July 26, 2007
Save $200 before August 1 for PdM-2007
Mark Your Calendar!
Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference & Expo
September 11-13, 2007
Orleans Hotel
Las Vegas NV
Please join us for PdM-2007, the Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference & Expo from September 11 through September 13, 2007 in exciting Las Vegas.
Register before August 1 for:
• $70 per night 4 Star Las Vegas hotel room
• $200 Early Bird Saving on PdM-2007 Conference Registration Fee
This conference is designed for predictive maintenance beginners and seasoned condition monitoring professionals.
This one event provides a venue for all of the techniques and technologies required for reliable machinery operation.
PdM-2007 provides leading techniques and case studies for:
• Vibration Analysis
• Airborne Ultrasound
• Infrared Thermal Imaging
• Motor Testing
• Oil and Wear Particle Analysis
• Other condition monitoring technologies
Please call toll free (888) 575 1245 or…
July 26, 2007
Maintenance 101 Maintenance Tip
The work order system is your best friend.
Your work order system, and the entire work management process, is your most valuable management tool. It allows you to manage the daily work load, manage your resources, and create asset history as well as providing the information that you need to identify opportunities for improvement. However, it’s not much good to you if you don’t have the discipline to follow it. If it’s only partially used, you won’t be able to trust the data collected.
Your process should be mapped in a process flow diagram. This will allow you to show everyone how it’s supposed to work, which is the key to ensuring it’s followed with the right level of discipline. No maintenance work should be allowed to be done without a work order to cover the labor and material costs. By the same token, no inventoried storeroom materials or outside purchased items should be purchased without a work order to capture the costs.
Just as the Production Manager needs a production management system to track production, and the Finance Manager needs an accounting system to track money, the Maintenance Manager needs a work order system to track maintenance. And, like those other critical systems, it should be audited periodically as well. This serves two purposes – it illustrates the value you put on it (which makes it more likely to be followed), and identifies any potential flaws that will require a modification to it’s design.
Tip provided by Management Resources Group, Inc.
203.264.0500
http://www.mrginc.net
Download Maintenance and Reliability White Papers at the MRG Web Site
July 26, 2007
Save on Registration for InfraMation – Hosted by FLIR!
Save on InfraMation – the world’s largest infrared applications conference – with FLIR’s Summer Special!
InfraMation will take place on October 15-19, 2007 in Las Vegas. Register by July 31st and receive 3 free hotel nights and a free guest pass.
Register online below or call 1-800-254-0632.
July 26, 2007
Motor Repair Tip
Motor Failure / Repair report
I find it very helpful to have your motor shop vendor supply you as the customer a “Motor Failure / Repair report”.
The type of information would include the motor name plate data, number of rotor bars, number of stator slots, bearing data, why the motor failed and what was done to repair the motor. If there is liquid contamination in the motor have them label the bottle and put the liquid in bottle for you to run analysis.
After the analysis you may want to improve your seal for example to keep this from happening again. Take this info along with the original work order and put in a data base. The data base will be very helpful in getting to the root cause of motor failures.
Reader tip provided by Dave Humphrey
PdM Electrician
Allison Transmission
Indianapolis IN
Thanks Dave - your new Maintenance-Tips stainless steel coffee mug is on the way!
Submit your own Maintenance Tip and get a Stainless Steel Coffee Mug
July 26, 2007
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Tip
The FMEA part of conducting an RCM study is vitally important to the quality and acceptance of the study by other stakeholders.
If you find your functional failure statement simply “fails to perform the function” your study may be hard for others to relate to. In order to relate to operators and improve the quality of your analysis:
Ensure functional statements relate to the purpose of the item actually being required.
Next your functional failure statement needs to represent the operational problems regarding the loss of function.
Example boiler feed water pump.
Function Statement: Don’t say function is to pump water instead say function is to deliver feedwater to boiler at x litres per sec.
Functional Failure Statement: Don’t say fails to pump water or fails to deliver, instead say, low flow or no flow, or intermittent flow.
Operators and maintainers are more likely to relate to the analysis, if the terminology is the same as what they would use in reporting problems.
Tip provided by Mick Drew, Director ARMS Reliability Engineers
July 26, 2007
Profit Through Productivity—Synchronized Production and Maintenance Planning
Operations and production departments are under pressure to increase output while maintaining consistently high product quality—at minimum cost.
In this environment, high productivity is key to success and, ultimately, to bottom-line profit. One of the few truly untapped areas of significant business productivity improvements is the synchronization of production and maintenance plans. Productivity can be truly maximized when planners have a high degree of confidence that a plan can be achieved. This confidence comes from the knowledge that both the manufacturing and maintenance teams have optimized their own processes and are now ready to join forces and attack the truly lucrative area of synchronized maintenance and production planning.
July 26, 2007
Vibration Analysis Tip
Vibration Analysis (Measurement Point Setup) Tip
Based on many audits of both internal & external vibration analysis databases, it is clear that customizing Analysis Parameter Sets is something that most vibration programs can expand on. Often we find databases with a limited number of these Analysis Parameter Sets to choose from, usually just the basic sets that the software manufacturer has made as “generics”.
By building more precise Analysis Parameter Sets that are specifically targeted for one asset, you will force yourself to learn as much as possible about that asset. This information can then be incorporated into your machine Fault Frequency Sets, and even aid in propagating your CMMS. Below is an example of what type of information you would need to gather for building an Analysis Parameter Set for something as simple as a motor.
MOTORS
• Voltage Type (AC Single Phase / AC Three Phase / DC)
• Horse Power Rating
• Frame Size
• Motor Type (Induction, Synchronous, Etc.)
• Number of Poles & Synchronous Speed
• Full Load Speed
• Full Load Amperage Rating
• Number of Stator Slots (AC)
• Number of Rotor Bars (AC)
• Number of Commentator Slots (DC)
• Number of Brushes & Brush Holder Positions (DC)
• Half or Fully Rectified System (DC)
• Outboard Bearing Type & Size
• Inboard Bearing Type & Size
• Power Transmission Type & Components (Direct Coupled, Belt Drive, Gear Drive, Etc.)
• Run Duration (Constant Speed, Variable Frequency Drive, Frequently Cycled, Etc.)
• Loading (Steady State, Variable Loading, Shock Loading, Etc.)
• Operating Environment (Maximum Temperature Seen, Cooling Fins Easily Clogged, Etc.)
Once these basic questions have been answered, you can calculate all the frequency bands that will contain specific fault data during known failure modes and incorporate these frequency bands into very specific Analysis Parameter Sets for condition monitoring purposes. You will also be able to know exactly what type of resolution will be needed for each measurement type, based on the specific faults that the measurement is designed to alert you to.
Tip provided by IVC Technologies Inc.
800-525-1269 Toll Free
http://www.ivctechnologies.com
July 26, 2007
Alignment Tip
Turning large shafts and taking readings.
When turning large or hard-to-turn shafts with extra tooling, or even hoists and chain falls, the very thing that is used to make the job easier, can make things more difficult by deflecting the shaft during rotation. In this case do not use the sweep mode of taking readings with your laser, but rather the Multipoint mode, provided your laser system offers this. What this allows you to do is take all laser measurements in between shaft movements, while the shaft is bottomed out and stationary in the bearings and all external forces relaxed, so that there is nothing influencing the shaft centerline during measurements.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935
July 19, 2007
PdM Managers' Workshop #6:Monetary Benefits of a Predictive Maintenance Program
Join us for a Web Workshop on July 27
Fee: $0
Please join Jack R. Nicholas Jr., CMRP for the 6th of a 10 part series of Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Program Management.
In the 6th Workshop Jack discusses:
* How to Survive the “Hump” in work load created by the Predictive Maintenance Program
* Methods for calculating the benefits of the Predictive Maintenance Program
* Timken PdM program case study
* Getting everyone on the same page
There are several polls conducted throughout the Web Workshop that provide a real time snap shot of attendees PdM practices. Results will be discussed to highlight workshop lessons.
July 19, 2007
Ultrasound leak detection tip - Shielding
Shielding your inspection area from competing ultrasound noise is a crucial skill to master when searching for very low pressure leaks or vacuum leaks. These leaks produce very little ultrasonic turbulence (hissing sound quality) making it necessary to use high amplification levels (A=80dB). We’re not talking about a gross leak inspection in this instance. Probably the kind of leak you are searching for is one crucial to a process. For instance, one customer last week complained of vacuum loss on a reactor in his titanium mill. If his reactor cannot hold enough vacuum he cannot maintain temperatures necessary to ensure product quality.
Using his ultrasound leak detector and a shielding towel he was able to locate enough vacuum leaks while the shielding towel protected his inspection area from other ultrasound noises. He was able to get the reactor up and running after only 45 minutes of leak inspection. On the next schedule outage he will conduct further testing to find the remaining leaks.
Tip provided by Allan Rienstra, SDT North America
Tel - 905.377.1313 x 221
http://www.sdtnorthamerica.com
