Condition Based Maintenance involves performing maintenance on a machine when measurements indicate that parts need replacing. By conducting periodic measurements on machines, a trend can be formed about the condition of a machine and its parts. Other names for this form of maintenance are predictive maintenance and condition-dependent maintenance.
Benefits of Condition Based Maintenance
The benefits of condition based maintenance are primarily financial advantages in the form of savings and the prevention of production stops. Unexpected downtime of a critical machine resulting in a production stop leads to significant revenue loss. The main task of maintenance personnel is to prevent this.
One way to reduce the risk of an unexpected stop is by preemptively replacing machine parts after a certain number of operating hours. However, this also means replacing parts that are still functioning properly. Condition monitoring of machines can better manage this.
Machine condition monitoring
With machine condition monitoring (in English condition monitoring), data is obtained to determine when parts need replacing. There are multiple methods to obtain this data and depending on the machine, it can be determined which method(s) are employed.
Forms of Condition Based Maintenance
Within the industry, there are three methods commonly used to gain insights into the condition of a machine.
Vibration analysis
Vibrations in a rotating machine are common and as long as these vibrations remain within set limits, there is nothing to worry about. However, if these vibrations exceed the limits, it can indicate significant subsequent damage to equipment and can create unsafe situations for personnel.
By periodically measuring and analyzing the vibrations of a machine and mapping out at which frequencies vibrations increase, a vibration specialist can analyze where problems are occurring and determine when which parts need to be replaced. Moreover, a worn part such as a bearing can also arise from other causes such as imbalance or misalignment. Performing vibration measurements is therefore specialist work and requires a lot of experience to provide the right advice.
Infrared thermography
Heat measurements via infrared thermography can also provide insights into the condition of a machine. You can imagine that when there are frictions in a machine, heat is generated. By periodically measuring, insights can be gained about which parts exceed certain limits and thus
Oil analysis
The compatibility between oil and machines is very important for the quality and lifespan of machines. By conducting oil analyses, detailed insights are provided into whether all aspects related to the oil are still appropriate. Is the oil still of sufficient quality or has it become contaminated? Is the quantity correct?