The principle: stock what stops the line and takes longest to ship
Rank every part by two things: whether the machine can run without it, and how long it takes to reach your door. Parts that stop the line and take weeks are held on the shelf; parts that stop the line but ship in days can be ordered on failure; parts that only degrade quality are replaced on a schedule. Ask your vendor for the wear-parts list with part numbers, prices, expected life and delivery time to your country before you sign, and buy the first kit with the machine while it is on the same shipment.
Machine by machine
| Machine class | Hold on the shelf | Order with the machine, replace on schedule | Typical life (guide) |
|---|
| Spiral tubeformer (SBTF-1602, SBTF-2020) | One set of slitter blades; strip guide inserts; drive belt; main bearing set for the forming head shaft | Forming heads for each diameter you sell; cooling-pump seals; plasma consumables on 2020-class machines | Slitter blades: months, depending on gauge and coil quality; heads: years with care; belts: annual |
| Coil line (SBAL-V, SBAL-III) | Shear blade set; notching die set; feed-roller pair; proximity sensors and one encoder; hydraulic seal kit | Beader rolls; Pittsburgh and snap-lock roll sets for auxiliary stations; PLC battery; hydraulic filter | Shear blades: regrind then replace, months to a year; dies: a year or more; sensors: on failure |
| TDF / TDC and Pittsburgh formers (SBTDF, SBLC) | Entry guides; one drive chain or belt; bearing set | Full roll set for the gauge class you run hardest; second roll set if you span two classes | Rolls: years on galvanised, faster on stainless; guides: annual |
| Plasma table (SBPC) | Nozzles, electrodes, shields and swirl rings for your source, at least ten sets; torch height sensor; slats | Torch body; drive rack and pinion inspection; extraction filters | Consumables: per pierce count, days to weeks; slats: months |
| Fiber laser (SBLC) | Protective lenses; nozzles in the sizes you cut with; ceramic ring | Chiller filters and coolant; focus lens; assist-gas filters | Lenses: weeks to months depending on spatter; nozzles: on damage |
| Folders and TDF benders (hydraulic, pneumatic, TDF) | Pneumatic seal kit; angle-stop parts | Clamping and folding blade regrind or replacement; segment tools | Blades: years, regrind first; seals: annual |
| Welders (stitch, seam, elbow) | Electrode wheels or tips; copper wire spool for the stitch welder; contactor | Transformer cooling parts; cable set | Wheels and tips: dressed weekly, replaced monthly to quarterly |
| Fittings machines (shaper, flanging) | Forming rolls for the diameters you run most; bearing set | Die sets by diameter | Rolls: years; dies: years |
Brand and product names are the property of their respective owners, referenced here for honest comparison only. Ownership, positioning and published ranges are as verified in September 2026 from each maker’s own publications; confirm current specifications and support with each vendor before buying.
Lives are guides, not promises: coil quality, gauge, stainless content and operator care move them by a factor of two or more. Keep a log of every change so the second year’s stock order is based on your own numbers.
What to write into the purchase contract
- The wear-parts list with part numbers, prices and expected life, attached to the contract.
- The first spares kit shipped with the machine, itemised; ask for the shelf items above at minimum.
- Delivery time for stocked spares to your door, and which items the vendor holds in stock permanently.
- Consumables sourcing for plasma and laser: whether you can buy locally (Hypertherm-pattern consumables and standard laser nozzles usually can) or must order from the vendor.
- Drawings for wear parts that a local machine shop could make in an emergency (guides, simple rolls), or a written policy if the vendor will not release them.
- Warranty terms that exclude wear parts explicitly, so there is no argument later about what is covered.
Running the shelf
Give one person ownership of the spares shelf. Label bins by machine and part number, hold the minimum from the table above, reorder when the last-but-one is taken, and record every change against the machine and the date. Dress welder electrodes and regrind shear blades before replacing them. Once a year, reconcile the log against the vendor’s life estimates and adjust the stock; a shop cutting stainless will burn slitter blades and laser nozzles far faster than the guide, and a shop on clean galvanised far slower.
What Taokron ships and stocks
This is our own practice, so read it as a vendor’s description. Taokron is an Australian supplier that has built HVAC duct machinery since 1995, with 5,000+ machines in 100+ countries. Every line leaves with a first spares kit itemised on the packing list and a part-numbered spares list with prices in the hand-over documents; we hold wear parts for current machines in stock and quote delivery to your country at hand-over; plasma consumables follow the source maker’s standard patterns so you can buy them locally. Spares and their delivery are written into the quotation alongside commissioning days; see installation and commissioning and the maintenance schedule.
Ask for a spares list and first-kit quotation with your machine →
FAQ
Which spare parts should a duct shop always keep on the shelf?
The parts that stop the line and take weeks to ship: slitter blades and strip guides for a spiral machine, shear blades, notching dies and sensors for a coil line, plasma torch consumables or laser lenses and nozzles for cutting tables, electrode wheels for welders, and a bearing or seal kit per machine.
Are wear parts covered by warranty?
Normally not; blades, rolls, dies, consumables and lenses are excluded by every maker. Make sure the contract says so explicitly and attaches the wear-parts list with prices so there is no argument later.
Can I buy plasma consumables locally?
Usually yes, if the source is a standard pattern such as Hypertherm Powermax; confirm the source model on your table and the local distributor before you buy. Laser nozzles and protective lenses are standard sizes too.
Do forming heads and roll sets wear out?
Slowly on galvanised, faster on stainless and heavy gauge. They are bought by diameter or gauge class rather than stocked; order the set for the work you sell with the machine, and add heads as new diameters appear.
How do I know how much stock is right?
Start with the shelf list in the table, log every change against machine and date, and reconcile against the vendor’s life estimates after a year. Your own numbers replace the guide.
What does Taokron include?
A first spares kit itemised on the packing list, a part-numbered spares list with prices at hand-over, stocked wear parts for current machines with quoted delivery, and standard-pattern plasma and laser consumables you can buy locally.
