Improve maintenance schedules

Rather than waiting for parts to fail before shutting down the plant to repair or replace the faulty components, many managers and engineers are instead reaping the benefits of replacing components in advance. This can save a factory downtime and, in turn, save money. Tata Steel is one example of a company that has replaced bearings with a new specification and addressed a potential problem before any bearing actually failed.

However, while replacement may avoid failure it can also prevent engineers from getting the most out of a component before it has fulfilled its working lifetime.  It can save a significant amount of money to ensure that parts are used for their full lifetime; prematurely replacing components while they still have capability is similar to throwing food away a month before it’s out of date.

So how can engineers strike a balance between these two approaches? By using condition monitoring as part of a predictive maintenance schedule. Using sensing technology, engineers can assess the performance and health of components by monitoring vibration, temperature and pressure. This data can then be used to accurately predict when the component will need attention. This means that the component can be repaired or replaced before it fails, but not until the end of its capability.