August 03, 2005
Maintenance Tip
Inserting small screws, bolts or nuts in hard to reach places can be made easier by putting a small blob of grease onto the screwdriver or socket head.
Reader Tip provided by Robert Merryweather
Planned Maintenance Superintendent
Defy Appliances
Durban South Africa
Thanks Robert - Your Maintenance-Tips hat is on the way!
August 03, 2005
Alignment Tip
When performing laser alignments and your results do not repeat you should stop and determine why. Many times you may have a component problem or a bad fit. Sometimes your brackets are too close to the coupling and the bracket touches the coupling while being rotated. Remember, you need your numbers to be repeatable to perform a successful alignment.
Reader tip provided by John Sinnett
Reliability Engineer
Mittal Steel
Weirton WV USA
Thanks John - Your Maintenance-Tips hat is on the way!
August 03, 2005
Practical Oil and Coolant Analysis for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals
Indianapolis - August 15 - 18, 2005
Houston - October 31 - November 3, 2005
Whether you’re just venturing into the world of fluid analysis or you’ve been managing a maintenance program for years, this course will not only expand your knowledge of oils and coolants, but give you a better understanding of fluid testing and analysis and the importance of doing it well.
You’ll learn to:
• Set attainable program goals based on realistic expectations
• Select the proper testing for the equipment and goals identified
• Take good, timely samples at the right intervals
• Select a quality fluid analysis laboratory
• Interpret test results and recommendations
• Manage your data and take decisive maintenance action
CAN’T ATTEND?
Polaris Technical Services will provide private training and consultation at your request. To find out more about scheduling on-site services, please contact us at 877-808-3750 ext. 229 or ...
August 03, 2005
Lubrication Tip
A really quick and easy way to detect suspected damage in a small gear box is to attach a small magnetic to outside of the drain plug, using masking tape. Run the equipment for a short time, drain the oil and examine the gear plug. Any loose bits of ferrous metal will have attached themselves to the now magnetized gear plug giving a quick indication of either gear of bearing failure.
Reader Tip provided by Steven Dennis
Senior Audit Manager
TfL
London UK
Thanks Steven - Your Maintenance-Tips hat is on the way!
August 03, 2005
Infrared Tip
Outdoor Infrared Survey Practices
When conducting thermal surveys of outdoor equipment thermographers need to be aware of conditions unique to working outdoors. (Part 1)
Object Distance: Many outdoor applications include inspecting electrical connections at greater distances than those indoors. Most infrared cameras feature spot size ratios between 90:1 and 200:1 with standard optics (20° to 30° field of view). Inspecting an outdoor transformer bushing at 30 feet will result in a spot size of approximately 4 inches. If your distances are greater or your object is small you should consider a telephoto lens.
Solar Gain: During daytime periods of clear sky solar energy can not only increase object temperatures, it can also create conditions in which a real hot spot becomes almost hidden. For example, two objects of differing emissivity (one >.9 and the other <.5) will heat up dramatically different due to their absorption properties. Even if the lower emissivity surface was hotter due to fault conditions, in the presence of solar energy it may look cooler, resulting in a hot spot going unreported.
Tip provided by Electrophysics Corp.
Phone: (973) 882 - 0211
http://www.electrophysics.com
July 27, 2005
Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference & Expo
Learn about the biggest problems facing predictive maintenance programs today and how to overcome them all at PdM-2005.
If you remember P/PM Magazine’s Predictive Maintenance National Conference sponsored throughout the 90’s (and no longer in operation) you know that one event provided a venue for the technologies required for reliable machinery operation.
Reliabilityweb.com created PdM-2005 to focus on:
• Vibration Analysis
• Airborne Ultrasound
• Infrared Imaging
• Motor Testing
• Oil and Wear Particle Analysis
• Other condition monitoring technologies
When: September 19-22, 2005
Where: Atlanta Georgia
Format: 6 Full day workshops, 12 90 minute short courses and over 30 learning zone presentation sessions in a friendly business casual environment.
To register or learn more, please call toll free 888-575-1245 or…
July 27, 2005
Maintenance Metrics Tip
Crew Level Metrics
One of the interesting points I have found in maintenance is that “we don’t know what we don’t know”. If only we could identify the things that are killing equipment reliability. The best way to begin to focus in on the real problems, and not the ones that just showed up, is to train your crew in metrics that impact reliability. Begin with one metric and post it on your bulletin board and track it (and update your graph, yes graph) daily but talk about it as a crew weekly. Remember you must have enough data points in order to know if something is a trend or something that just happened (or maybe twice but it is probably not the real problem).
Some metrics I like to track at the crew level are:
• MTBF “Mean Time Between Failure” (by area of responsibility)
• MTBF (by asset)
• PM Labor Hours vs Emergency Labor Hours (total)
• PM Labor Hours vs Emergency Labor Hours (by asset or area of the plant)
• Parts Cost by Asset
• Capacity (by shift and by day)
• Maintenance Cost by Unit (by day and by month)
These metrics are a good start. REMEMBER START WITH ONE METRIC AND BUILD FROM THERE.
Tip provided by Ricky Smith CMRP
MAXZOR
http://www.maxzor.com “>Join our skills newsletter for more…. http://www.maxzor.com
July 27, 2005
Fundamentals of RCM Analysis Training
Aug 16-18 - San Diego CA
Sept 7-9 - Jacksonville FL
A practical course designed to provide an introduction to the RCM process and introduce the skills necessary to perform RCM analysis. The class is intended for anyone interested in performing RCM analysis or responsible for implementing an RCM program, including equipment maintainers and operators, maintenance planners and managers, and engineers. The course is based on an SAE JA-1011-compliant RCM process and provides practical knowledge and case studies that can be incorporated into any RCM process.
To learn more please call Anteon Corporation at 904) 573-7873 or…
July 27, 2005
Motor Testing Tip
Low Load and High Current Imbalance
An unloaded motor can create a 10-15% current imbalance yet be perfectly healthy. This is a normal design response caused by unbalanced flux in the core iron between phases at low loads. When performing power or current analysis on three-phase induction motors, verify the percent loading at which the motor is operating. If possible, increase the load on the motor to determine the validity of a high current imbalance. A normal current imbalance for healthy motors operating at or near design load is 3% or less.
Tip provided by PdMA
http://www.pdma.com
Tel: (813) 621-6463
July 27, 2005
Maintenance Tip
Different coupling manufactures us use different names for the gap between coupling hub faces. One may call it “hub separation”, another “clearance between hub faces”, another a “gap between flanges”. Regardless of what it called it is the axial dimension or distance.
Tip provided by the Reliability Center
http://www.reliability.com
Tel: 804-458-0645
RCI’s 2005 U.S. Reliability Workshop Descriptions & Schedule
