All maintenance strategies have the goal of achieving as close to 100% uptime as possible, avoiding the unexpected malfunctions that interrupt normal operations. No single approach to maintenance is perfect: reactive maintenance programmes, in which machinery runs until it fails, may have lower costs initially, but repair costs are generally high, and downtime affects productivity; while in preventive maintenance, in which components are replaced before they fail, it can be challenging to determine suitable maintenance intervals without unnecessarily halting operation.
What Is Integrated Vibration Monitoring?
Integrated vibration monitoring supports engineers in determining when preventive maintenance is required, and when a reactive response could be necessary. Built-in sensors, and probes mounted on equipment provide a continuous supply of data regarding machine performance and condition, alerting maintenance staff to the subtlest changes in vibration signature.
Over time, this generates a profile of trends and variations that can be used to predict when maintenance or the replacement of components is required. Vibration monitoring can detect excess movement caused by unbalanced, loose, or misaligned components, in addition to worn parts, gear faults, and insufficient lubrication.
Here are three ways in which your business can save money through integrated vibration monitoring:
1) Increased Productivity
Because integrated vibration monitoring identifies emerging problems at the earliest opportunity, preventive maintenance can be planned to take place at a time when there is least disruption to operations. Turbines can be taken out of action only when alternative solutions have been planned, to minimise loss of output. Intervals between maintenance can also be elongated, as engineers are armed with better information about the nature of developing problems long before they cause serious complications.
2) A Targeted Approach
Vibration monitoring is incredibly sensitive and can detect the smallest changes in the performance of individual components. Therefore, engineers can focus on the parts that need to be replaced or upgraded, rather than carrying out broad-brush repairs to machinery. With vibration monitoring, preventive maintenance also tends to be completed more quickly, minimising downtime, as engineers don’t need to carry out time-consuming investigations to find the cause of a problem. The end-to-end data flow generated by vibration sensors provides clinical information about exactly which parts need attention.
3) Protecting Your Workforce
Vibration monitoring can reduce the chance of accidents, as staff can be alerted instantly when a potentially dangerous fault occurs. As soon as excessive movement or temperature is detected, an alert is triggered, so that maintenance managers can decide whether the plant must be temporarily shut down.
Contact Sensonics For Accurate And Effective Vibration Monitoring Solutions
At Sensonics, we provide a range of vibration monitoring solutions to make your plant maintenance schedules more efficient and cost-effective. For more information, please get in touch.
Image Source: Pixabay