January 12, 2005
Maintenance Tip
To save the threads of a stud when you need to grab hold of it. Since double nutting tends to damage the threads and doesn’t always provide enough hold, and you may not have room to double nut in some cases. What I have done in the past is take a nut of the same thread size and weld it to the Jaw of vice grips, then cut the nut in half using hack saw. The gap created by cutting the nut provides plenty of holding power and will save the threads from damage.
Reader Tip provided by Christopher Dibble
Manufacturing Mechanic
Thanks Christopher - your Maintenance-Tips hat is one the way.
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January 12, 2005
New Web Based Resource Library from GenesisSolutions
GenesisSolutions, a professional services company specializing in industrial asset optimization, has opened an online resource library including recent articles, maintenance white papers, recommended maintenance book list and useful web links.
You are invited to bookmark this site as a “favorite” and return often as new resources are added throughout the year.
Look for the Resource Library link from the homepage.
January 12, 2005
Reliability Tip
Report the good news – and the bad.
There is nothing wrong with pride in a job well done. Don’t be afraid to tell everyone in the plant just how effective your Reliability program is and how you prevented a catastrophic event using Reliability technologies. Use charts on the bulletin boards and a column in your company newsletter to show your pride. However, be certain to publish your failures as well. If you missed a gearbox failure or the loss of a bearing forced an unscheduled outage, be prepared to tell the story. Perform an assessment and publish why it was missed or why the failure occurred. Maybe your equipment does not have the dynamic range to get to that part of the data, maybe the motor was not monitored because of budget and time constraints. Maybe you could have caught it using vibration analysis, but were just doing ultrasonic readings. Whatever the cause, admit the painful truth and show what is being done – proactively- to make certain that this does not occur again, even if it is upgrading equipment or just providing additional training. It will give you far greater credibility in the long run.
Tip provided by National Reliability Systems
Jack Dischner
January 12, 2005
Alignment Tip
When aligning machines, it is usually impossible to achieve absolute perfection; therefore, some misalignment must be accepted, provided this remaining misalignment is small enough that it causes no harm; by definition, this window of permissible misalignment is your alignment tolerance.
When leaving misalignment on a machine, ideally you would like to leave the correction at the front feet equal to or less than the correction required at the back feet, with the corrections having the same sign (+ or). Such a result always means the alignment is getting better as you approach the coupling; you always want the centerline of rotation pointing towards the point of power transmission.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
Distributor of the new Rotalign ULTRA Laser Shaft Alignment System
http://www.ludeca.com/ultra.htm
Tel: 305-591-8935
Test your AIQ (Alignment IQ) with a 10 question autograding quiz
January 05, 2005
Maintenance Training Tip
As part of your training program consider using functional or non-functional obsolete equipment for hands-on training of your technicians and operators. If the space is available put it in an area just for that purpose.
For example: sometimes distribution warehouses will have older conveyor equipment or spare conveyor equipment left over after alterations or configuration changes. Putting together a mini-conveyor system for training and for practicing in SMED techniques can pay big dividends when the equipment has to be worked on in real time. It can be used to practice the procedure that needs to be accomplished until it can be done in the shortest downtime possible and with all of the tools, parts, and manpower identified and staged.
Obsolete pumps, motors, and engines are another excellent training tool. Don’t keep them around “because we might need them sometime” put them to use in your training program.
The trainers? Your own maintenance technicians. Get them some training – either in house or at a seminar – and have them create some lesson plans for high impact hands-on training and put it in place.
Reader Tip provided by Mike LeCompte
Maintenance Systems Development, LLC
http://www.maintsysdev.com
January 05, 2005
Lubrication Tip
A vent hole in an oil barrel should never be left open to the environment. You may think the environment is clean, but air borne particles can and will settle in an open vent hole or vent plug. Installing a breather in the vent hole of an oil barrel is a simple way to avoid contamination. If the barrel of oil is placed in the horizontal position, the oil will cover the vent hole. In this case, the breather should be piped up to avoid oil entering the breather. When clean oil is added to a piece of equipment, there is less likelihood of problems and equipment failure due to contamination.
January 05, 2005
Reliabilityweb.com and RELIABILITY® Magazine Form Joint Venture
Dear Maintenance & Reliability Professionals,
In case you have not heard, Industrial Communications Inc., and Reliabilityweb.com have formed a new joint venture to publish Reliability Magazine. The people behind these two companies have known each other for many years as we shared many common values and goals. For example, each of us are actively involved in supporting the Society of Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and their Certification Program (CMRP). Each of us are also active in seeking out and delivering some of the best information on maintenance and reliability practices that you can use to improve your work. It finally made sense for us to begin working together on a more formalized basis as we think we make a pretty good team.
Now you have a number of convenient choices to stay up to date on information that will deliver strategies, techniques and technologies that people who share your priorities use to solve maintenance challenges on a daily basis.
For years, I have been active in writing for many of the leading maintenance trade publications, however partnering with a reader supported magazine will allow me to continue the quality work we do at Reliabilityweb.com and Maintenance-Tips in a print format. Working for readers demands that the primary value be delivered to the reader. Although we invite vendor participation, we choose value-based subject matter expertise from them over the promotion pieces so common in many other information formats. We know that you subscribe to Reliability Magazine to read about solutions, not promotions. You will find advertising, but it will be highly focused in scope and limited in quantity. - Terrence O’Hanlon, CMRP, Publisher
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Book a two or three year subscription now and get the “Best of RELIABILITY® Magazine” CD ROM loaded with great articles from the past - a $99 value at no cost!
JAN/FEB Focus: Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) with exclusive articles by Mac Smith, Paul Barringer, Doug Plucknette and more
January 05, 2005
Oil Analysis Tip
Particle counting analysis or filter patch?
Each test has it’s own strengths and limitations. The particle count readily provides specific levels of particles relative to multiple size definitions but does not distinguish the composition of the particles. A filter patch can provide the total weight of particulate above the size of filter media employed and has the advantage of capturing the particles for microscopic counting, visual identification, and photographic capture of the particles present. The right choice is often a combination of both methods: Routine particle count analysis with a patch test and visual assessment of selected problem systems.
Tip provided by Analysts Inc
http://www.analystsinc.com
Tel: (800) 336-3637
January 05, 2005
Motor Testing Tip
In the past, winding contamination was detected using methods such as Polarization Index (PI) testing. This required the applied insulation test voltage for a period of 10 minutes. The PI would evaluate only the area between the conductors and ground (ground-wall insulation). Modern motor circuit analysis techniques use low voltage AC measurements of impedance and inductance.
Winding contamination causes changes to the circuit capacitance (normally increases) which causes the phase relationship of impedance and inductance. For example: In a good insulation system, with the rotor stationary, a motor might have a low, medium and high value of inductance (it can be any combination), the impedances would follow the same pattern (low, medium and high values). If winding contamination exists, that has begun to effect the insulation system, the impedance value in the effected phase(s) will decrease, changing the pattern.
Tip provided by ALL-TEST Pro, A Division of BJM Corp http://www.alltestpro.com
Tel: 860.399.5937
iPresentation Invitation: Quantum Mechanics and Motor Diagnostics (19 minutes)
January 05, 2005
MasteringMaintenance.com Distance Learning Courses
MasteringMaintenance.com is dedicated to providing maintenance and reliability professionals with the most up-to-date, effective and professional learning resources available, inside or outside of a classroom, without ever having to leave home.
Distance learning courses vary in length but are typically 8-12 weeks with about 2-3 hours of student self-study time per week. Some students complete the courses in less time.
• 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Certification Review Course by Dave Krings, CMRP
• Benchmarking Maintenance by Terry Wireman, CPMM
• Change Management for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals by Steve Thomas, Author
• The Basics of AC Induction Motors by Howard Penrose Ph.D.
• Understanding & Applying Vibration Analysis by Scott Dow
Courses are starting soon so please call toll free 888-230-5280, email or…
