Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference
September 15-18, 2008
Qwest Center
Omaha, Nebraska

• Association for Maintenance Professionals Breakthrough Benchmarking Session: Asset Health Management

• The Reliability Game®

• Introduction to Oil Analysis & The Oil Analysis Game™

• Lubrication Fundamentals

• Fundamentals of Shaft Alignment

To register for or learn more about PdM-2008 please call one of our friendly conference specialists toll free at (888) 575 1245 or…

Register for PdM-2008 online

Please join Jack Nicholas Jr., Author of Advancing Reliability & Maintenance for a 2 part one hour web workshop to learn methods to determine the value or validity of performing Reliability-centered Maintenance (RCM) analysis as well discovering the elements that can interfere with a successful RCM project.

• The phases of an RCM project
• Typical RCM project pitfalls
• Frequent outcomes for RCM projects
• Success factors for RCM projects

Reserve your Web Workshop seat now

At Calpine Corp. in San Jose, machine downtime costs could easily run in the thousands of dollars per hour. To keep the systems up and trouble free, their vibration signatures are recorded endlessly. The experts who watch over the equipment can frequently detect an imminent failure just by noticing changes in the shape of the waveform. More…

Read the rest of the story here

Conflict: What Leaders Can Do

Certainly, when it comes to interpersonal conflicts, employees have the primary responsibility for resolving issues that develop with coworkers. But leaders play an important role as well.

First and foremost, every leader must encourage cooperation and open communication within his or her work group. Doing so will help to reduce the number of conflicts that otherwise might occur and increase the overall effectiveness of the team. If you’re a leader you may be thinking: “That’s great. But how do I do it?” Here are a few ideas that should help:

• Clarify your expectations. Make sure each team member knows that cooperation and communication are job requirements.

• Set the example. Model the behaviors you expect from others.

• Reinforce desired performance. Recognize and reward team members who work well with others.

• Hold everyone accountable. Include “teamwork,” “cooperation,” and “open communication” as feedback categories on all performance reviews you conduct. And make sure there are consequences for failing to meet expectations.

Tip excerpted from What To Do When Conflict Happens: Every Employee’s Guide to Resolving Workplace Problems By Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura

Get a copy of What To Do When Conflict Happens: Every Employee’s Guide to Resolving Workplace Problems

Tip 3 - Field supervision of the craft workforce is critical

Maintenance work is different from most other jobs in that it constantly varies - craftspeople are doing a different task every day. One day they are rebuilding a pump, the next they are replacing piping , and aligning a compressor the next. It’s rare to find a craftsperson that performs the same job day in and day out. Even with a good planning process, they still may encounter obstacles in the field that may cause delays, mistakes, or wasted effort. Crafts need the support of supervisors to make sure they have what they need to do quality work and to make sure any barriers to good performance are eliminated.

The most important job of supervision is to develop their team of human resources. They should identify skill development needs and create opportunities for their subordinates to practice new skills. First line supervision is also the point at which management decisions are turned into action. Supervisors need to enforce policies and procedures as well as ensure that standard work processes are followed.

Most supervisors are saddled with extraneous duties that keep them tied to their desks or attending meetings. If they are not allowed to spend adequate time in the field, they will not be able to provide the level of support needed to maximize the quality and quantity of work or to nurture the development in their people. The Maintenance Manager is responsible to make sure that the first line supervisors have at least 50% to 60% of their day devoted to field supervision of the craft resources.

Tip provided by Bruce Hawkins
MRG
http://www.mrginc.net

iPresentation Tutorial Invitation: Maintenance 201 – More of the Basics

This ThinkReliability download contains a worksheet for each part of a complete root cause analysis using the Cause Mapping method. There is also an example root cause analysis with a detailed Cause Map containing explanations. Learn more about the advantages of leveraging your root cause analysis approach across your organization using Microsoft Excel.

Download a Root Cause Analysis template in Excel

One Secret You Want to Know About Dependability / Reliability

Companies are concerned about the dependability of their assets everyday and thus the cost of meeting their customer’s needs continue to rise as customers take orders and place orders sometimes within minutes of each. (This is the future so we must wake up NOW)

Companies cannot afford inventory so how can a company achieve this radical shift in culture?

The secret is simplistic; however the process is not so simple. First must have a vision of no inventory (I visited a plant recently that stores a large inventory because of this problem and thus struggles with cost).

The mission must then represent all parties in the plant and states all have ownership in this vision because “Dependability” represents safety, production, asset reliability, maintenance, quality, etc. All of these areas must function in unison in order to achieve the Dependability the customer demands.

Add Dependability to your scorecard and let’s chat on my blog at http://www.maintenance.org about this issue before it is too late.

Tip provided by Ricky Smith, CMRP
Co-Author - Rules of Thumb for Maintenance and Reliability Engineers and the Industrial Repair Handbook

Read Ricky Smiths Blog at Maintenance.org

My name is Joe Junion and I work for L & S Electric, Appleton, Wisconsin Division going on 13 years. L & S Electric is one of the largest Electric Motor Service companies in the Midwest if not the largest. My title is Reliability Specialist and one of the services I provide my customers is routine DC Motor Inspections. During these inspections I strive to optimize the performance of the motor by installing the best carbon grade for the application. This provides the best commutation, resulting in good filming and the least amount of brush and commutator wear. I work very closely with Morgan AM & T (formerly National Electrical Carbon Products) to optimize the brushing.

I would like to expound on the information about seating DC motor and slip ring brushes:

Seating brushes is important because if the brush is not making good contact with the commutator it will cause sparking. The sparking will etch the commutator and brush surfaces. Once the commutator surface starts to degrade, it will require maintenance to correct it. This can be very expensive and may even require turning and undercutting the commutator. A brush’s primary function is to conduct current to the armature circuit, but it also shorts the commutator bars. If proper brush seating is not performed the brush will not make contact across its full face, thus will not short bars as designed and contribute to more sparking.

It is OK to not sand a brush if the motor has 4 or more brushes per arm and only changing 25% or less of them.

When in the field we have found the best way to seat brushes is to use a piece of sand paper about 12” long and a little wider then the brush width. We just slide it back and forth under the brush until it is fully seated. It is important to keep the sand paper down against the commutator so you don’t round the edges of the brush face. When a motor is worked on in the shop we use the technique of taping the sand paper to the commutator and rotating it.

Not just any sand paper is acceptable to use either. Standard emery cloth is made of aluminum oxide a conductive substance and is absolutely not to be used. We use Martindale Garnet Commutator Paper. The 80 grit is exceptional for in place seating brushes. The coarse grit makes it a much easier task and your maintenance personal will love you for it. The 150 grit is what we use in the shop when we tape it down.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joe Junion
Reliability Specialist
L & S Electric, Appleton, WI
http://www.lselectric.com

Thank you Joe - that reply was so good we are sending a Maintenance Tips hat and a Stainless Steel, Diamond Plate Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug your way.

Learn more motor management techniques at PdM-2008