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

In just 4 days you and your maintenance team will discover a roadmap that will guide you to a more proactive maintenance program.

Best Practice maintenance programs (the top 20%) have increased uptime and reduced cost by using advanced technologies like:

• Vibration
• Infrared
• Ultrasound
• Motor Testing
• Oil Analysis

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

If a company continues to strive to “Optimize Reliability” they will reach it one day by going in the wrong direction.

This is a belief that stands in the way of making real progress in Reliability. It is impossible when one does not use a strategic approach with planning that includes identifying both financial and reliability targets. This plan must be carefully and deliberately thought out and have someone on the team who has led a company down this path with success before and was not just a member of the crew.

Think of Christopher Columbus the great explorer who was looking for the Far East and its riches. Did he ever miss the target or what! However, he made many attempts to find the way to the Far East even though no Captain in his fleet had been their before. He spent his lifetime believing that he could reach the Far East but never realized that dream. In the end, his men lacked confidence in him and his vision.

This is not too dissimilar to what happens within most companies on their Reliability Journey. After numerous voyages to be “proactive” they end up back where they started, with a diminished confidence within the ranks that this can ever reach a favorable outcome. In the end it remains “reactive” and they sit scratching their heads and wonder how could this have happened to them.

Remember: The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same things over and over again expecting a different result. Do not let this happen to you.

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

Attend Ricky Smith’s KPI Workshop at PdM-2008

The Little Black Book of Reliability Management provides the reader with a fresh but comprehensive perspective on the subject of reliability management. This unique resource is perfect for individuals working in plants and in other organizations that are dependent on the reliability of complex physical assets.

Get a copy of The Little Black Book of Reliability Management

We had a problem with a fan using an ATRA-FLEX M2 coupling. I had a conversation with Tony, ATR Sales, inc.

The distance between hubs on our machine measured 0.050”. The installation instructions call for 0.075”. Tony stated that with any misalignment, using a smaller gap will squeeze the insert causing it to create significant axial vibration. It is better to be wider than narrower.

Reader tip provided by Jon McFadden
Predictive Mechanic
Conway Personal Care Facility
Conway AR

Thanks Jon - your stainless steel, diamond plate, Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug is on the way!

Send in your own tip and get a stainless steel, diamond plate, Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug

It is a mistake to expect any infrared window to protect a thermographer in the event of an arc flash incident. Simply put, if a blast is powerful enough to blow holes in steel panels, how can a thin piece of crystal or reinforced plastic be expected to protect workers?

The fact is that no IR window can carry a universal “arc rating,” and any claims to the contrary are negligent and dangerous.

So what is the purpose of an infrared window? To provide the means for “closed-panel inspections” which facilitate safer, more efficient infrared electrical surveys by eliminating the increased risk of arc triggers associated with removal of panels for an open-cabinet inspection.

Tip provided by IRISS
http://www.iriss.com

Read more online

Online monitoring if 1X vibration couple with Active Balancing Technology. Keep your critical machinery running at low vibration levels…

Ask Us How

Tip 4 - You have to have procedures for performing maintenance

When one considers the wide variety of equipment encountered in the average industrial facility and the variety of tasks performed on that equipment, it is surprising to realize that, in most organizations, few procedures exist for maintenance and repair. Most organizations depend on “skill of the craft”, memory, or (even worse) an “educated guess” to determine the technical details required, such as clearances, torque values, tolerances, belt tensions, and the like.

Studies have shown that a high percentage of “infant mortality” failures occur in the absence of detailed written procedures. Equipment does not perform to standard or experiences a failure soon after startup. These can only be due to mistakes and errors made during maintenance or repair. These errors are not the craftsperson’s fault; failing to provide the necessary resources to enable quality work to be done is the fault of management. Even the most talented craftsperson does not have an infallible memory!

Ideally, maintenance procedures should be developed by the Planning function. In creating these procedures, it is natural to want to avoid inserting too much detail to avoid “insulting” the craftsperson’s intelligence. Rest assured that it is not an insult to make technical specification details available, nor is it an insult to spell out the proper steps to complete the job in the most expeditious fashion. In fact, the vast majority of crafts people would appreciate having the information available to do the job right the first time!

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

iPresentation Tutorial Invitation: Maintenance 201 – More of the Basics

Three birds - one stone

The job of capturing phase data for analysis or balancing has been made easier by the use of laser tachometers and similar instruments.

They can, or have replaced the standard strobe light method which required synchronizing the strobe firing rate to the shaft speed and then adjusting the firing angle to a specific reference point.

In a single operation, a laser tachometer emits a beam of light toward a piece of reflective tape on the shaft and determines rotational speed and reference angle by timing the pulses from the reflected beam.

One key element of this process is applying the reflective tape to the shaft. This simple task is the source of much aggravation in the real world.

Three common problems are:

1) It is difficult to make the reflective tape adhere to shafts that are oily, rusty, wet or dusty

2) finding the reflective tape with the laser and getting a good return signal from a new and very shiny shaft surface

3) separating the backer paper from the reflective tape - especially with cold fingers!

A few turns of black electrical tape applied around the shaft -sticky side out- will eliminate all three problems. It will keep the reflective tape firmly attached to the shaft (without having to peel off the backer paper) and serves as a mask so the reflective tape will be clearly visible - to the eye and the laser. Since the sticky side is out, the black tape can be easily removed with a single slice of a knife along the axis of the shaft.

Reader tip provided by Pete Castillo
Field Service Technician
Kirby Risk Mechanical Solutions and Service http://www.kirbyrisk.com/MSS.cfm

Thanks Pete - your Maintenance-Tips hat is on the way!

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