TMCnet News
SOUNDING BOARD [Tribology & Lubrication Technology](Tribology & Lubrication Technology Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) What new technologies have you seen that are aiding predictive maintenance programs? Smartphones, tablets and apps are among the newer technologies cited by TLT readers in response to this month's survey guestion. Also mentioned were hand-held infrared scanners, electronic signal analysis and a growing trend toward in-house tools, which can give fluid managers greater control over the oil analysis process and shorten the time needed to receive results. However, many readers noted that the greater issue isn't related to technology but the continuing battle to get senior managers to understand the importance and revenue-saving potential of predictive maintenance. Said one reader, "There are a great many programs with some new tools. The real challenge is getting management to support and fund the programs!" Along with oil analysis, thermal imaging seems to have become a great means of indicating problem areas prior to becoming a major failure. Increasing and Improving education programs. We are seeing that increasing numbers of engineers and maintenance professionals are getting qualified and educated regarding machinery lubrication and predictive maintenance programs. The benefit is that more of them are therefore understanding the Importance of predictive maintenance and how It can save their companies substantial amounts of money. Electric signature analysis. It's a must tool for any electric motor and the highlight of electric motor reliability programs. The savings are tremendous and can reduce motor maintenance from $17/hour to $8/ hour. Better record-keeping. ATP readers. They give very early warning of an outbreak of either bacteria or fungus long before dip slides do. Model-based, data-driven early warning system. Dally maintenance of the fluids. Wellequipped maintenance laboratory. Anything you pay for maintenance will pay off In the long run. General knowledge transfer methods In all CM-related areas via online or Internetbased learning methods-correcting the "tribal plant knowledge" that resides with most plants. Developing predictive models. Although not new, using software programs to create graphs that are very simple to understand Is incredibly helpful. I think reminder-based apps for Intervals are working better with the newer, younger workers. Vibration analysis, infrared. Gives full picture of component performance. More advanced maintenance software programs that make organizing and scheduling maintenance much more efficient. Proper oil samples. Allows maintenance to be done during downtime. Oil analysis and vibration analysis. Oil analysis, maintenance software programs. Result is lower maintenance expenses. In-line testing of viscosity, metals and hand-held IR scanners. Installing sensor online accelerometers. It is not technology but a program. A unified condition monitoring program Is good and gets the Improved results. Online predictive maintenance tools, including sensors for detecting Impending problems. On-site oil analysis labs, vibration equipment, thermal imaging, ultrasonic testing. We do It in SAP. At the beginning the Implementation Is a lot of work, but it works fine. Research is ongoing in this area. New regulations make this tough. Any appropriate predictive maintenance tool that provides a benefit is of value. Often these tools and technologies are not necessarily new to industry but are new to the particular company/factory. The most important benefits cited are reduced downtime/lost production (both planned and unplanned) and reduced maintenance costs. New breakthrough in high-performance lubricants technology, which are able to provide more advanced lubrication and protection than conventional lubricants. Automatic-running condition monitoring. Nothing new. The important thing is getting people to be proactive. Global Internet-based oll/equipment monitoring systems enable multinational companies to compare equipment performance across the organization. The use of mobile systems like tablets make data more easily accessible. Oil sampling reduces costs. High-performance lubricants, extended relubrication intervals, less breakdown maintenance, increase productivity and reduce plant operating cost. Heat guns should be part of all maintenance programs. Portable tools predicting oil analysis in the field. Private body for fluid management. Direct linkage to smartphones. Easy access for the engineers. Modern software. Benefit: better control. Vibration analysis, oil analysis, shock pulse for early bearing damage, partial discharge for big generator, temperature measurement, ultrasonics, operator experience. Periodic analysis (e.g., pH, % water, TAN) of lubricants to assess quality and life and the need for make up, replenishment or replacement of the lube. Vibration analysis: advanced laser-based alignment checking and maintaining. IR cameras to monitor temperature of motors. Wear particle analysis. Motor testing for medium voltage class. The continued access and ability to interpret the information has the greatest impact. The ability to clearly communicate with all the stakeholders will drive predictive maintenance. Rotordynamic vibration monitoring with early warning for serious malfunctions. Costly disruption of plant operation can be avoided. PAG fluids for example and the longer fluid life they offer. Affordable vibration analysis hardware. Detailed trend oil analysis, thermography and sound. Low-cost pocket technologies (low-cost thermography, vibration or ultrasonic) that are used for sweeps to find problems, which are then analyzed or solved with top quality analysis. The availability and cost effectiveness of modern lubricant test equipment has enabled many businesses to develop inhouse programs. New computer maintenance software. Smartphone applications that are receiving wireless data sensing vibrations, flow rates, duration running time and temperature. Better use of filtration and breathers. Nothing is better than an eyeball or maybe an accelerometer for vibration detection. Oil analysis finds iron, but by then maybe it is too late. Wireless technologies and integration puts real-time reporting capability in workers' hands like never before. New equipment that operates faster and has more capabilities that result In more repeatable surveys. Plant communication, status meetings, iPads linked with laptops. Portable oil analysis labs/equipment are making oil analysis easier to do on the go. Vibration analysis is and has always been key in finding problems before they become serious. Lack of knowledge on how to use technologies correctly. CMMS, documentation and being able to edit PMs to replace worn parts prior to failure. Computerized record-keeping, remote vibration analysis. Electronic instruments are mostly dominating. They enable ease of use, accuracy (digital) and less human intervention/ politics on results/analysis. Also aids in quickness of resolutions and determining the course of actions. Vibration, oil analysis, infrared, ultrasound are the staples. I recently learned about acoustic emissions technology which has promise, especially for slow-speed equipment. Computers can see problems that are hidden from human senses. Infrared thermography. I work at a Combined Cycle CT/HRSG plant. The applications are limitless! Increased computer use for scheduling maintenance and job completion records. The use of more synthetic fluids in plants, resulting in longer service life of oil. Local training classes. Particle counters built directly onto filter carts are useful tools In encouraging plant staff to monitor the cycle of filtration. As a result, corrective measures on preventing further contamination, such as more frequent visual Inspections as well as replacing commodities on a need-to basis, will help control costs and increase equipment reliability. Faster data collectors. New grease and gear oil technologies. With the addition of synthetics and new soap technologies in grease manufacturing, the grease can withstand the higher speeds and heat generated. With the advent of the new PAG gear oils, the same situation is happening with the ability to withstand the higher heat generated with the increased speeds. New technologies that can determine metals present, size, type and quantity. The benefit is determining where the metal contaminates originate, which can lead to solution. Embedded sensors. Smaller, affordable particle counters. Instant ISO counts. Online monitors. Computerized tracking of tasks and results. Better data in real-time. Advances in real-time, remote condition monitoring (vibration, fluid analysis). Vibration monitoring, infrared temperature, mechanical ultrasound. Going to Group II base oils has reduced oxidation and sludge formation. This makes the clean out easier. Computer analysis of time in use (parts processed) versus maintenance requirements. Lube and vibration programs. They have almost eliminated catastrophic failures and helped us to prevent long-term outages. Online sensors in the in-service fluid analysis world, acoustic emission applications. Effective remote monitoring in real-time is gaining ground. Remote control capabilities. Point-of-use applicators. Online program management. Nothing newer than 10-year-old technology here. More In-house tools so samples don't need to be sent out. Some vibration testing. It Is old, but the careful reading of oil sample results is helpful. Portable or in-line oil monitoring equipment. Better sampling precision with oil analysis. This allows more accurately gauging of the health of the machine and lubricant. Ultrasound, 4-axls accelerometers, thermography. Early, less costly repairs are identified. Hand-held testing devices that give instant results instead of having to wait for off-site lab results. Thermography allows you to anticipate problems. Vibration measurement, on-site wear metals measurement. Education of personnel. The lack of knowledge adds to the problem. Easier-to-use PdM equipment. This helps our trades people be more comfortable using the equipment, so the equipment is more likely to be used. On-site and real-time monitoring instruments (oil analysis, vibration, thermography, etc.) for preventive maintenance. Wireless connectivity. Allows less cabling and better data because sensors can be fixed. UE is not new but has advanced beyond being a leak-checking tool. MCA testing is another technology that has evolved. Both are used as collaborative tools and in some cases applied under new environments. In-line monitoring devices. Mating different monitoring methods together. Training. Emerging and improving remote monitoring technologies have helped centralize maintenance programs. Electronic technologies such as ultrasound, vibration monitors and infrared sensors, which augment the data from used oil analysis and other equipment inspections. In-line lubricant and equipment condition monitors and analyzers. Portable on-site equipment, which saves time and can give instantaneous results. Nothing really new out there, only some improvements/simpllficatlon. Oil sampling and trending analysis. Combining skilled human analysis with computer-analyzed data to get more accurate determination of machine condition and catastrophic failure probabilities. The technologies have not really changed so much. It still boils down to the best sample taken and the right tests performed. Computerized logging systems via tables with a central wireless database. Field sampling test kits and instruments. Allows go-no go decision making. With regard to lubrication, there are in-line sensors that monitor viscosity, additive concentration and water contamination that are available and seeing some use. Oil analysis detects root causes before failure occurs. Vibration analysis identifies failures early to prevent downtime. Online conditioning monitoring of the equipment. Providing vital information to deliver preventive or corrective maintenance before component or system failure. It comes down to the guy taking the sample. Most samples are contaminated In some way when they are taken. Online sensors allow continuous multidimensional monitoring. High-quality synthetic lubricants, better filtration, vibration analysis, infrared analysis. Benefits: Energy savings, longer lubricant life, longer component life, cleaner and more efficient lubrication, less downtime, overall cost savings. Oil analysis using analytical ferrography. Cell phone apps have given operators more access to information in the field. Varnish mitigation and removal systems. Greatly extends machine performance. Wireless signal transmission, but there are some issues. Sometimes it's difficult to find a wave range to operate it. Then you have the capacity of personnel to use it and aging of equipment. Education is more important than technology. RULER, ICP, rapid viscosity measurement. Online databases with tablet interfaces. This makes data readily available and easy to navigate. Vibration analysis, fluid monitoring, new product technologies. All will extend the life of the equipment. What are the biggest issues affecting predictive maintenance programs in most plants? Staying with the program and having the right people In charge of them. My field is in mobile, not stationary equipment. However, the lack of consistency of information regarding the analysis of data collected would be one of the greatest challenges affecting consistent interpretation. Securing buy-in from the company in terms of the importance and effectiveness of such programs. The plants never see the value added. Management providing resources, personnel, time, money-and then taking action on data. Lack of skill and competency of operators and managers. This is for South African conditions. Reliable and large enough database. The operations strategy is hardly defined in terms of maintenance. Cost and selection of the appropriate lubricant to meet the operating condition. Lack of understanding about the importance of proper lubrication techniques. Departments do not work in harmony. Lack of predictive maintenance budget and education. Limited basic knowledge that they have a plant or machine problem and application of a predictive maintenance program that is built upon that lack of knowledge. Poor organization and maintenance practices. There seems to be a lack of experienced personnel. Younger engineers are replacing the old guys who are retiring. Buy-in and follow through. Lack of respect and training from workers. Time constraints. Scheduling downtime around unforeseen breakdowns. Investing the time to learn and institute better lubrication practices that challenge the status quo. Maintenance director and employees not doing their jobs. Integration of new tools available into existing systems. Diagnosing problems correctly. Money and time. Plants are running with fewer personnel. Allowing for downtime for PdM. We cannot be down for any amount of time without affecting our productivity. Justifying cost of the programs. Documenting cost savings of predictive maintenance. Lack of high-level corporate champions to help insure procedures are put in place with the right training. Time. Getting the customer to spend time on predictive maintenance and understand the value of it. Resistance to change from old habits. Taking representative samples and filling out the paperwork completely. Getting them to follow the program and to report what was not accomplished. Justifying the money spent on the program when they are not seeing equipment problems. Not understanding that when they quit spending money on predictive maintenance they begin spending money on emergency maintenance. To know the total running conditions, Including load and cleanliness. Costs and time of running monitoring tests like oil analysis, vibration analysis, temperature monitoring and expert interpretation of test results and recommendations. Standardization of processes, procedures and data. The age of these facilities and lack of funds to upgrade. Measuring and analyzing oil quality. Lack of use of heat guns. One gearbox will be running at 120 degrees, and the next is running at 180 degrees. They do not know that. Recognition of trauma symptoms. Mentality of the engineers and technicians. Most folks don't take it serlously-until something serious happens! Predictive maintenance Is deemed as a waste of resources and money. Cost-benefit analysis capabilities, budget and staff constraints, committed executives, management and employees. Commitment at all levels to the complete program. Trying to save money by spending less on lubricants where synthetics could actually provide far greater savings In the long run. Short-term budgets. Lack of understanding. No reliability or maintenance background, so PM and PdM is viewed as parasitic load Instead of an investment in the future. Editor's Note: Sounding Board is based on an e-mail survey of 13,000 TLT readers. Views expressed are those of the respondents and do not reflect the opinions of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. STLE does not vouch for the technical accuracy of opinions expressed in Sounding Board, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE. When an equipment problem appears, what most influences how companies make the final decision on a course of action? Maintenance 16% Production 60% Maintenance and production working in harmony 18% Coin flip 9% Based on responses sent to 13,000 TLT readers. Total exceeds 100% because some respondents chose more than one answer. (c) 2014 Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers |