Manufacturing Asset Upkeep and Maintenance Tips to Maximize Production

Summary: Maximizing the efficiency and production of critical machinery equals maximizing revenue and success. Strategies and solutions to optimize production don’t have to be overly complicated. Focusing on a dynamic […]

Summary:

Maximizing the efficiency and production of critical machinery equals maximizing revenue and success. Strategies and solutions to optimize production don’t have to be overly complicated. Focusing on a dynamic training schedule keeps equipment operators safer and more effective. Keeping detailed maintenance records and having a comprehensive maintenance strategy ensures you catch faults early and fix them before critical damage occurs. Including the use of game-changing, completely non-contact machine condition monitoring from RDI Technologies helps ensures peak performance from critical assets and minimizes downtime.

Manufacturing Asset Upkeep and Maintenance Tips to Maximize Production: 3 Tips for Maximizing the Performance of Your Critical Production Assets with Preventive Maintenance

Just as a business relies on its manufacturing and processing assets to succeed and thrive, sophisticated machinery relies on regular maintenance and upkeep to function properly. Machines require maintenance, but upkeep and maintenance take time, and so many businesses struggle with the fact that performing adequate preventative maintenance cuts into productivity. There are, however, strategies and technologies that make maintaining critical assets much less costly. Focusing on training, communication, and innovative vibration analysis equipment can make asset management much more efficient and even improve a business’s bottom line. A reliable, well-functioning production floor is necessary for a reliable, well-functioning business.

Consistently Train, Retrain, and Cross-Train

Complex machinery takes training and experience to operate and maintain. Maintenance and asset management are advanced skill sets. That obviously makes training crucial, but training is a dynamic process. Training is necessary when new equipment is introduced, when it is upgraded or changed, and when anyone new is employed to operate it. Perishable skills also have to be accounted for. Training should also include creating or updating manuals and best practices regularly. Having a quick reference manual for broad strokes and a more detailed one is a good policy.

Keep Records and Keep Work Areas Clean

Meticulous recording is a must on any production floor. That includes having an established, detailed maintenance schedule for all production assets. All maintenance and repair activities should likewise be logged. Keeping track of what has been done and what needs to be done reduces the risk of equipment failure due to oversights. Similarly, being assiduous about cleanliness and organization pays off. Keeping the workspace clean can not only improve productivity in general, but it can also reduce the risk of accidents and injury. A committed equipment cleaning schedule helps ensure that the efficiency of production assets isn’t decreased from buildup.

Non-Contact Machine Condition Monitoring

Consistent machinery checks are an excellent way for staff to visually identify potential problems or failure risks like worn belts, stressed or cracked bolts, drying seals, and so on. Unfortunately, not all faults are easily identifiable visibly, and we must take vibration data to determine or predict faults before they occur. Identifying wear or other possible failure risks is necessary but has generally been difficult to accomplish without the downtime and testing with direct contact sensors. An extremely effective alternative is taking advantage of completely non-contact Motion Amplification® testing. A good example is a predictive maintenance tool from RDI Technologies, the Iris M™ technology platform. Iris M™ effectively turns every one of a camera’s pixels into a sensor, with technology powered by Motion Amplification® that visualizes vibration and motion invisible to the human eye. Iris M™ features the same accuracy as contact sensors but also enables users to actually visualize relationships between components—all without the necessity for downtime.

About RDI Technologies

RDI Technologies has revolutionized data management and predictive maintenance space. Their proprietary Motion Amplification® technology is an innovation that turns the millions of pixels in a camera into sensors. The technology amplifies motion that is normally invisible to the human eye, allowing for the real-time visualization and diagnosis of problematic vibrations. RDI Technologies’ image processing software converts raw information in real-time into a meaningful, informative visualization that communicates data clearly and efficiently to non-technical staff. There’s no downtime or set up to monitor your critical assets with the completely non-contact vibration monitoring technology. Identify root-cause issues faster and keep your assets working more efficiently with RDI Technologies. 

Find out exactly how effective RDI Technologies’ predictive maintenance innovation can be, at www.rditechnologies.com