For a manufacturer, the machinery are his greatest assets. They are more critical than people or money. And no manufacturer can afford to have them out of order.
Maintenance of machinery on a regular, systematic basis is extremely important. They need to be rested, serviced, parts-replaced, greased and more done to keep them running. Regular stoppages for the upkeep of heavy machinery like the ones used as Industrial Equipment or Mining Equipment or Farming Equipment is important from the long term perspective. These are difficult to replace in a hurry and a breakdown due to poor or no maintenance would affect the production and therefore the bottom line. In fact, preventive maintenance can reduce machinery repair costs by 25%. So, a manufacturer needs to be proactive about maintaining the machinery.
If you are a manufacturer, then the following machinery maintenance tips could come in handy:
Tip #01: Training. Training. Training
This just can never be over emphasised. Your machinery would be handled by multiple workers and it is an important first step to ensure that the machinery operators are well-trained to use the heavy equipment correctly. The operators need to be imparted training by the equipment manufacturer immediately on purchase. Any new employee who is required to handle the equipment must be properly trained by the machinery manufacturer themselves.
Tip #02: Lubricating the Equipment, Regularly
Friction around a moving part of the equipment is a trigger for an equipment damage. However, the manufacturer can implement a lubrication maintenance plan/schedule to enhance the equipment’s life. A systematic lubrication plan will also help identify leakages, excess oil, rust formation, etc. early. The type of lubricant to be used must be as per equipment manufacturer’s recommendations. Most often contaminants found during the lubrication process would lead to signs of breakdown.
Tip #03: Look for aberrations
Look for some tell tale signs. These could be vibration, heat, friction, noise that are not a regular feature of the equipment. Such aberrations could lead to breakdown of the entire equipment or to specific parts of the equipment. For example, vibrations could be a result of gears or belts running out of alignment or shock can come from bad operating technique or the equipment could get heated due to friction amongst the parts or due to lack of lubrication.
Tip #04: Ensure cleanliness
A clean equipment is a healthy equipment. Ensure seals & filters are intact & uncontaminated. Te manufacturer must replace the seals when they are found to be pealing off. Likewise, the filters must be replaced if the dust particles on the filter are blocking the free flow of air. The equipment must be wiped clean after each shift so that oil or other residuals don’t enter the gears or other parts of the equipment. The machine should be placed in a manner that avoids exposure to natural elements.
Tip #05. Follow a maintenance schedule
Preventive maintenance is crucial to ensure zero downtime of the equipment. Periodic inspection of the equipment and a standard maintenance chart will help the manufacturer avoid any sudden equipment breakdown. Manufacturers would normally cover the following under preventive maintenance: gearboxes, moving parts, seals, bearings, shafts, gears, nuts & bolts, v-belts, pulleys, etc.
These are some basic tips to keep the heavy equipments from breakdown. There are more ways to enhance the life of the equipment/machinery. If you think you need help of a technical consultant to maintain your heavy equipment, www.consultiger.com could be of help.
