Grain Journal - May/June 2008 - (Page 142)

Reliability-Centered Maintenance FIVE CONCEPTS THAT CAN REDUCE DOWNTIME AND REPAIR EXPENSES IN THE FUTURE and personnel are a must. In the current ethanol mania, we lack the skilled labor to do the job in a reliable and expert manner, in so many cases. So what can we do? Use lasers and other precision practices during installation and maintenance. Train your own people and use their skills. Verify proper installation and function using infrared thermography, vibration analysis, and motor circuit testing. Lubrication and Fluids Oil is not oil any more, nor is grease just plain grease. It is critical to assess both the needs of the equipment and environmental factors to determine which lubricants are the approporate choice. Contact equipment manufacturers for guidelines on selecting the right lubricants. Plan out their usage, applications, and storage. This is not a job for the new kid to do during his first two weeks of work. Verify the condition of lubricants upon receipt. Send in samples to verify their cleanliness. Pre-filtering of product is a practice gaining worldwide acceptance in RCM circles. Oil filtration not only conserves vital resources but lends credence to the findings that lubricants rarely fail from anything other than contamination. Formal training of staff on lubrication is a must. Incompatibility of grease and fluids has become a major issue. If your program is working as it should, never change the products you use. If you do change them, ask the right questions to make sure you are not making a major blunder. Asset Condition Monitoring The 10-to-one rule applies here. Studies have shown that for every 10 days spent in the plant working, at least one day needs to be spent in education, Randy Springer, co-owner of Pepper Maintenance Systems Inc., performs infrared thermography on an electrical box, one of a number of predictive technologies that can make a PM program much more efficient. Photo by Ed Zdrojewski. This article is excerpted from a presentation by Randy Springer, owner and president of Pepper Maintenance Systems Inc., Mackinaw, IL (866-359-4016). He spoke in February at GEAPS Exchange 2008 in Omaha, NE. The keys to the kingdom of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) can be listed as five basic concepts: • Engineering and component selection. • Precision installation. • Lubrication practices and products used. • Asset condition monitoring. • Managing the maintenance system. Engineering/Component Selection Engineering has become something we do when failures force us in that direction rather than an integral part of bringing about the lowest total cost of ownership. I cannot count the times I have 142 GJ M/J inspected installations with the ends of leg motors hanging 200 feet above nothing. How about repairs and changes, if it does fail? Will it fail in a manner in which collateral damage is minimal, or are we going to bring down the entire elevator? What happened was a failure to communicate through a system that should have addressed the issues at hand. Another example in my experience are the bearings that supposedly can not be over-greased. What about the excess that purges and creates water reservoirs, fuel for fire when the bearing fails, or the fact that filled bearing cavities create greater heat levels and are the great destroyer of mechanical devices? Read the labels or the instructions first. Precision Installation Precision installation has to happen; it’s not optional. Trained and qualified contractors

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Grain Journal - May/June 2008 Rail Transportation Review ADM Antitrust Lawsuit Transportation News Northern Star II Fiction Series SAFETY: Star of the West Milling Co., Frankenmuth, MI Frontier Cooperative Co., Silver Creek and Garrison, NE Frick Services Inc., Leiters Ford, IN Great Bend Coop Association, Pawnee Rock, KS Antwerp Equity, Antwerp, OH Scoular Co., Wellington, KS Old Time Elevator GEAPS Leadership Conference GEAPS News Aeration Tube Bracing Case Study Topflight Grain Inc. GEAPS/NGFA OM&T Seminar Grain Notes Superintendent Profile Executive Search Grain Salvage Safety, Adam Schupp Rail Track Maintenance Temporary Storage Systems ... Part II Drive Maintenance Employee Retention Hedging Strategies, Philip Luce What's Ahead in Plant Genetics RBH Mill & Elevator...New Name Corn/Soybean Merchandising, John Beurskens Wheat Merchandising, Kyle Smith Safety Insights, Lynn Larsen CFTC Ag Market Initiatives Vertical Software AgTrax Technologies Inc. NGFA Convention Coverage Rod Clark Interview Futures Markets Grain News Farm Bill Impact 2008 DICKEY-john Grain Moisture Meter Calibrations Rail Safety GMO Testing Kits Leasing/Sales - Locomotives/RR Railcar Vibrators Railcars Gate Openers Remote Controls Railcar Movers/Pullers Dust Suppression Railroad Track Services Level Indicators Transportation Equipment Grain Dryers Manlift Repair Samplers Level Indicators Monitoring Equipment Samplers Protectants Magnets Dust Collection Power Transmission NPK CE Inc. Contractors/Engineers/Millwrights Ameritrack RR Contractors Monitor Technologies LLC Aldon Company, Inc. Maxi-Tronic Inc. Metso Minerals Industries Inc. CompuWeigh Corp Material Handling Engineering, Inc Support Towers Accu-Steel, Inc Grain Belt Supply Co. Scales Specialty Industries, Inc. Aeration Liners Restoration Contractors Al Vigen Obit Bin Cleaning Bucket Elevators TWIC Extention Cleaners Rail Service Survey Computer Software Firms Conveyors Elevator Maintenance Diesel Fuel Costs Survey Distributors Dave Leuning Obit Major Drivers Shaping Industry Elevator Buckets Security, Curt Haugen Grain Coolers Grain Dryers Biofuels Energy Saving Ideas Pneumatic Conveyors Grain Grading OSHA News Power Transmission Probes West Central Gains ISO Certification Protectants Steel Storage APOSGRAN Leadership Safety/Maintenance Equipment Temporary Storage USDA Energy Grant Programs Transportation Equipment GIPSA News Grain Handling Accessories Fumigants Long-Expected Expansion Product Recalls Fall Protection Feed Safety Developments AFIA News Feed News Packaging/Closing Systems Palletizers Belting Storage Ad Index

Grain Journal - May/June 2008

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