I have a guy about two hours away that works on my bander. You should be able to handle most of the preventive maintenance yourself, as that is just a matter of getting your hands a little greasy. Brian Personett, forum technical advisor Choose the most mechanically inclined person in your shop who is also detail-oriented and give him or her the tools to do periodic maintenance. Those tools include the maintenance manual and the phone number to the techs. This investment will allow you to deal with most minor issues in house.
Preventive maintenance is probably the most important, after a competent operator.
Let the spindles warm up, keep the machine clean, check the lube, and use sharp tools. I run a 40-man operation. One of my employees expressed an interest in learning CNC maintenance, so I sent him to get certified as a factory-trained CNC technician for our machine. This was the best money I have ever spent. The two or three thousand dollars it cost me to do this has saved me many thousands over the last year in repairs and maintenance.