Many large industrial facilities rely on electric motors and rotating Equipment to drive their business. When something is wrong with any piece of equipment at their place of business, it can have a severe impact on the operation. This impact is felt financially due to the repair or replacement of the equipment but also in the downtime that may occur along with it. That is particularly the case when it is an unexpected, catastrophic failure of the equipment.

Keep problems to a minimum. Any repairs are carried out on a scheduled basis; use both predictive and preventative maintenance at your facility. Although these two terms overlap, there are distinct differences between them and the benefits that they provide. What is common between them, however, is the fact that they save you money, time, and frustration in the long run.

Many types of predictive and preventative maintenance can take place while the equipment is still operating. One of the ways that it can happen is by educating the equipment operator to identify any abnormalities in the equipment, such as unusual vibration, excessive noise or loss of productivity. It can also be performed by exterior means, such as professional vibration analysis, infrared scanning, sound level analysis and motor current signature analysis.

Preventative Maintenance Service Options

Preventative maintenance is a type of maintenance performed regularly on a piece of equipment to ensure that it is less likely to experience an unexpected failure. Identifying problems with preventative maintenance includes the following field services.

Dynamic Balancing: In many cases, rotors can be balanced while they are running at operating speed and without removing them from the facility. This type of field balancing reduces the need for disassembly of the machine and related downtime.

Laser Alignment: This type of alignment may affect rotating equipment, including shaft alignments. It can improve the operation of the equipment, as well as reduce the likelihood of unexpected failure.

Lubrication: Part of any preventative maintenance program, testing the lubrication and making adjustments is an important part of keeping the equipment operating. Testing the lubrication helps to identify a breakdown of viscosity, as well as any foreign matter that could damage the bearings.

Predictive Maintenance Service Options

The role of predictive maintenance is to determine when an equipment failure is likely to occur and to take action to keep it from happening. It may include the following options:

Electric Motor Testing: Dynamic motor testing may be performed to determine issues that are occurring, such as excessive vibration, heat, and excessive noise.

Vibration Analysis: This may be carried out using a laser vibrometer to detect problems with vibration in hard-to-reach areas.

Motor Current Signature Analysis: This helps to identify problems in AC motors to prevent issues leading to unscheduled downtime due to equipment failure.

These factors can be put into place at your facility to ensure that your equipment is up and running with minimal problems. It is much easier and more cost-effective to treat any issues when they first occur rather than waiting until a breakdown takes place.