subject: Machinery Condition Monitoring Reduces Down Periods [print this page] Owners, managers and executives well know that to keep their companies running efficiently requires constant machinery condition monitoring. Sometimes just one piece of machinery out of service can affect the complete operation of an industry, and alternate costly measures may have to be followed.
With costly machinery like high speed spindle bearings or kiln support rollers, even stop start operations, condition monitoring using vibration measurements can detect issues before they become critical. Gas, air or steam leaks can be another area of equipment failure, not to mention any potential danger from a malfunction, which can be monitored at the problem's start. Machinery condition monitoring is applicable to a variety of industries: marine, nuclear, building services, mining to mention some.
In marine applications, terrific force is applied to ships' exterior drives and thrusters that can place the entire assembly under immense strain. Being an area of potential damage, monitoring sensors linked with the ship's bridge can detect an operation mishap in the early stages and prevent a costly repair or breakdown. It's through machinery condition monitoring that a ship's stay in a repair dock has sometimes been just one day, versus a much longer and costlier out of service period. From the record and information base that machinery condition monitoring provides, companies are also able to plan better when a piece of equipment needs attention.
Valve seats are components of nuclear power generation stations, and their lifespan need to be constantly monitored. Any escape of pressurized fluids increase the inefficiency of that section of the plant and need repair or maintenance at the earliest opportunity. Also in the mining industry, working subsurface any equipment inefficiency or failure is unacceptable. This machinery, composed of motors, gearboxes and roller bearings is susceptible to damage in the close, confined area of a mine. Again, machinery condition monitoring is used in this setting for quick detection, but current technology has made this even more efficient. With a capacity to interpret data 6 times faster than previous technology, MHC-Memo instruments take vibration monitoring to a new height. Such technology allows more manpower hours to be redirected in the operation to areas that may not have received so much attention in the past.
Machine condition monitoring facilitates industry to run at optimum performance and thereby increasing overall efficiency.
