Food Processing - August 2008 - (Page 42)

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE CBM inspections Condition Very good good Intermediate Minor failures Bad Very bad Failed Catastrophic failure Time Deterioration/degradation stages until a major failure Condition-based monitoring identifies impending equipment degradation or failure so corrective action can be taken before a catastrophic failure. Lubrication analysis goes well beyond viscosity readings for serious PdM-ers, who typically send samples to outside laboratories for detailed measures of particulates, oxidation and flashpoint, which pinpoint causes of performance degradation. Likewise, infrared thermography, ultrasonic and laser monitoring systems are in use across many industries. “There are a lot of different ways to go about condition monitoring,” says Steve Matthews, business manager for Predictive Maintenance Solutions (PDMS; www.pdmsolutions.com). The Richmond, Va., company provides laser shaft alignment equipment for rotating machinery from sister company Vibralign, and resells DLI Engineering (www.dliengineering.com) vibration monitoring systems and services. Management systems typically reserved for the most critical assets in a plant whose failures will most likely cause a production line to go down, a severe health or safety risk such as an explosion or a repair that will take operations offline and torpedo fulfillment of customer orders. Condition monitoring technologies are many and varied. Vibration monitoring equipment is commonly used to compare meter readings FoodProc.pdf 2/12/08 8:15:40 PM against manufacturer design specifications to quantify the gradual degradation of shafts or bearings, and decide when it’s time to make a repair. Compared to the automation systems that control production machinery and processes in real time, condition monitoring doesn’t require and can’t always benefit from integration from the sensor level into management systems. But at every step, advances in software features and data migration methods are helping to make CBM a more integrated discipline. In terms of the CMMS/EAM feature set, Berger advises users to look for PdM-friendly features. “At least, maintenance professionals should look to include the ability to establish upper and lower control limits that trigger an alarm. Systems should also provide 42 • Food Processing August 2008 FoodProcessing.com http://www.pdmsolutions.com http://www.dliengineering.com http://www.dliengineering.com http://www.remcoproducts.com http://www.remcoproducts.com http://foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - August 2008

Food Processing - August 2008 Contents Editor’s Plate NewsBites Special Report Rollout Food Biz Kids The Top 100 Ingredients Show Report Plant Operations MRO Q&A Case History New Supplier Products Toops Scoops

Food Processing - August 2008

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