Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1005929
12 | July - August 2018 | www . machinerylubrication.com are not protecting themselves from the effects of contamination, and their products are suffering from these unsafe processes. Eighty percent of all contamination enters the process through entrances and exits. erefore, one of the first logical steps to proactive reliability is the implementation of a contamination control program for lubricants and spare parts aimed at their entrance into the building. Steps to Contamination Control Heat, moisture, air and particles rob equip- ment of life, but with rigid contamination control practices, fluids can last indefinitely. is, in turn, prolongs the life of the equip- ment's components and keeps the machine running at the highest level of efficiency. Additionally, the costs to start a proactive contamination control program are covered by reliability cost savings. A contamination control program can be employed in three steps. First, start by setting target fluid cleanliness levels for all equipment. Second, select and install filtration equip- ment (or upgrade the existing filter rating) and contamination prevention techniques to achieve the cleanliness levels. Finally, monitor cleanliness at predetermined intervals to achieve the desired levels. Contaminant Monitoring: The Cornerstone of Contamination Control For the same reason you do not drive a car without a working fuel gauge, you shouldn't attempt proactive reliability without a moni- toring program. Monitoring will give you the data you need to ensure that your machinery is operating within contamination standards. Proactive reliability addresses much more systemic elements of a reliability program, rather than inspecting the machine itself. is approach is more diligent and looks to manage the difficulties that can contribute to equip- ment wear and tear as opposed to the failure. Stopping contamination does not cost a lot of money, but it does take a lot of hard work. I know hard and work are dirty words, but doing the right thing is rarely easy. Incorrect Installation Improper installation starts with your equipment design. ose charged with the design of your equipment need to understand reliability and design it into your equipment first and foremost. Designing the equipment for reliability and maintainability will set up your organization for success. To remember how to combat this portion of unreliability, I think of it as having the right person with the right part at the right time. Improper instal- lation is made up of several parts; start your elimination of unreliability before the systems enter your building. Design for Reliability Designing for reliability is the most recent term for engineering equipment for reliability. Ensuring that there are no hard-to-reach points that require the equipment to be shut down to service will increase maintainability and, as such, will achieve reliability right out of the gate. It is during this phase that the importance of an experienced reliability professional is clear. Without the experience to know what failure modes or other issues will arise with the equipment once it is installed in your plant, you will spend a lot of money and lose a lot of productivity after the fact when these failure modes and issues arise during production. Organizations fail to recognize the importance of this phase in ensuring reliability and entrust it to young engineers or senior engineers without the experience to eliminate these issues before they arise. is can be made even worse by handing this responsibility over to suppliers. Providing the equipment manufacturers with your orga- nization's specifications will go a long way toward setting up your facility for success. All too often organizations are more focused on the short-term cost of the equipment and pat themselves on the back for getting it cheaply. is is another failed approach that is preva- lent in all industries today. One of the best arguments for establishing these specifications is achieving standard- ization throughout your facility. Requiring manufacturers to build to your specifications and not theirs will pay for itself hundreds of times over, absorbing any increased costs associated with the requirement. Equipment manufacturers use the cheapest materials they can get away with in their construction to increase their profit margins. If you do not demand quality, you will not receive it. By standardizing, you will reduce your develop- ment and materials costs. If you have little variation in your plant equipment, you will need to stock fewer parts, and your operators and technicians will need to have knowledge of fewer systems. All these things result in lowering the costs of operating and main- taining the equipment. Demanding that all the equipment's service points be accessible while the machine is in operation will require fewer non-pro- ductive hours to proactively maintain the equipment. If your return on investment is calculated by the equipment's productivity, then maximizing the hours it can run will give you the best results. e final stage in designing for reliability is to conduct a factory acceptance test (FAT). This refers to the functional test that is performed by vendors once they complete the assembly of the equipment. is test will verify that the equipment meets the specifications and functionality agreed upon in the purchase agreement. Before the equipment reaches the plant, it is imperative that an organization put the equipment through its paces and recreate all failure modes during this phase to work out the bugs in the factory and not in the plant. Spare parts management is another important element of incorrect installation. If the storeroom is run improperly (poor inventory, stock-outs, etc.), the rest of the reliability operation does not stand a chance. e level of service in an organization's store- room is a solid indication of the effectiveness of its reliability efforts. Having the right parts is key to the elimination of improper installation. Without the right parts at the right time, reliability is not possible. What is the impact of not having the right parts? e Opportunity Quality COSTS TIME COVER STORY