May 17, 2007
Alignment Tip
Garbage in…Garbage out.
Even the best laser system in the world is only as good as the craftsman that operates it. If you put inaccurate information into it, you will get inaccurate information out of it. Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over but expect different results. Be as accurate as your system requires when inputting required data. If measurement results are not repeating, determine why before making corrections. Remember, machinery corrections are calculated from the measurement results. If they don’t repeat, neither will the corrections and you will be making many unnecessary moves; you will be doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, garbage in…garbage out.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935
iPresentation invitation: The Five-Step Alignment Procedure (3 minutes)
May 17, 2007
Why RCM Doesn’t Work
A New Report by Allied Reliability!
The value of Reliability-Centered Maintenance is proven!
It is a logical, sensible approach that helps companies better understand their equipment and improve reliability.
Yet most companies are not getting the return on investment they expected.
They see RCM as too much trouble for too little reward. That’s why we published this report.
You’ll find out why your current RCM projects aren’t working, what needs to change and how to put RCM to work at YOUR company so it doesn’t become a Resource Consuming Monster.
There’s a reason many RCM projects fail to deliver results.
We want you to find out why and How to Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes that Lead to False Starts and Dead Ends in your RCM program.
Find out why RCM Doesn’t Work. Request your copy from Allied Reliability without cost
May 17, 2007
Vibration Tip
Recently I was asked to find the source of a bad vibration on a production line.
I couldn’t access the measurement point because it was behind a guard so the machine had to be stopped and locked out before I could mount an accelerometer at the various locations. I used real time spectral monitoring to zero in on the source, which was located quickly. I identified the problem bearing to the mechanics and went on my way. I have done this type of job previously, but because the 2120 can’t store the spectral results from this reading, I decided to also capture the same data using the acquire spectra method.
When I got back to my office, I brought up the data and tried to analyze it.
The bearing I thought to be good now had the highest amplitude vibrations; the one I thought bad had very low amplitude.
I quickly tried to stop the work, but was too late. My first diagnosis proved to be correct and I returned to my office puzzled. What had happened?
After checking settings and thinking about it, the embarrassing answer was revealed!
When I was looking at the vibration in real time, I was seeing unaltered data. I had noticed there wasn’t really a one time peak, there were several occurring in a band.
When I captured the data for later analysis, I left the settings for route collection which included averaging the collected data 5 times. Since there was no repetitive peaks in spectral data for the bad bearing, they averaged close to zero. On the other hand, the good bearing had a normal signature and averaged out correctly.
I am now a more knowledgeable analyst that hopefully won’t be caught by this phenomena again.
Reader Tip provided by Jon McFadden
Predictive Mechanic
Kimberly-Clark Corp
Conway AR
Thanks Jon - you are the first to get one of the new Maintenance-Tips stainless steel coffee mugs for sending your most excellent tip!
Want a Maintenance-Tips Stainless Steel Coffee Mug? Send in your Tip here
May 17, 2007
Lubrication Tip
Constant Level Oilers – Oiler Location
As the name implies, constant level oilers are designed to supply lubricant, as needed, to maintain a constant level within a bearing housing. Its function is to replenish lubricant lost by leakage through seals, vents and plugs in the bearing housing. If the lubricant level within the sump lowers below the control point, the seal at the control point is broken, allowing air to enter the reservoir, displacing the lubricant. The lubricant from the reservoir will flow into the surge chamber until the seal is re-established constantly maintaining the lubricant at the optimum level. However, problems can arise when reverse flow to the oiler occurs.
Bearings create currents and flows in the housing as the shaft rotates. The location of a constant level oiler relative to shaft rotation can effect how the oiler dispenses - especially in higher speed applications.
On start-up, as the shaft rotates, it will pull the lubricant to one side of the bearing housing. The oiler should be mounted so that the lubricant is pushed towards the oiler. If it is mounted on the incorrect side, and the lubricant is pulled from the oiler, the oil level momentarily drops below the control point, causing the oiler to feed. Over the course of several start-ups, the lubricant level within the bearing housing will increase above the optimum level.
In high-level operating conditions, the bearings will require additional energy to go through the high-level lubricant. This energy converts to heat in the lubricant, causing it to lose its viscosity. In addition, “churning” of the lubricant will occur, accelerating the oxidation rate as a result of the excessive air and heat.
The most common fix for this condition is to mount the oiler on the opposite side or on the bottom of the housing to eliminate mis-feeding due to currents created by the bearings.
Tip provided by Trico Corp.
Toll Free: 800-558-7008
http://www.tricocorp.com/
iPresentation Invitation: Constant Level Oilers – Vented vs. Non-Vented (15 minutes)
May 10, 2007
Maintenance Management Tip
The data suggests that at best cost cutting provides a 50% chance of improving company performance (at worst 14%). Why the, is cost cuttings viewed as one the primary means of improving financial performance even it is has a low probability for success?
It may be necessary under specific circumstances, but often it is not. So why do senior managers often persist in enforcing cost cutting? Possible reasons include:
* Executives don’t view layoffs as a possible admission of personal failure. (Why were all of those people on the payroll in the first place?)
* It demonstrates a bias for action
* It is easy
* It does not requires a lot of leadership skill
* It CAN pressure people into being more creative about doing their jobs more efficiently and to eliminate waste
* “Everybody does it”; it is a generally accepted practice that is often warmly received on Wall Street with its focus on quarterly profits
* Executives are overconfident in believing that they can beat the odds
* It represents competitive parity since most companies seem to do it
* Executives have never personally experiences a layoff. Perhaps if they had they might have greater empathy for the pains they are causing
* Perhaps most importantly, they often do not fully appreciate that costs are a consequence of your business system design. If you do not change your fundamental business system design, but you remove resources from the system, performance will most likely decline
Tip excerpted from the book -Selecting the Right Manufacturing Improvement Tools: What Tool? When? by Ron Moore
You can participate in a Ron Moore workshop at IMC-2007, The 22nd International Maintenance Conference, December 4-7, 2007 in Daytona Beach Florida
http://www.maintenanceconference.com
May 10, 2007
Infrared Tip
Most of us would agree that infrared inspection of electrical distribution and other critical electric equipment is money well spent. It is important to remember that Infrared thermography is a very diverse technology with many other uses.
On your next inspection why don’t you spend a little extra time and take a look at your critical mechanical systems such as: motors, bearings, boilers, steam traps and tanks. Problems are nothing more than failures that surprise us.
Tip provided by Jeffrey L. Good
Vision Infrared Services
http://www.visioninfrared.com
>From the article “A Golden Opportunity”
Uptime Magazine - May 2007
May 10, 2007
How do you choose the right Enterprise Asset Management Solution?
It is no longer only the maintenance department that has something to gain from improved asset management. The wider organization should also benefit from optimized inventory and improved procurement.
The selection and implementation of the right EAM system will have a dramatic impact on your asset availability and reliability and therefore the bottom line and ultimate success of your organization. Lawson has created a guide to help organizations ask the right questions when setting out to procure a computerized solution to help manage, plan and execute their company’s asset management and maintenance strategy. Click here to download your copy now.
Download your copy of the Enterprise Asset Management Solution Guide
May 10, 2007
Ultrasound Tip
When scanning overhead electrical lines for corona, tracking or arcing, as well as for electrical interference (or, TV/Radio interference) scan from downwind to upwind. The electrical discharge going to atmosphere is subject to wind direction, scanning from downwind to upwind may allow the end-user to hear to sound better.
Tip provided by Jim Hall
Ultra-Sound Technologies
http://www.ultra-soundtech.com
May 10, 2007
Start Up Tip
The 7th reliability deliverable prior to starting up equipment is “All Operation Standard work instructions including Plant Safety Management (PSM) activities are complete and validated.” Operation standard work instructions are important reliability tools. These instructions provide the information on how to safely change over the equipment to run the different products, operate the machine to meet design performance, perform quality checks to catch defects at the earliest possible point and do machine checks to determine when a component has started to fail. If any or all of these instructions are left to operator discretion: safety issues, defects, waste and unplanned downtime will be the result.
Tip provided by Kevin Lewton
MetDemand LLC
http://www.metdemand.com
May 10, 2007
New Viscosity Sensor by Vectron Sensors
Vectron announced the release of the solid-state low shear ViSmart viscosity sensor packaged at 0.5 inches diameter and 3 inches long. The sensor measures viscosity of oil from 1 to 500 centipoise while rated for temperatures up to 125˚C, with custom options and configurations available.
Find Out More About The New Viscosity Sensor by Vectron Sensors
