4 Ways to Improve the Reliability of Your Critical Manufacturing Machinery

The failure or malfunction of critical machinery in a production facility can result in a cumulative chain of consequences that could prove devastating for a business. For instance, a malfunctioning production asset can lead to additional damage to other components and products. A company then faces the expense of repairing or replacing the initial malfunctioning component, any subsequently damaged components, and the loss of stock. Often the most detrimental resultant expense, however, is the revenue lost to downtime. That’s why improving and ensuring the reliability of those assets is so crucial. Strategies for doing so include workforce training and the use of predictive maintenance tools like vibration monitoring.

Vibration Monitoring

Create a Culture of Maintenance

Among the most important first steps to optimize the reliability of critical assets is creating and supporting a culture of maintenance. A culture of maintenance is about more than adhering to a maintenance schedule. It’s about prioritizing predictive maintenance and maintenance record-keeping. It requires encouraging staff to focus on all aspects of maintenance and upkeep, and to be communicative. For example, suppose they notice electrical or instrument panels aren’t fully closed, feel that a process could be improved, or that a machine’s function seems off. In that case, they should communicate those concerns to a plant manager.

 Prioritize Predictive Maintenance with Machine Condition Monitoring

There’s no more important strategy for maintaining and improving the reliability of machinery than predictive maintenance. Consider accurate, precise predictive maintenance solutions like using vibration analysis for machine condition monitoring. Vibration monitoring and analysis can identify problematic movement and vibration being produced by critical machinery that indicates a malfunction or another root-cause issue. Vibration analysis technology is invaluable for both avoiding critical malfunctions and for identifying issues that decrease production machinery’s reliability and efficiency. To avoid testing downtime altogether, choose vibration analysis equipment that employs Motion Amplification® technology to remain completely non-contact. This technology was developed by RDI Technologies and is used in their vibration monitoring products that create video visualizations of all vibrations in the scene and enable you to quickly and easily see problematic vibrations.

 Train the Workforce to Take Initiative

In addition to technological solutions, like precise, non-contact vibration monitoring equipment, ensuring and improving the reliability of critical production assets relies on the workforce. An essential element in establishing a maintenance culture is training the personnel in the production facility to look for ways to optimize reliability and asset maintenance on the floor. It’s also a good idea to encourage and reward those who take initiative and refine existing processes.

 Cross-Train the Workforce to Understand the Whole Process

Cross-training personnel can prove additionally beneficial. Siloed employees in a production facility working virtually independently of each other can result in a kind of isolation. Training employees to understand the systems they work within as a whole can create a more dynamic production facility. If employees are encouraged to understand one another’s roles, they may be more likely to engage and communicate with each other. The product of that sort of interaction often includes improvement to processes and more effective contribution from the workforce. It can also result in a workforce better prepared to help ensure and improve the reliability of critical manufacturing assets.

 About RDI Technologies

RDI Technologies has succeeded in changing the predictive maintenance space forever. Its Iris M™ machine condition monitoring technology platform represents a reliable, cutting-edge innovation that turns every pixel in a camera into a sensor. Motion that would have remained invisible to human eye is rendered visible. RDI Technologies’ Iris M™ platform provides users with real-time data powered by it’s Motion Amplification technology. That technology can be used to swiftly resolve root-cause issues identified by the problematic vibrations they cause. With Iris M™ vibration monitoring technology, that crucial data is converted into meaningful, informative visualizations that communicate critical information clearly to technical and non-technical team members. Additionally, the Iris M™ platform powered by Motion Amplification® technology requires no downtime for setup. With RDI Technologies, Seeing is Believing™.

 Experience how the RDI Technologies Motion Amplification®-driven Iris M™ platform can improve critical asset reliability for your business at Rditechnologies.com

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