How advances in technology are changing the Maintenance landscape
While maintenance practices are part & parcel of every industry and have evolved rapidly over the last few years, recent advances in technology are helping take the next giant leap. However, quality of maintenance practices is gaining attention given the focus on operational efficiencies and cost. Let us understand this.
What are the guiding principle of Preventive &Predictive Maintenance (PPM)?
PPM is the regular and systematic application of engineering knowledge and maintenance attention to equipment and facilities. This ensures their proper functionality and reduces their rate of deterioration. In addition to dedicated engineering, PPM encompasses regular examination, inspection, lubrication, testing and adjustments of equipment without prior knowledge of equipment failure. PPM also provides the framework for all planned maintenance activity, including the generation of planned work orders to correct potential problems identified by inspection. The result is a proactive (rather than a reactive) environment, optimizing equipment performance and life.
What can PPM deliver?
Properly developed PPM programs are engineered efforts, which optimize the relationship between equipment ownership and operating profits by balancing cost of maintenance with cost of equipment failure, and associated production losses.
Equipment ownership cost is a function of three factors
- Purchase price
- Equipment life and
- Maintenance cost …where
Maintenance Cost = Material and labor cost required to repair the item + Cost of preventive maintenance to avoid repairs+Cost of lost production while the unit is out of service for repairs.
PPM includes actions which extend the life of equipment and avoid unnecessary failures by substituting selective programmed effort for “fix it when it fails” maintenance.
What actions can extend the life of equipment?
These include – lubrication, cleaning, adjusting and the replacement of minor components like drive belts, gaskets, filters, etc. Actions that avoid unnecessary failure include timely, consistent equipment inspection and the aggressive use of nondestructive testing techniques such as vibration analysis, infrared testing, oil analysis and other techniques.
Predictive maintenance is the complement of preventive maintenance. Through the utilization of various nondestructive testing and measuring techniques, predictive maintenance determines equipment status before a breakdown occurs. With predictive devices currently available, it is incumbent upon maintenance organizations to include the process of predictive maintenance in their maintenance programs.
PPM Is Comprised Of
- Proper organization
- Proper operation of equipment
- The proper lubricants, in the right quantities, in the right location, at the proper time
- Predicting wear and deterioration by regularly checking, measuring and adjusting
- Regular inspection to identify small repairs before they become major repairs
- Predictive techniques to replace components just before they fail
i) Vibration monitoring and analysis
ii) Infrared inspection
iii) Sound detection
iv)Lubrication and oil sampling.
How can latest Technology Help?
- Vibration Monitoring and Analysis: Vibration analysis & monitoring helps prevent…….. CEM , a global leader in the field of testing & measuring equipments, has launched 3-axis Vibration Data Logger, that is simple to use, easy to carry and extremely easy to program to log the measured data in real time. This data then can be retrieved on a PC for further analysis. This device records shocks and vibration on all three axis’ (X, Y, Z). The data is stored in the built-in 4 MB flash memory for up loading to a computer at a later time. This device uses USB interface to ensure compatibility with your Windows PC.
The DT-178A model is engineered to record acceleration data of vibration. It records and times 3-axis vibrations with peaks to provide a history of shock and vibration conditions. It also records the time when free-fall happens. It measures and computes real-time spectral data using an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) from 0 to 60 Hz.
- Infra Red Inspection: InfraRed inspection is non-intrusive way to check for any variation in temperatures which helps in precision detection ofelectrical & mechanical faults. While there are many available in the market, CEM provides both thermal imagers and infra red thermometers for measuring temperature. The unique feature of these is the ability to record and store directly on the PC, thereby making them highly convenientfor use.
The thermal imagers are the ones that is most widely used in PPM.
Thermal imagers allow users to measure temperature in applications where conventional sensors cannot be employed. Specifically, in cases dealing with moving objects (i.e., rollers, moving machinery, or a conveyor belt), or where non-contact measurements are required because of contamination or hazardous reasons (such as high voltage), where distances are too great, or where the temperatures to be measured are too high for thermocouples or other contact sensors. The thermal imagers provide an image, which shows the temperature difference of the object being measured. Hot spots can be seen immediately versus traditional infrared guns, which average the area being measured.
- Solving Electrical Problems
- Detecting Flow of Heat
- Checking Thermal Insulation
- Lubrication and HVAC
- Building Insulation Inspection
CEM offers a wide variety of thermal imagers right from 32 x 31 pixels (IR Resolution) all the way up to 384 x 288 pixels (IR Resolution). They have inbuilt visual camera as well for fusion mode measurement. The temperature range covered is up to 400 Degree C. It stores pictures and records video with audio annotation. These can then be used for documentation purpose on software for analytics. The software is provided Free of Cost with almost all the models.
The CEM infrared thermometers come with much more than what others provide. Not only can you record and measure the date, but you can also take pictures / videos of the targets, whose temperature is being measured, with date and time stamp. On the picture, the actual reading, and max / min / avg. temperature measured is super-imposed. They also can be used continuously for data recording, over a large period of time.
- Sound Detection: Sound detectionis now gaining popularity owing to the ease of operation and software capability to analyse this data with precision.
Once again, CEM offers a range of sound level meters and the sound level data logger. The sound level meters that CEM makes are class 2 complying with IEC61672-1 and can be used for both A & C weighting. The measuring range is available from 30dB to 130dB and has both fast and slow response. The data being measured can be stored on the PC for future analysis.
The sound level data logger can store up to 129920 data and conforms to IEC61672-1 CLASS2 for Sound Level Meter. The data is recorded with date and time stamp and can be used for both, A & C Weighting. The data can be transferred to the PC using the USB interface and FFT analysis can be done.
- Borescoping – Borescoping is like having an eye at the end of a cable. NDT is being able to inspect something without changing the actual structure of what you’re inspecting. You have something that’s small enough to get inside small access areas like a screw hole that brings you inside of a frame. We have technology like articulation so you can navigate a cable through some pretty difficult small areas. With every type of instrument there is for NDT, nothing beats actually being able to see it. Whether it’s a video with a camera, or going more old school with a fiberscope, you see what you need to see. You can get a lot of tools to get you different readings, but in the end nothing beats having somebody looking at it.
Once again, CEM has launched a range of Video borescopes. These allow a technician to conduct a visual inspection of an area that otherwise could not be seen with the unaided human eye. For any technician working on complex machinery or equipment, being able to look inside and inspect small or remote internal areas is a huge advantage. When we consider the financial costs and potential loss of life that can occur with the sudden failure of any component or system, becomes not just an advantage but an absolute necessity.
For over 21 years, CEM, has been a leading manufacturer of test and measuring instruments. Its team of technical research and development provides industrial design, software design and development and production of high-tech instruments. CEM specializes in Infrared Thermometer, Thermal Imagers, Digital Multimeter, Clamp-on Meter, Insulation Tester, Electrical Tester, Light Meter, Sound Level Meter, Thermo-Anemometer, Gas Detector, Manometer, Air Particle Counters, Radiation Survey Meters, Video Borescopes and Various measuring instruments.
CEM guarantees the quality of all our products with an industry first replacement guarantee on its entire range of products. CEM’s production facility is based out of Shenzhen China and is spread over an area of 30,000.00 square meters. Two in-house R & D centers relentlessly work on understanding & gathering customers’ requirements and constantly developing new products that meet the ever-changing demand of our customers. More than 1300 employees and five shop floors ensurewe provide prompt and timely delivery to our customers. All our management is organized according to ISO9001. As a result, our products are approved by UL, GS, CE and RoHS.
CEM operates from multiple countries including Germany, US & Russia. CEM is regarded as world leader in high precision and economically viable series of products that are highly appraised and trusted by the users all over the world.
