Manufacturing companies invest a great deal of money in industrial machinery, which they depend on for production. If a key component of the production system, like a conveyor belt, is compromised, the company loses money not just on the repair but on the downtime required to fix it. With careful predictive maintenance, you can minimize downtime and expensive repairs. Although the terms “preventive maintenance” and “predictive maintenance” are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually different procedures.
Preventive maintenance is done on a schedule, usually suggested by the original manufacturer of a piece of equipment. Most people are familiar with preventive maintenance for cars: the 3,000 mile oil change is an example of preventive maintenance that is done on a schedule. Similarly, many people have their air conditioning system serviced on an annual basis. The idea of preventive maintenance is to replace parts when they are at the point of wearing out, according to the manufacturer’s prediction. The problem with preventive maintenance is that sometimes parts wear out ahead of schedule, causing the machine to break down before maintenance is scheduled to occur. This can be caused by many variables in the way the machine is used. Similarly, scheduled maintenance may involve replacing parts too early.
Predictive maintenance is a method of monitoring a piece of machinery to predict when failure is likely to occur. Then repair or replacement of parts can be scheduled at a convenient time. There are several methods that are often used for predictive maintenance, and one of the most common is Vibration Analysis in San Antonio. Vibration analysis is a means of detecting changes in the way a rotating part vibrates. In order to get full data on a machine’s vibration signature, it’s necessary to take readings in the vertical, horizontal, and axial axes because a problem might be revealed in only one area. Interpreting the data from vibration analysis requires a high degree of expertise. While large companies can afford in-house vibration analysis, smaller ones may not be able to afford to train personnel for this task. Consequently, many companies prefer to employ an outside service. If you are interested in Vibration Analysis in San Antonio
, check out Laser Precision.
