September 2004Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Chris Hansford, the managing director of Monitran, specialists in monitoring solutions, assesses the risks that some companies are willing to take by failing to install condition monitoring equipment.
Many companies across the world have excellent maintenance policies and procedures in place, however there are a large number of companies that, unfortunately, still stick to the 'run until failure' philosophy. In the long run, this is obviously not good for the manufacturing industry and the wider economy. When things go wrong, this lack of forethought means that the company concerned can be first to pay the price in lost production and revenue - all of which could have easily been avoided with some forward thinking.
The technology to assess and monitor factory-floor hardware, in particular rotating machinery, has been around for years. However, during the past five years, the condition monitoring industry has undergone massive changes that have resulted in huge leaps forward in instrument design and specification. Yet some companies are still willing to risk huge financial penalties, extended periods of downtime and even health and safety violations by failing to adopt a proactive mentality towards condition monitoring.
Effective condition monitoring, using techniques such as vibration measurement, can be achieved at a relatively low cost, when compared to lost production and repair of failed systems. Planning ahead, with an effective predictive maintenance routine goes a long way to ensuring that production is kept constant and a steady revenue stream is safeguarded. Without such a system in place production is disrupted, budgets are blown and jobs are put on the line. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but foresight is better.
The initial investment involved in installing a vibration sensor, for example, is so minute in comparison to the potential losses accrued through unplanned or unexpected machine downtime that it seems ludicrous that any modern manufacturing facility would entertain the notion of not having such a system installed. The time to act is now, before the problems have set in.
Infrared thermometers for electrical, industrial and HVAC applications Comtest
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
: Comtest, distributor of Fluke test and measurement equipment, explains how handheld infrared thermometers are transforming maintenance in electrical, industrial and HVAC environments, with three measurement strategies and a wide range of practical applications.
Read more...Reverse-engineering legacy industrial gearbox parts
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WEG Africa’s turbine workshop uses 3D scanning technology to reverse-engineer components for legacy gearboxes, turbines and compressors, enabling equipment to run for decades after OEM support and spare parts have dried up.
Read more...Unlocking ICCP remote monitoring Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Cathodic protection keeps buried and submerged pipelines safe from corrosion, but verifying it traditionally means costly, hazardous manual site visits. Omniflex explains how a retrofit module brings remote monitoring to ageing transformer rectifiers without replacing functional infrastructure.
Read more...Microdieseling – the explosions you never hear
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Microdieseling is a pressure-induced thermal degradation mechanism in which entrained air bubbles are compressed so rapidly that the surrounding oil ignites, producing soot, varnish and sludge. WearCheck explains how it happens, why the damage varies, and how oil analysis detects it.
Read more...Electrostatic spark discharge – when static strikes back Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WearCheck technical manager, Steven Lumley explains how static electricity accumulates in modern low-conductivity lubricants, why compact system designs and fine filtration make ESD more likely, and how to recognise the degradation it leaves behind.
Read more...High-speed cameras for crash testing Horne Technologies
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Vision Research has expanded its Phantom C-series with two cameras optimised for crash and safety testing, offering 4 and 8 megapixel sensors rated to 170G, up to 1180 frames per second, and Phantom Academy application training planned for South Africa next year.
Read more...SKF extends remanufacturing expertise to bearing clearance modification SKF South Africa
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Using its clearance modification expertise, SKF helped a mining equipment OEM salvage spherical roller bearing inventory that would otherwise have been scrapped, confirming a new capability within its remanufacturing services and avoiding redundant procurement.
Read more...When maintenance-system compliance starts replacing plant reliability Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WearCheck ARC division manager, Annemie Willer argues that the greatest threat to effective maintenance is no longer a lack of technology, but the gradual replacement of technical judgement by CMMS compliance, leaving no one owning the machine.
Read more...Nitration: the acid you didn’t see coming Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Nitration is as destructive as oxidation in many engines but far less understood. WearCheck technical manager, Steven Lumley explains how nitrogen oxide gases degrade lubricants, why the process is difficult to detect, and what oil analysis can reveal before damage occurs.
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