DO NOT spin bearings (particularly dirty ones) with compressed service air.

Tip excerpted from Rules of Thumb for Maintenance and Reliability Engineers by Ricky Smith and R. Keith Mobley

Find out more about Rules of Thumb for Maintenance and Reliability Engineers

Loose Windings

If the electrical windings of the motor stator are even a little loose, the vibration level at 120 Hz will be increased. This condition is very destructive because it abrades the insulation on the wire, leading to shorted turns and eventual short circuits to ground and stator failure.

In some large machines such as AC generators. loose windings will generate one-half order harmonics of the 120 Hz excitation.

Tip excerpted from Introduction to Machine Vibration by Glenn White

Find out more about Introduction to Machine Vibration by Glenn White

The results of any maintenance reliability improvement program should provide:

• Improved equipment reliability and performance

• Increased production up-time and product quality

• Reduced overall maintenance costs

No matter where you are in the life cycle of your facility or plant, we provide solutions that can optimize your overall operations and improve your bottom line.

Find out more about AssetPoint Reliability Solutions

Want a huge surprise?

Go to Google.com and type your full name into the search field be prepared to be amazed.

While you are at it - type in your phone number - just your phone number into the search field and see if that changes your idea of privacy.

This tip is not a value judgment, it is just a notice that the times - they are-a-changing.

Tip by Terry O

Go to Google

Commtest is adding Regional Training venues to compliment the Knoxville Training Lab.

Commtest is also adding a Rolling Element Bearing Analysis course to many other courses offered.

For more information, please contact Nicole or Daniel at: (865) 588-2946 or…

Find out more about Commtest’s 2009 training schedule

Do you know which ones to use?

In the race to improve or optimize reliability, most companies give very little thought about the metrics they will use to manage asset reliability. Personally, I consider using the right Reliability Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) critical to the success of any proactive asset reliability program.

Take a moment and think……right now, which metrics/KPIs do you use to manage asset reliability? You should be thinking about the metrics that are providing you the status of your assets’ health, their accessibility and how you’re using the metrics to improve the program.

If you weren’t thinking any of those things then start with the basic questions. You should be asking:

1. Do the metrics we use provide the status of our assets’ health? Are our assets healthy or not?

2. Are our reliability metrics easy for anyone to access from senior leadership to the floor level maintenance technicians?

3. Are our metrics key to the overall success and managing our asset health?

There are many more questions you could ask but I think you get the point!

Managing the right metrics/KPIs, ensuring everyone understands them and how they contribute to their success is critically important. We want to drive the right behavior and the right behavior is optimal asset health at optimal cost.

This quote says it all:
“The problem with Management is they’re measuring the wrong things.” - Peter Drucker (the great industrialist)

Here are just a few Leading KPIs to consider when managing Reliability.

– Percentage of coverage by PdM
– Percentage of completed PM’s on Time using the 10% Rule
– Charts detailing faults by types
– Trending PM Labor Hours vs Emergency Labor Hours
– % of Rework

Preventive Maintenance vs. Emergency Labor Hours
(looks familiar, if not it should)

Note: If leading metrics are not managed then the “results” will be found in the Lagging KPIs.

And here are a few Lagging KPIs when managing Reliability or the “results” of the leading metrics.

– Asset Health Report
– Integrated Condition Status Report (Reds Report – Bad Actors)
– Mean Time Between Failure – Ask about MTBF Users Guide
– Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

Tip by By Ricky Smith CMRP
Allied Reliability
http://www.alliedreliability.com

iPresentation Invitation: Reliability 101:Reliability Performance Metrics

Phillip Onaga made an excellent point in his maintenance tip about the need to perform PMs on equipment in storage.

However that is not always possible when, as in his case, equipment must be shipped around the world and is not under you direct control for months.

Your best defense against damage in that case is to prepare specifications for special protective measures and packaging. For instance, do you specify export packaging? Equipment can be shipped with rubber isolation pads where it is bolted to a pallet. Rotors and other large rolling element bearing supported parts can be blocked to unload them during shipment. Gear and bearing enclosures can be flooded and drained or fogged with preservative oils. And vents can have desiccant plugs installed.

Do you require that disposable impact recording devices be placed in the containers to detect possible damage from mishandling. These types of simple measures can go a long way towards avoiding damage and the resulting bad surprises. But you have to specify and be ready to pay for them.

Tip provided by Sam McNair
Senior SME
Life Cycle Engineering
Charleston SC

Thanks Sam - your Stainless Steel, Diamond Plated Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug is on the way!

Send a Tip and get your own Stainless steel diamond plate Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug

You don’t need a lot of money in order to demonstrate a lot of appreciation. With a little creative thinking, the low-cost recognition options available to you can be limitless. Here are some tips for recognizing your team members:

“Allow Me to Introduce Yourself!”
Seize every opportunity to introduce people in your work group to customers, vendors, “big wigs,” etc. The message to your team members is, “You’re important … I want people to meet you.” Pound for pound, introductions may be the most effective no-cost recognition you can give.

Lend an Ear!
Looking for a really low-cost way to recognize others? Try listening to them! Listening is one of the most underutilized recognition activities in the world.
(And one of the most underdeveloped skills!) But it can have a big impact. Whether a person is a peer, a direct report, a boss, a customer, or even someone in a non- work setting (e.g., at home), listening to them sends the message that you care …and that they are important!

Name Something in Their Honor.
Officially dedicating “The Karen Jones Printer” or “The Bill Lee Forklift” – by affixing an inexpensive brass plaque – can be a fun yet powerful form of recognition. And its impact will extend well beyond the presentation ceremony.

Walk The Talk.
Here are a few things you can “give” people to recognize their importance and contributions: respect, responsibility, honesty, feedback, trust, and cooperation. Sound familiar? Chances are, these (or similar) attributes can be found in your organizational values. So, let your values be your guide. Sometimes, the most meaningful recognition comes from just “walking the talk.”

Tips excerpted from 180 Ways to Walk the Recognition Talk: The How-To Handbook for Everyone by Eric Harvey

Preview 180 Ways to Walk the Recognition Talk

There is a way to keep your ID fans running and eliminate unscheduled shutdowns. Increase productivity and reduce maintenance costs…

Ask Us How

A convenient type of “log” scale is the decibel, or dB scale. This is actually a ratio scale that relates the measured amplitude level to a reference level.

Bell Telephone Labs introduced the concept of the decibel before 1930. It was first used to measure relative power loss and signal to noise ratio in telephone lines. It was soon pressed into service as a measure of acoustic sound pressure level.

Tip excerpted from Introduction to Machine Vibration by Glenn White

Find out more about Introduction to Machine Vibration by Glenn White