by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 5, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column
I was talking with a maintenance-manager friend a few days ago about various topics, including the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Because his manufacturing plant supplies the automotive industry, it’s been ramping down toward a total shutdown. Despite the almost...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 20, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM Tools & Methods
The global pandemic we’re now facing has put all of us, individuals and businesses alike, on an emergency footing. COVID-19 has already closed down or seriously affected the operation of most public facilities, and is likely to bring much of industry to a severe...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Mar 14, 2020 | Electrical Reliability, Maintenance Management, Motors & Drives
In ball-bearing machines, the bearings are often cited as the primary cause of electric-motor failure. There are numerous lubrication and application issues that impact bearing life, as well as basically cause reduced life. While we will continue to return to the...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 7, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM's Human Factors
As an asset-management consultant working with a new client, one of my first steps is to perform a Maintenance Operation Effectiveness Review (MOER) in which we review and quantify the current state of the maintenance organization to determine how effectively it...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Mar 7, 2020 | Electrical Reliability, Maintenance Management, Motors & Drives
In this first part of a new series on electric motor systems, we’ll review the reliability of such systems. Let’s start by considering one the most-asked questions associated with the topic: “How long should the motor last?” While there are standards that...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 14, 2020 | Lubrication Corner, Maintenance Management
There are few definitive studies on rolling-element bearing reliability /life that are based on industry uses and working conditions. There are, however, many claims that indicate the vast majority of such bearings never achieve their engineered-life rating (some...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 3, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column, The Bloch Files
Perhaps you, too, have seen a storeroom packed full of startup spares (usually two wear parts or parts that, in the past, failed due to “random coincidence”). In any event, “random coincidence” is how my car dealer’s service manager explained things...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Feb 1, 2020 | Cut the FLAB, Maintenance Management
Several of the optimum reference states (ORS) that I defined for precision maintenance in a Dec. 22, 2019, article relate to getting threaded fasteners, i.e., nuts and bolts, tight without stripping them. Proper tensioning of threaded fasteners is critical to our...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Jan 18, 2020 | Maintenance Management, The Sustainable Plant
Continuing with my “Reliability Resolution 2020” theme on TheRAMReview.com, this final installment of a three-part series brings together the machine-life-extension benefits described in the first series installment (Jan. 4, 2020) with the energy-savings...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jan 17, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Regarding Plant Operations
In this era of shortages in skills and labor, many small- and mid-sized businesses are turning to an ever-growing number of affordable automation technologies. But, it’s not necessarily traditional automation that’s attracting their attention. Take robotics for...
