment calibration to maintain sensor and control system accuracy.
Clean the equipment surface and interior to prevent dust and oil accumulation that can affect performance.
5. Personal Protection and Safety Awareness Cultivation.
Require operators to wear prescribed protective equipment to prevent mechanical injuries.
Conduct regular safety training to enhance personnel's awareness of potential hazards and their ability to respond.
6. Strictly prohibit maintenance or adjustments while the equipment is operating.
Repair and maintenance must be performed after the equipment is completely powered off and locked out to prevent any operation with power on.
Equip safety interlocks to prevent the equipment from starting when protective covers are open.
7. Promptly respond to alarms and abnormal conditions.
Establish a clear alarm response process to ensure immediate shutdown and investigation of equipment alarms.
Record alarm information and handling procedures to analyze the cause and prevent recurrence. IV. Case Study Warning
At one company, an operator failed to set torque parameters according to regulations, resulting in overtightening of fasteners, thread damage, and unexpected equipment downtime, directly impacting production progress. After strengthening training and improving parameter management systems, similar issues were significantly reduced, and equipment operational stability improved.
In another case, an operator removed a protective cover while the equipment was operating, causing a mechanical pinching accident. After further safety training and the addition of a protective interlock, similar incidents have not occurred again.

V. Conclusion
Operational errors in bucking units are often caused by human error. However, through improved training, standardized operating procedures, and strengthened equipment management and safety measures, the error rate can be effectively reduced, ensuring safe and efficient equipment operation. Operators should always maintain a high level of safety awareness, strictly adhere to procedures, and ensure that every operation is accurate and correct.