August 09, 2007
Motor Testing Tip
DC Motor Maintenance Tech Tip
On occasion, repair and maintenance companies will use silicone lead wire or silicone sealant on motor openings in dirty environments. When these items are used with DC electric motors or generators, the silicone vapor, regardless of the amount, will cause rapid wear of brushes and the commutator bars. The carbon and copper dust will permeate the motor armature causing a premature ground or failure.
When having a DC motor repaired, ensure that you specify that no silicone components are to be used.
Tip provided by Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
SUCCESS by DESIGN Reliability Services
Ph: 800 392-9025 ext 201
http://www.motordoc.net
August 02, 2007
PdM-2007 Workshop: The Business of Infrared Thermography
Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference & Expo
September 11-13, 2007
Las Vegas NV
The Business of Infrared Thermography by Greg Stockton
This workshop goes far beyond the typical infrared seminar and delves into many unique infrared applications that can greatly expand the benefit of any infrared program. Areas covered are designed for plant thermographers and contract thermographers...as well as those who may be considering becoming a contract thermographer.
The workshop includes a detailed overview of many different applications, a candid discussion about the impact of NFPA 70E, a primer on how to buy and sell infrared services and which type of IR camera work best for a given application.
Attendees will learn more about the specifications that separate quality thermography from substandard thermography. The course will conclude with advances in infrared technology and a comprehensive look at the types of and imagers available on the market today.
Outline:
1) Electrical/Mechanical Apps: Quick Review
2) Beyond Switchgear: Unique Infrared Inspection Applications Explained
3) The Truth about NFPA 70E
4) Process Control and Infrared R&D
5) Buildings...Green-Thinking, Moisture Control and Quality-Assurance
6) Up on the Roof
7) How to Buy and how to Sell Infrared Inspection Services
8) IR Cameras – Current Technology Available
Register for this workshop or 6 other full day workshops plus 2 days of great case studies, PdM Awards, Bowling Night, Mardi Gras celebration, Plant Tour and much more.
PdM-2007 Bonus - While seats remain: The Reliability Game will be held on Friday September 14 and is available at NO COST on a first come - first serve basis for all PdM-2007 attendees.
The only conference with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or your money back!
Call toll free to register or learn more (888) 575-1245 or ...
August 02, 2007
Motor Testing Tip
This information comes from company experience of conducting and setting up motor testing programs during five years of work specializing in MCA and IR inspections.
Our first priority was to conduct a criticality assessment of all the equipment in the facility.
Some of the criteria evaluated included:
* Environmental (Possible release of hazardous chemicals to environment)
* Safety (Could failure cause injury?)
* Production (Classic downtime, lost production)
* Economic (What is cost of equipment. We would not let a $100,000 machine run to failure even if no impact from above items.)
A weighted point value was assigned to each piece of equipment for each of the criteria. The larger the point total, the more critical was the equipment.
A natural distribution fell out of the process where natural groupings of equipment occurred. A management decision was then made as to what the cutoff of equipment monitored was to be. The decision of where to draw the cutoff line was based on available resources, both financial and staffing.
After the decision of what equipment to test was made, frequency of testing was then determined. In almost every case, a quarterly online and semi-annual off-line frequency was established. The most critical equipment would be checked off-line quarterly as well.
After enough baseline data had been collected so that trends could be established, some companies did roll back the online testing frequency. But the initial test frequency schedule was kept up for at least 18 months.
Tip provided by ALL TEST Pro
Phone: 800 952-8776 or 860 395-2988
http://www.alltestpro.com/
August 02, 2007
Terrence O’Hanlon to Deliver Keynote Address at Ivara Reliability Summit
Sept. 18, Las Vegas, NV
Attend Ivara’s 2007 Reliability Leadership Summit, Sept 17-20 in Las Vegas.
Terrence O’Hanlon, publisher and reliability thought leader, will deliver the opening keynote address “Reliability: Beyond the Power of the Workforce”, highlighting the fundamental requirements for enterprise Reliability.
For the past 30 years, the strategies and techniques for effective maintenance through reliability focused efforts are well documented and described in technical literature, books, and industrial trade publications. Still a majority of the world’s organizations suffer from a lack of reliability, wasted maintenance effort and higher cost than should be expected.
O’Hanlon’s address will explore the basic elements needed to enable enterprise Reliability based on the works of a past master.
Register today by calling 1-877-746-3787 or…
August 02, 2007
MRO Tip
Plan for Unplanned Maintenance – Minimize MRO Risk
A reliable availability of parts is required for good preventative maintenance procedures. For planned, scheduled maintenance, providing the necessary parts availability is routine.
But unplanned maintenance happens and parts availability is equally (or even more) important to reduce the impact on operations resulting from unexpected breakdowns.
During unscheduled maintenance a clear understanding of critical spares is vital to prevent unnecessary delays in repairs and to prevent the purchase of unnecessary spares. Although replenishment decisions are often delegated to the most experienced staff, experience alone is not enough.
Best practices are based on techniques that use readily available information to guide appropriate replenishment decisions regardless of experience.
Tip provided by Inventory Solutions Inc.
http://www.inventorysolutionsinc.com
August 02, 2007
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Tip
When conducting a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) we often start off with the Event being some physical type of failure (i.e. – pump failure, turbine trip, etc.).
When we reflect on this, what is the real reason that an RCA is being commissioned? Is it because of the physical failure or because of its consequences?
When we sit back and think about it, the RCA is often being requested because of some type of business issue. The RCA is not requested because the pump failed, but it is because the failure of the pump resulted in an 8-hour outage!
When trying to decide whether you are starting at an appropriate level in your RCA, ask yourself, “What was the consequence of the incident that you were starting at?
Asking this question will usually raise you one more level above the failure itself and into the business impact that it had on the organization. In the long run, this will help get the attention of the upper level management for providing support for your recommendations to ensure that the negative business impact does not happen again.
Tip provided by Robert Latino
Reliability Center Inc.
http://www.reliability.com
iPresentation Invitation: All Root Cause Analysis is the same, right?
August 02, 2007
New! Preventive And Predictive Maintenance Training & Tool Series!
Finally, PM and PdM Training with the TOOLS you need to implement a successful PdM program at your facility. The return on investment for reaching the right balance of preventive and predictive maintenance is clear. PM and PdM offer a rare opportunity to save millions of dollars. Allied Reliability provides the framework you need to reach best practices in PM and PdM, in the shortest possible time, at the lowest overall cost. New classes begin October 30th.
Sign up before October 1st and receive a special $500.00 discount.
Contact Amy Campbell at: 888-414-5672 to get more information or…
Find Out More About The Preventive And Predictive Maintenance Training & Tool Series
August 02, 2007
Infrared Inspection Tip
When opening the buckets of an Motor Control Center (MCC) during an Infrared inspection, always open the buckets starting at the top and working your way down to the bottom . When closing the bucket doors after the IR inspection always close starting the doors from the bottom and work your way to the top.
The reason you open from top to bottom and close from bottom to top is that if you accidentally drop the tool you are using to open and close the doors it will not fall into an open energized bucket.
Reader tip provided by Jeff Scott
Electrical Equipment Reliability
Invista
Seaford Delaware
Thanks Jeff - your stainless steel diamond plate Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug is on the way!
August 02, 2007
Reliability Tip
Improving Equipment History
1) An accurate equipment history is valuable to identify bad actors; emerging trends, longer term systemic problems, and create failure mode data sets to forecast likely future failures.
2) Reliability Engineers are often frustrated with the poor quality of data recorded and often have to resort to anecdotal information captured through facilitated reviews.
3) In order to improve the quality of data from busy field personnel, they need to “buy in” to the value of recording accurate data.
4) Adding summary text comments usually gives better information than dropdown lists but it still needs some structure.
5) Text comments entered on work orders after completing a job needs to describe what work was done, what failure modes were evident, what were the effects of failure, and what is recommended by the technician in the future.
6) The downside of text box has been the time necessary to type the comments, but with increasing keyboard skills across the enterprise, this factor is less of an issue.
7) Analysing text comments in database applications is another difficulty, but a check list following the text box, or regular review of feedback by a Reliability Engineer, helps overcome this difficulty.
8) If the checklists are constructed to be consistent with the RCM analysis, the feedback data can provide valuable updates.
9) If the technicians are involved in the RCM analysis and in particular, regularly perform an RCM update, then they will have greater understanding of the value of their comments, and greater “buy in” to the resulting changes to strategy.
10) This matches the concept that in a proactive system, technicians roles move from “fixing” equipment to managing reliability of processes.
Tip provided by ARMS Reliability Engineers
Find out more about improving equipment history and other maintenance optimisation techniques
