When a part fails and the OEM no longer supplies it, the sequence that works is: stabilise the situation, secure the evidence, establish feasibility, approve a drawing, make and verify one, then decide whether to hold a spare. The most common mistake is skipping straight to manufacture and discovering the sample was the only reference.
7 min read · Last reviewed 28 September 2026 · All resources
Before anything else, keep the failed part and everything that came off with it, including fragments. Do not clean it aggressively, do not attempt a repair weld, and photograph it as found with a scale reference.
Wear patterns, fracture surfaces and witness marks are the record of how the part was loaded. Cleaning or repairing destroys information that cannot be recovered later.
A short assessment answers whether the part can be reproduced, which features are certain and which are reconstructed, and whether material is a concern. It should also say plainly if the part is a poor candidate.
Getting that view before ordering avoids the worst outcome: a part made to assumptions nobody stated, which fails and leaves you no better informed.
The replacement part solves today's problem. The approved drawing solves every future occurrence, because the next one can be ordered without repeating the exercise.
Make sure the drawing is issued to you and that it records the assumptions made. A drawing that hides its uncertainty is less useful than one that marks it.
Dimensional inspection confirms the part matches the drawing. Fitting it confirms the drawing was right. Where the machine can be made available, a trial fit before releasing further parts is worth the delay.
Where it cannot — because the machine is down and the part is needed now — the sensible compromise is to make one, fit it, and hold the drawing for the repeat.
Once the drawing exists, holding a spare is a much smaller decision than it was. The question is how long the machine can tolerate being down against the cost of one part sitting on a shelf.
For a part that has now failed once on a machine you depend on, that calculation usually favours the spare.
FAQ
The questions engineers and buyers ask before sending a drawing. If yours is not here, ask it directly — you will get an engineer's answer, not a brochure.
Still have a question?
Talk to Anita M.N, Managing Partner, or send the drawing and let the review answer it.
Send photographs with a scale reference immediately for an initial feasibility view, and get the physical part moving in parallel. State plainly that the machine is down, so the enquiry is triaged accordingly.
Harder, but not always hopeless. Mating components, an assembly drawing, a photograph or the same part from an identical machine can all provide a route. Say what you have and what you do not.
Once a drawing exists, a second part costs considerably less than the first. Whether to hold it depends on what downtime costs you, which is a judgement only you can make.
Yes, and it is worth asking where the original failed early. Any change should be deliberate and recorded, so a future comparison against the original is not confusing.
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