Maintenance Technology May 2012 by Applied Technology Publications

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Contents MAY 2012 • VOL 25, NO 5 • www.MT-ONLINE.com

YOUR SOURCE FOR CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

FEATURES CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS 16

Successful CMMS Implementation For A Major Healthcare Facility Might the same prescription this Wisconsin-based hospital maintenance operation used to optimize its work flow, compliance and productivity help improve the well-being of your organization’s activities? Kris Begadia, PEAK Industrial Solutions, LLC

MAINTENANCE LOG 23

Taming Those Misbehaving Motors It takes a lot to stump most maintenance pros. This article could help you become an even better troubleshooter than you already are. Thomas H. Bishop, P.E., Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA)

THE RELIABILITY FILES 27

Better Inventory Management Helps Cut Operating Costs Stocking more MRO inventory than your operations really need? Pervasive across all industries, this situation is costing sites more time and money than they can afford.

UTILITIES MANAGER 30

■ Big Money Talks William C. Livoti

■ Specify Backup Power That Fits Ensuring that your selected backup-power system can meet both current and future needs depends on a number of factors. Michael Kirchner, Generac Power Systems

Keep the celebration going... ...make sure to visit www.MT-Online.com for this month’s 25th Anniversary Article,

“Understanding Hidden Failures In RCM Analyses” By Neil Bloom When Neil Bloom wrote this article for MT in 2003, he was Manager of RCM and Preventive Maintenance Programs for Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Nuclear operations. Today, he consults and trains on all things RCM for industries around the world. Watch for a schedule of his workshop offerings, including the one entitled, “RCM for the Layperson.”

DEPARTMENTS 6

My Take

8 10 13 14

Stuff Happens

22 26

Automation Insider

Technology Showcase

Marketplace

Information Highway

Classiﬁed

Supplier Index

Viewpoint

Uptime Motor Decisions Matter Don’t Procrastinate… Innovate! Electrical-Safety Sense

www.MT-online.com MAY 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 3

It’s Coming! Are You Ready?

May 2012 Volume 25, No. 5 Your Source For CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

ARTHUR L. RICE President/CEO arice@atpnetwork.com

BILL KIESEL Executive Vice President/Publisher bkiesel@atpnetwork.com

JANE ALEXANDER

Editor-In-Chief jalexander@atpnetwork.com

RICK CARTER

Executive Editor rcarter@atpnetwork.com

ROBERT “BOB” WILLIAMSON KENNETH E. BANNISTER RAYMOND L. ATKINS Contributing Editors

RANDY BUTTSTADT

Director of Creative Services rbuttstadt@atpnetwork.com

GREG PIETRAS

Editorial/Production Assistant gpietras@atpnetwork.com

ELLEN SANDKAM

Direct Mail 800-223-3423, ext. 110 esandkam@atplists.com

JILL KALETHA

Reprint Manager 866-879-9144, ext. 168 jillk@fosterprinting.com

Presented By

Applied Technology Publications

Categories: Innovative Devices, Gizmos & Gadgets Innovative Processes & Procedures Innovative Use of Third-Party Resources Details & Entry Forms Available At www.reliabilityinnovator.com Grand Prize Winner And 3 Runners-Up Announced In Early 2013

Editorial Office: 1300 South Grove Ave., Suite 105 Barrington, IL 60010 847-382-8100 / FAX 847-304-8603 WWW.MT-ONLINE.COM

Subscriptions: FOR INQUIRIES OR CHANGES CONTACT JEFFREY HEINE, 630-739-0900 EXT. 204 / FAX 630-739-7967

Maintenance Technology® (ISSN 0899-5729) is published monthly by Applied Technology Publications, Inc., 1300 S. Grove Avenue, Barrington, IL 60010. Periodicals postage paid at Barrington, Illinois and additional offices. Arthur L. Rice, III, President. Circulation records are maintained at Maintenance Technology®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Maintenance Technology® copyright 2012 by Applied Technology Publications, Inc. Annual subscription rates for nonqualified people: North America, $140; all others, $280 (air). No subscription agency is authorized by us to solicit or take orders for subscriptions. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Maintenance Technology®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Please indicate position, title, company name, company address. For other circulation information call (630) 739-0900. Canadian Publications agreement No. 40886011. Canada Post returns: IMEX, Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5, or email: cpcreturns@ wdsmail.com. Submissions Policy: Maintenance Technology® gladly welcomes submissions. By sending us your submission, unless otherwise negotiated in writing with our editor(s), you grant Applied Technology Publications, Inc. permission, by an irrevocable license, to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish, and adapt your submission in any medium, including via Internet, on multiple occasions. You are, of course, free to publish your submission yourself or to allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be returned. “Maintenance Technology®” is a registered trademark of Applied Technology Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2012

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The Chip Trapper™ (patent pending) offers a fast, easy way to clean chips, swarf and shavings out of used coolants and other liquids. The Chip Trapper vacuums in the coolant that is filled debris, traps the solids in a reusable filter bag, and pumps out clean coolant.

Heavy Duty Dry Vac™ attaches to an ordinary 30, 55 or 110 gallon open-top drum to turn it into a powerful, industrial duty vacuum cleaner. It has been engineered to vacuum more dry materials in less time than ordinary vacs. Ideal for abrasives.

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MY TAKE

Jane Alexander, Editor-In-Chief

You Bet They Can: Let’s Hear It For The Girls

probably wasn’t the only SEC football fan keeping tabs on the recent NFL Draft. Those of us who love and support the schools of the Southeastern Conference were blessed with quite a few young men to root for over the course of seven selection rounds. What an impact the SEC had on this year’s draft! After all, as we keep hearing, ours is the go-to conference for any kid (make that of the “male” variety) who dreams of a future in the pro-football ranks. Congratulations to the many hardworking guys (regardless of college team and conference), whose numbers came up during the draft or will be picked up soon by the NFL. But, as the title of this column indicates, my shout-out isn’t about them. . . It’s about another winning program that’s being generated (pardon the pun) down in the Southeast: If you’re not already, let me acquaint you with the “iCan Girls in Engineering” initiative (iCan), sponsored by Alabama Power/Southern Company. Run by a team of the corporation’s female engineers (a team, according to www.icanengineer.com, that’s currently made up of graduates of engineering programs at Auburn, The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Mississippi State), its goal is to encourage middle-school girls to consider engineering as a career path. Team iCan does this by helping girls understand what engineering is about, what engineers do and what great engineering roles are out there for them to tackle—and, in the process, change the world. Like football players, not every girl in this program will see her engineering dream become a reality. On the other hand (if you can stand a few more puns), those who do get and stay fired up as a result of iCan’s activities could have a very bright future ahead of them: There will be plenty to do in our increasingly higher-tech society—one that’s already going begging for top-notch technical skills. As Bob Williamson and Ken Bannister regularly remind us, we need to be powering up a workforce to operate and maintain tomorrow’s engineering-based industries TODAY. That means sparking the interests, the passions and the innovative mindsets of our children (boys and girls) ASAP. To iCan, I have to say, “You go, girls!” To Alabama Power/Southern Company, kudos for nurturing these winners! On behalf of many in the maintenance and reliability community, I’ll go out on a limb and thank you profusely for putting your money where our hearts are. Sorry to report, though, not everyone has gotten the memo about the need to grow a technically advanced workforce. In my March column, I promised to update you on the saga of David Pietras, the uncle of our Assistant Editor, Greg Pietras. As you may recall, Uncle David was the cabinetmaking instructor at Richland Northeast High School (RNE), in Columbia, SC. His course was one of the shop classes put on the chopping block to make way for new health-science and culinary-arts offerings. Despite vigorous 11th-hour pleas for a reprieve, let’s just say the ax finally fell at RNE. MT jalexander@atpnetwork.com

PS: We’ve made it easy for you to tell us about any efforts that your organization supports to encourage children toward the pursuit of technical careers. Go to MT’s May online “Question of the Month” at www.mt-online.com/question. I certainly hope we hear from you!

maintenance technology

MAY 2012

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NEWS STUFF HAPPENS

Good News For EAM And FSM: The World According To ARC Despite recent economic difficulties around the world, findings from a 2012 User Study by the ARC Advisory Group (ARC) point to “vibrant” growth in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Field Service Management (FSM) arenas. In 2011, for example, this market passed its previous 2008 peak just prior to the economic decline. Overall, the EAM/FSM market is expected to grow from $2.2B in 2011 to $3B in 2015. That’s a compound annual growth rate of 6.7%. To access the full report, “Enterprise Asset Management and Field Service Management Worldwide Outlook,” go to www.arcweb.com/market-studies/ pages/enterprise-asset-management.aspx.

In The Battle Against Autism

IN MEMORIAM. . .

ATP’s Art Rice is shown at a recent 2012 MARTS event presenting a quilt to Mary Kay Betz, Executive Director, Lombard Chapter, of the Autism Society of Illinois, for use in the group’s fundraising activities. The quilt was designed/quilted by Lynn Rice, owner of the Barrington, IL-based shop, “A Touch of Amish.” The quilt’s design reflects the Society’s interlocking puzzle-piece “logo.” 2012 marks the third year that MARTS has supported the Society’s fund-raising efforts. (Dr. Howard Penrose, who worked with MARTS to start this program, is shown right of Ms. Betz.)

’ N ’ I T N I H T G H FIIG F S D S R D O R WO W Inspiration For Those Battling The Enemies Of Reliability & Productivity

Have you read, heard, seen, thought or written down something that falls into the realm of “fightin’ words” for the maintenance and reliability community?

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

It is with deep regret that we report the recent (and much too early) passing of a true industry leader: Chris Seffrin, Co-Director of Infraspection Institute. Those of us who work in or write about the reliability and maintenance community, including countless certified thermographers around the world, have lost a great friend. Rest in peace, Chris.

We’ve had a flurry of “Fightin’ Words” submissions lately. This month we’re picking up two of several that Barry Doran says keep him going each day as Maintenance Planner/Scheduler for Luxottica Optical Manufacturing - Winnipeg. (He notes that the sources of these quotes are unknown to him, but if you know who authored, uttered or has laid claim to the following, please let us know.)

“Perfection is the goal… We will settle for excellence.” “It’s better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent.” Send your favorites to quotes@atpnetwork.com. We’ll be selecting one or two (maybe even three) to feature each month. Be sure to give full credit to the individual (dead, alive, real or fictional) that uttered or wrote the words, and why those words inspire you. Don’t forget to include your complete contact info.

MAY 2012

STUFF HAPPENS NEWS

Help SMRP Celebrate 20 Great Years The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at the association’s annual conference set for October 15-18, in Orlando, FL. While you can go ahead and register now (at www.smrp.org), there’s something else you old-timers can do to help ensure a great celebration: If you have any SMRP-related photos, paperweights or other objets d’art from the past two decades that the organization can use for promotional and/or display purposes, please contact jalexander@atpnetwork.com.

BIZ BUZZ

A reminder: According to SKF USA, its Baker Instrument business is now known as “SKF Condition Monitoring Center - Fort Collins.” The legacy of the Baker brand, though, remains at the product level, with static motor analyzers such as the new Baker DX, the Baker AWA-IV and Baker OEM motor-quality-control testers. Speaking of which, the operation is busy developing new software for both the Baker AWA-IV static motor analyzer and the EXP4000 dynamic motor analyzer. Stay tuned as well for a new software release involving the Baker DX.

In a move intended to drive innovation in mobile solutions for businesses of all sizes, SAP AG has announced plans to acquire Syclo, the Hoffmann Estates, IL-based provider of enterprise mobile applications and technologies. Among other things, Syclo’s expertise in building and selling mobile solutions for industries such as utilities, oil & gas, life sciences and manufacturing is expected to immediately enhance SAP mobile solutions.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH SOUND-OFF: Tell us what you think. . . Really. . .

Does your company or organization sponsor any program(s) to spark the interest of elementary-, middle- and/or high-school students Go to MT-online.com/question with your answer. in industrial careers? Please describe.

Monitor Machine Systems 24/7 From Anywhere NetEP slashes time & cost of onsite monitoring to help you extend the service life of your machine systems

Get more out of your machine systems with a performance monitoring product that continuously delivers the data you need to keep your machinery running optimally. The SKF Online Motor Analysis System-NetEP enables predictive maintenance by acquiring and analyzing machine system data at regular intervals to discern faults or potential problems long before they result in failure and costly downtime. NetEP also reduces the time and cost of sending maintenance staff to acquire health and performance data for every machine system throughout a facility or region. Best of all, performance data is readily and securely available from any PC with access to the Internet. To learn more about how SKF can help maintain your machine system assets and improve your bottom line, or visit us online at www.bakerinst.com, or call us today at 1-800-752-8272.

The Power of Knowledge Engineering For more info, enter 67 at www.MT-freeinfo.com MAY 2012

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MT-ONLINE.COM | 9

UPTIME

Bob Williamson, Contributing Editor

Save Manufacturing And Save America Thanks to China, our jobs are coming back home. Yes, they really are. Really. Truth be told Much of what we’ve heard and read about the decline of U.S. manufacturing isn’t true, at least not to the magnitude we’ve been led to believe: We still produce the largest amount of manufactured goods that are consumed in the world! (And we make nearly 75% of what we consume here in America.) Sure, there has been a decades-long surge of offshore manufacturing. But, it’s coming back…BIG TIME. Millions of new jobs are expected to be added to the U.S. economy over the next three years due to the re-shoring of goods that are currently being made in China. Are we prepared for them? Some background Over the past few years, domestic companies that were once attracted to huge cost-savings and higher profits associated with China’s low labor costs have been dealing with the fact that wages in China have increased significantly. Many of those companies had also failed to accurately calculate the “total cost” of manufacturing in China for the U.S. market and export, including factoring in higher shipping costs due to rising oil prices; increased shipping times (of weeks and months rather than days or hours); inventory-holding costs in domestic warehouses to keep up with sales; and defects or damages due to unreliable manufacturing methods and/or shipping procedures. The end result is that jobs have been returning. Wages in China are increasing as the country’s skilled-labor shortages continue to grow—and as the growth of its better-paid middle class outpaces the rest of the world. Labor unrest is beginning. Worker wages have increased an average of 15-20% annually (with some manufacturers having to contend with previously unheard of increases to the tune of 40-100% in a single year). Workers in today’s China are also more comfortable moving from one job to another for better benefits and working conditions. While American workers are considered “high wage” compared with those in other parts of the world, our workforce productivity is nearly four times that of 10 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

the Chinese workforce. U.S. manufacturing workers continue to be the most productive in the world— out-producing even Europe and Japan. Our manufacturing productivity rate further erodes China’s advantage of low-wage and low-cost manufacturing. The homecoming As China begins its steep wind-down in producing for the U.S. market, look out! To be specific, recently published studies by the Boston Consulting Group forecast that 2- to 3-million jobs (about a third of them in manufacturing) will hit our shores around 2015, generating, in turn, an estimated $100 billion in annual output. Unfortunately, there’s a major product-liability risk emerging because of a globally fragmented supply chain. China has become the largest producer of counterfeit and trademark-infringed products entering the supply chain—and there have been few repercussions. As I’ve discussed in previous articles, the issue extends far beyond knock-off DVDs and purses. Counterfeit products include electrical circuit breakers and wiring for our homes and businesses; nuts, bolts, bearings and seals for our cars and trucks; and a whole host of consumer products that are in demand because of the low price. Many consumer electrical products (Christmas lights, extension cords, speaker wire, hair dryers, curling irons, etc.) are made in China using recycled copper. In fact, aluminum wiring plated with copper is being sold as “solid copper” wire and is a smaller diameter than the labels state. They’ve even counterfeited “UL Approved” labels, not to mention those of other trusted sources. This stream of bogus parts creates problems for the manufacturing supply chain. In the past few years, more and more companies have closed their operations in China and returned to the U.S., not just because of greater production and shipping costs, but because of the liability associated with a tainted supply chain. Our current reality Today, there are nearly 600,000 manufacturing-related jobs that cannot be filled because the applicants don’t have the required skills and talents. We need a skilled, talented workforce to fill these job openings NOW— as well as to handle all those new jobs that are projected to open up over the next three years. But, it’s more than MAY 2012

UPTIME

We need skilled workers to fill nearly 600,000 industrial jobs now, as well as 2- to 3-million more jobs projected to open up by 2015. just skills/talents for operating and maintaining manufacturing plants that are lacking. Who will repair our bridges and buildings? Who will work in our huge distribution centers and on the trucks that deliver our food and consumer goods? Who will keep our grocery stores and malls fit for business? Who will operate and maintain our water and waste water systems? Who will install and repair our cable TV and power lines? Who will see that our power plants and refineries operate efficiently? Who will take care of our hospital and clinic medical equipment? Who will run plants that process our milk and cheese, vegetables and breads, meats and desserts, our vitamins and medicines? The skills and knowledge requirements are all pretty much the same. We’ve clearly lost more than manufacturing jobs to China and other low-wage countries over the past decades: We, with an emphasis on our younger generations, have lost much of our aptitude for, interest in and abilities to do things with our hands and our minds— competencies that are required and IN HIGH DEMAND at this moment in history.

the more skills and knowledge it takes to land these jobs. That’s where we’re missing the boat! “Fixing things” is becoming a lost skill. Whether it’s woodworking, welding, auto or truck repair, electrical work, computer repair, machining or tending to precision machinery, the underlying skills and associated knowledge are not being introduced, fostered and enhanced in our schools like they were in the 1970s and 1980s.

Regaining our competency Some of our “core competency” in manufacturing has disappeared due to productivity-boosting technologies, the manufacturing-decline myth and ill-prepared highschool and/or college grads. That’s no excuse: We must restore our core competency! Nearly two generations of middle-school and high-school students have missed out on the value of “shop classes”—those vocational-technical courses that college-bound kids are encouraged to avoid. These days, everybody (it would seem) is told “Go to college. Get a degree. You’ll be set for life.” The sad fact is that many kids who enter college (about half) drop out of their chosen degree programs, with little to show for their experience other than high student-loan debts. On the other hand, about half of high-school students never enter college—they’re the forgotten half that has lost out on solid career skills along the way. Many manufacturing jobs require us to work with our hands AND our minds. Such jobs can be very satisfying, whether it’s running machines or fixing them (where the real money is!). But the more “fixing” that needs to be done on our complex high-tech equipment,

n To our children and their children: “Learn a trade. Learn to do something with your hands and your minds.”

MAY 2012

My worry My worry should be your worry, too: We’re not ready for the job growth that’s sure to follow as manufacturing returns to our shores. In my career—which spans 40 years teaching and consulting in over 400 plants and facilities across more than 50 different types of equipmentintensive industries—I’ve seen the effects of our skills deficit. As I’ve said/written/roared time and time again, if we don’t do something about this crippling deficit, and do it fast, the economy is going to get worse before it gets worse. I have several other things to say, to several groups.

n To parents, guardians and other interested adults across America: “Encourage your children and/or those in your care or sphere of influence to explore industrial careers while in school.” n To school boards, “Get off your ‘college-bound’ push. Half of our kids learn by doing’.” n To educators: “Emphasize the potential offered by careers in the industries I’ve mentioned.” n To politicians: “Stop the emphasis on standardized testing as a way to improve math and science scores. The U.S. scored 32nd among 65 nations (countries that mostly test only their best and brightest). You would be amazed by how well math and science skills can be taught through the hands-on building of bird houses/bookcases/cabinetry, the repairing of vehicles, the engineering of robots or the designing and building of just about anything else.“ mt-online.com | 11

UPTIME

Read beyond the headlines. Just because companies may still be expanding their businesses in China doesn’t mean that jobs are being moved from the U.S. Take it to heart As you see/hear news about China, keep this in mind: It has the fastest-growing (not the largest) economy in the world. It is the largest automobile market in the world (because of its robust economy and middle-class growth). China’s domestic market is an economic boon for foreign manufacturers willing to set up shop there. For example, Ford Motor Company recently noted a major expansion of its Chinese plants to build 950,000+ vehicles annually. But, just because companies may still be expanding their businesses in China doesn’t mean jobs are being moved from the U.S. You have to read beyond the headlines!

We have an opportunity—or rather, “an obligation”—to grow jobs in America as China sheds the manufacturing of some 10 to 30% of its U.S. export products. Let’s take that obligation to heart: Saving American manufacturing will essentially save America. MT RobertMW2@cs.com Resources used in this article “Made in America Again, U.S. Manufacturing Nears the Tipping Point;” Boston Consulting Group; March 2012 “Ford Ups China Investment Another $600 Million;” Industry Week.com, Leadership in Manufacturing; April 5, 2012

A Leader in Electric Motor Testing

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2012

BOOSTING YOUR BOTTOM LINE

Can VFDs Help Optimize Your Motor System?

ooking for energy savings in your motor-driven systems? You can build on the motor management basics—like selecting premiumefficiency motors and best-practice repairs— to achieve even greater energy savings by using variable frequency drives (VFDs) [Ref. 1]. Interested? Check out these two examples of real-world success: North Memorial The North Memorial Robbinsdale Campus, located northwest of Minneapolis, has just over one million square feet of hospital, healthcare, office and data-center space. When a vortex damper failed in the facility’s air-handling ventilation systems, North Memorial took the opportunity for a system assessment and retrofitted with a VFD. By making use of additional VFDs throughout its air-handling system, the hospital was able to reduce energy use by 30%—and noticed energy and cost savings immediately. Overall, the system is now operating more efficiently and reducing wear on other equipment, which is expected to increase reliability. The North Memorial Robbinsdale site also qualified for rebates from its utility for the VFDs, resulting in a payback period of just over one year [Ref. 2]. MacKenzie Sawmill MacKenzie Sawmill (MacKenzie), in Surrey, British Columbia, produces timber. Like most sawmills, almost everything in the facility, from loading logs to cutting them, is driven by a compressed air system. Working with its utility, MacKenzie identified 1.5 million kWh per year of potential savings from optimizing its compressed air system. With utility incentives, the payback for implementing the identified improvements was only one year. Another project replaced a 400 hp motor—which ran continuously, despite only intermittent need— with an SCR DC drive so that operation could

MAY 2012

vary appropriately with load. With incentives, an expected five-year payback shrank to just two years. As these examples show, significant system savings can result from motor management, including applying VFDs to appropriate applications. VFDs control the speed of an induction motor by controlling the power (voltage and frequency) that supplies the motor. By reducing motor-speed to match the needs of the application, VFDs can use less energy to do the same or greater work, depending on your system. When it comes to assessing a system’s potential, you can find details on successful application of drives in NEMA’s Application Guide for AC Adjustable Speed Drive Systems (www.nema.org/stds/acadjustable.cfm). To learn more about building on the basics of motor management with the help of VFDs, visit MDM’s VFD Resources Webpage (http://www. motorsmatter.org/resources/asds.html). MT 1. Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are also referred to as variable speed drives (VSDs), adjustable speed drives (ASDs), or inverters. 2. http://business.responsiblebynature.com/ case-studies 3. http://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/ success_stories/industrial_process_facilities/ mackenzie_sawmill.html For more info, enter 69 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

The Motor Decisions Matter (MDM) campaign is managed by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), a North American nonprofit organization that promotes energysaving products, equipment and technologies. For further information, contact MDM staff at mdminfo@cee1.org or (617) 589-3949.

MT-ONLINE .COM | 13

DON’T PROCRASTINATE…INNOVATE!

Ken Bannister, Contributing Editor

Practicality, Simplicity, Impact: The Win Was A SNAP At the recent 2012 Maintenance and Reliability Technology Summit (MARTS), Applied Technology Publications (ATP), parent company of both Maintenance Technology and Lubrication Management & Technology magazines, put a spotlight on the winners of its “2011 Maintenance & Reliability Innovator of the Year Award.” In this launch of what will be an annual competition, readers were asked to submit their innovative gizmos, devices, gadgets, processes, procedures and use of third-party resources for improving maintenance. The entries gave the judging panel a suitably difficult time. Submissions were judged on three key elements that describe the essence of innovation in maintenance: practicality, simplicity and impact. The 2011 Grand Prize went to a team submission by Chuck Reames, of Shaw Group Maintenance, Inc., and Chris Labat, of LOOP, LLC, both of Baton Rouge, LA. Their entry was the Stem Nut Analysis Protractor— SNAP, for short––a device that provides a visual indicator for thread wear on valve stems. It’s practical. It’s simple. It can have great impact from a time and resource perspective on how facilities deal with valve-stem thread wear. The idea for the winning device originated during Chuck’s nuclear-industry experience in the 1990s. He says his current work with Shaw’s industrial maintenance engineering team in petrochemical and pipeline terminal operations in the Baton Rouge area led him to reflect on an earlier idea he had— a better way to identify and diagnose large processvalve operability in a visual, non-intrusive manner. Most process plants, as well as many mining and manufacturing operations, use automated MOVs (motor-operated valves) that incorporate large acme-threaded valve stems attached to valve gates. In them, a valve stem is run through a nut captured in place and turned by a hand-wheel or motor. This action, in turn, converts rotary motion to linear motion and opens and closes the valve gate.

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Over time, especially when subjected to dust, dirt and improper lubrication, the conversion of torque to thrust load produces wear on the valve stem nut. According to Chuck, stem nut wear is a problem because it can send a false position signal to the SCADA system that controls valve movements and show a valve fully closed when it is partially open. Valves failing in the open position due to stem nut wear can lead to catastrophic consequences. In petrochemical processes, it can result in the accidental mixing of oils or oil being delivered to the wrong place. In the past, efforts to prevent valve failure usually have been time-consuming and costly. Traditional stem nut wear inspections, for example, typically will take two workers eight hours to perform per valve assembly. This doesn’t include the downtime needed to locate worn units. Chuck and Chris devised the SNAP protractor device to reduce this drain on time and resources and help simplify valve-replacement decisions. Filed under United States patent application 13/321,798, the SNAP is termed a “Valve Stem Nut Wear Analysis Apparatus and Method” designed “to measure stem nut wear in a valve having a threaded valve stem and positioned to engage threads of a stem nut.” Mounted on the stem nut, the SNAP tool rotates when the nut rotates, indicating a measurement of rotation and stem movement. As the stem nut rotates, the percent of wear is observed. In short, as the valve stem threads wear, the thread backlash between the stem threads and corresponding stem nut threads increases. The SNAP tool measures this rotational free play and visually indicates the percentage of wear on a protractor-style gauge face. Using the SNAP tool, the valve-check process now takes one worker 30 to 45 minutes per valve. This translates into a savings of 15-plus man hours and more than seven hours downtime––an availability savings of up to 94% over traditional check methods! Also, in a traditional valve teardown inspection, if a valve stem nut shows any sign of wear, it’s often prematurely replaced due to the time and cost

MAY 2012

DON’T PROCRASTINATE…INNOVATE!

Presented By

Applied Technology Publications

The innovative SNAP tool was devised to reduce the time and resources needed to deal with valve stem nut thread wear and help simplify valve-replacement decisions.

Chris Lebat, of LOOP, LLC, and Chuck Reames, of Shaw Group Maintenance, Inc., show off their “Innovator” awards at MARTS 2012.

of the teardown. The SNAP, though, allows a stem nut to be replaced based purely on its condition, which makes it a true CBM (condition-based-monitoring) event. The SNAP uses a simple RAG (red, amber, green)—i.e., trafﬁc-light type— indicator printed against the protractor scale. This depicts up to 30% as acceptable wear, 31% to 50% marginal wear and over 50% as unacceptable wear requiring a maintenance decision. These decision points would naturally vary by industry. Again, we congratulate Chuck and Chris FTW and invite you to follow in their innovator footsteps. Tell us about any innovative gizmo, device, gadget, process, procedure or use of third-party resources you have come up with and successfully used to make your job easier. Share your ideas with us by participating in the “2012 Maintenance & Reliability Innovator of the Year Award” program. Entries will be accepted from

MAY 2012

June 1 – December 31, 2012. The Grand Prize winner and three runners-up will be announced in early 2013. (Go to www.reliabilityinnovator.com to download your submission form.) We look forward to hearing from all you “Innovators” out there. MT

Ken Bannister is author of Lubrication for Industry and the Lubrication section of the 28th edition Machinery’s Handbook. He’s also a Contributing Editor for Lubrication Management & Technology. Email: kbannister@engtechindustries.com.

MT-ONLINE.COM | 15

The inside view of an improved plan. . .

Successful CMMS Implementation For A Major Healthcare Facility

Kris Begadia PEAK Industrial Solutions, LLC

Could the same prescription that this Wisconsin-based operation used to optimize work flow, compliance and productivity help improve the well-being of your maintenance organization’s activities? 16 |

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f you think the challenges of running an efficient maintenance department that is praised by staff members and top management are insurmountable, think again. With management commitment, efficient planning and scheduling and effective use of technology, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is a stellar example of how it’s done. MAY 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

St. Luke’s, located in Milwaukee, WI, is internationally recognized for cutting-edge treatment technologies and exceptional physician specialists. The hospital’s 41 maintenance technicians support the main 938-bed hospital spread over a campus of 2 million+ square feet, along with several outlying locations. (St. Luke’s is part of Aurora Health Care’s vast regional network of hospitals and healthcare providers— a network that includes 15 hospitals and 200+ clinics.) The responsibility of maintaining a world-class healthcare facility requires the help of an effective computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) system. Several years ago, Nolan Harp, Senior Director of Facilities Operations at Aurora, recognized that the facilities’ existing software was inefficient and presented ongoing problems. In 2005, Aurora contracted PEAK Industrial Solutions to assist with selecting and implementing a new Web-based solution. Six years of careful facilitation planning and upgrades have yielded a number of positive results. While managers often recognize a problem, committing to a solution and following through are not as common. Harp’s determination to make enterprise-wide improvements (with the St. Luke’s facility chosen as a pilot) and adopt new technology and automation have resulted in reduced operating costs and significantly higher productivity of the maintenance technicians. The plan is to have complete enterprise-wide implementation by the end of 2012. A successful CMMS system is a tool that goes far beyond record keeping. A fully utilized CMMS offers maintenance operations opportunities to save both time and money. The problem, according to various studies, is that 60-80% of CMMS implementations fail. Putting it simply, if the implementation project isn’t handled right from the start, the organization won’t realize a return on its investment. Prescription for success Basics first, then technology… One of the most important points to keep in mind is this: You can acquire the best CMMS and mobile technology, but it won’t help improve productivity until the “basics” are in place. The fundamentals of maintenance management are the work process flow, planning and scheduling, partsinventory control, etc. If you don't have the basics in place, no amount of technology can help.

Once you determine the appropriate process flow and planning requirements for your operations, the right technology can help you tremendously. The trick is to make sure your CMMS supports your process flow, planning and scheduling model. PEAK identified a process-flow study as the first step in a St. Luke’s CMMS implementation. This study indicated several opportunities to improve planning and scheduling and revealed the many benefits of implementing mobile CMMS for Aurora Health Care. St. Luke’s mobile fireextinguisher inspection program was chosen to help prove the model. Planning and scheduling… After determining a good process flow, the planning and scheduling process can start. Many people believe that developing a planning and scheduling system for a maintenance department is a complicated task. It doesn’t have to be: Consider the usual process we follow in completing routine tasks outside work. For example, when we start a home-improvement project to replace kitchen tiles, we don’t immediately start pulling tiles off the wall. Instead, we think through the steps to complete the project, choose the best materials and plan for replacement parts. Next, we identify tools to remove the old tiles and account for drying time in the schedule. Maintenance jobs involve the same considerations. In many operations, the focus of a maintenance technician’s job is to fight fires that come in the form of urgent work orders. Without effective planning, time is wasted because priorities are not set and needed parts are not available. When technicians are sent to complete work orders without proper planning and scheduling, they—and the requesters—are frustrated by miscues, wasted time (looking for parts, unnecessary travel, etc.) and incomplete repairs. In the end, the maintenance supervisor is led to believe that more technicians are necessary. That’s not necessarily correct. In most cases, it is inefficient work flow that leads to low labor productivity. Look at it this way: If you had a crew of 50 technicians and improved their productivity by 20%, it would be like “hiring” 10 new technicians. The area of planning and scheduling is so important to your organization that a work order shouldn’t be released until those phases are complete.

Management often recognizes a problem, but committing to and seeing a solution through isn't as common. St. Luke's was different.

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CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Parts-inventory control… A planning and scheduling system, in turn, is not complete without establishing effective parts management. To ensure parts are available when work orders come in, the following steps must be taken: ■ Add a parts list to each piece of equipment. Technicians won’t waste time looking up part numbers and corresponding vendors.

Keep in mind that if you don't have your maintenance-management basics in place, no amount of technology can help you.

■ Instruct technicians to record substitute parts when they discover them. That information can save another technician significant time later on. ■ Review frequently used parts and delete obsolete items. Dealing with work orders Successful planning and scheduling is based on how work orders come into the maintenance department—and how they are handled. At St. Luke’s, most new work orders were arriving by phone. With more than 5000 work orders per month, that meant significant staff time was devoted just to answering calls. In addition, it was easy for details to be lost when orders were delivered verbally. As a result of the process-flow study, it was determined that increasing the number of work orders arriving electronically, rather than by phone, would save time and reduce requester frustration. Electronically submitted work orders would limit communication problems, because the requester’s exact words would be recorded for easy reference by technicians. An objective classification system is necessary to schedule work orders appropriately. PEAK supplied the following prioritization model, and St. Luke’s maintenance group adapted to their operations: ■ P1 = Urgent (Interrupt existing work.) ■ P2 = Important (Reschedule after finishing current assignment.) ■ P3 = (Complete within 3 days.) ■ P4 = (Complete within 7 days.) It's important to keep the priority ratings to a few categories. Too many priority ratings are just not practical. Defining roles St. Luke’s recognized that a central gatekeeper—or planner—needed to make decisions regarding work orders. The HVAC planner spends between one and two hours per day on planning and scheduling and the rest of the workday on actually performing maintenance tasks. The following duties were assigned to the HVAC planner: ■ Make scheduling decisions based on preliminary investigations. ■ Group work orders for one building or location. ■ Confirm availability of parts for the job. ■ Determine availability of work areas and/or equipment.

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

■ Limit interruptions to individual technician’s work by assigning urgent requests only to dedicated or pre-assigned technicians. At any given time, no more than 10% of technicians should be allocated to urgent jobs. The other 90% of the maintenance staff should be working on planned jobs and preventive maintenance (PM). ■ Order parts. ■ Review and revise PM procedures.

Releasing work orders on a weekly basis rather than on a monthly basis is delivering better results for St. Luke's. T H E U LT I M AT E P O W E R T R A N S M I S S I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

When you’re on a roll, you shouldn’t have to stop for anything.

■ Participate in continuous improvement of work orders and the planning and scheduling process. Staying on task with PM Urgent requests often dominate technicians’ attentions. As a result, preventive maintenance becomes a low priority and equipment condition deteriorates. In the end, technicians spend more time repairing equipment that would have been in working order if PM schedules had been followed all along. Thus, an effective planning and scheduling process pays great attention to ensuring that PM is completed on schedule. To ensure regular PM, St. Luke’s predetermines the amount of time needed to complete the work and the parts necessary. The planner adjusts planning information as technicians complete work orders and report data. The process-flow study discovered that releasing PM work orders on a weekly basis delivered better results than doing so on a monthly basis.When technicians received a smaller number of work orders at a time, it was less overwhelming and psychologically easier for them to handle. Planners would still develop a monthly PM work-order schedule— but the work orders would be released in weekly increments.

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MAY 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 19

CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES

The Role of the Planner • Identifies parts needed for a work order, checks availability and records them in the CMMS system. . . • Identifies special tools necessary for the job, checks availability and records that information in the CMMS system. . . • Attaches prints, drawings and instructions to the electronic work order. . . • Checks when the equipment or asset to be serviced will be available. . . • Assigns technician.

Benefits of proper planning and scheduling In addition to the cost savings in time and manpower, St. Luke’s realized other benefits of proper planning and scheduling. According to Doug Bertram (HVAC Planner), PMs are now completed on time. That extends equipment longevity and ensures the meeting of compliance requirements. Another benefit is that planners can assign jobs based on a technician’s location. That's especially helpful on a large campus where it may take a technician 20 or 30 minutes to report back to the maintenance department to receive the next assignment. Finally, Bertram notes that planning and scheduling reduced HVAC backlog. Now that the HVAC Maintenance Department planning and scheduling prototype is in place, other Aurora Health Care locations are considering implementation. They can take the successful HVAC example from St. Luke’s and adapt it to fit their own departments’ processes and needs. The next wave of CMMS: going mobile Mobile technology solutions add another layer of efficiency to CMMS systems. They allow technicians to collect performance data (readings and routes), offer a paperless environment and provide efficient ways to track parts inventory. Aurora Health Care has recognized that using handheld mobile devices to inspect fire extinguishers distributed throughout its sprawling facilities can improve efficiency, compliance and reporting. Keeping up with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements and local fire-department inspections can be a daunting task—particularly with a paper-based system. Fire extinguishers have to be in place and in good working order. Inspection and maintenance records for each extinguisher must be readily available for surveyors to see. In the initial stages of this pilot CMMS project, it was discovered that there were two critical aspects associated with every fire extinguisher: appropriate location and type of fire extinguisher. In large facilities like St. Luke’s, a major challenge is keeping track of this life-saving equipment in the event that it’s moved from one location to another. For example, a defective extinguisher may be swapped with one nearby. Or someone might think an extinguisher is needed in a certain spot and move it without recording that fact. Those changes need to be documented and missing equipment replaced. With the assistance of PEAK, St. Luke’s implemented a CMMS mobile system that identifies each fire extinguisher as a piece of equipment—and records each unit at its specific location.

St. Luke's management is just as enthusiastic about this initiative now as it was when the CMMS project began several years ago.

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MAY 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

How the mobile system works… The system tracks fire extinguishers with bar codes on both fire extinguishers and mount locations. At St. Luke’s, security officers from the Loss Prevention Department are responsible for fire-extinguisher inspections. Each inspection includes a check to ensure the fire-extinguisher location and type are correct and whether each inspection passed or failed. On an ongoing basis, every fire-extinguisher location— along with the name of the officer who inspected it— is recorded. When the equipment isn't in its expected location, it can be replaced quickly. Then, Plant Operations can follow up on why the equipment was missing or moved. The mobile CMMS tracking system allows facility officials to view, at a glance, the location and inspection for any of their 700 fire extinguishers. Maintenance managers can email periodic reports to monitor progress on inspections as the month proceeds. If problems arise, they can be fixed before fire-prevention officials visit for an audit. This system also instills a higher level of confidence regarding the performance of inspection and maintenance activities related to the fire extinguishers. Now St. Luke’s can identify where its 700 fire extinguishers are at any time. The equipment is inspected every month without the tedious task of recording information on paper tags (a process that could lend itself to falsification of records should a technician write the incorrect inspection date on a tag or, worse, document in writing an inspection that never occurred). The mobile system meets compliance requirements and is accepted by fire marshals.

(Author’s Note: Success of the program would not have been possible without the support of John Dobrzynski, Supervisor of Security and Loss Prevention. His willingness to accept Plant Operations’ recommendations is credited with the successful implementation and security officer buy-in to use the mobile devices properly.) The right protocol pays off Aurora Health Care’s CMMS system implementation, piloted at St. Luke’s, has been successful because of strong support and commitment from management. In fact, management’s enthusiasm is as high now as when the project began several years ago. The CMMS system continues to generate data that allows management to make meaningful decisions. Today, the results from the HVAC Department’s planning and scheduling improvements are driving management to implement the same process throughout Aurora’s other facilities. With its mobile fire-extinguisher inspection process, St. Luke’s is confident that its equipment is in compliance with federal and local fire codes. Another major benefit is that Plant Operations staff members spend less time preparing for required inspections by the fire marshal and other entities. With data and reports available at their fingertips, personnel can respond to inspectors’ questions quickly. That’s a better way—a very healthy way—for any operation to do business. MT A long-time educator and consultant to industry, Kris Bagadia is President of PEAK Industrial Solutions, LLC. Telephone: (262) 783-6260; email: krisb@peakis.com.

Snapshot of a Mobile Fire Extinguisher Maintenance Program Aurora St. Luke’s mobile fire extinguisher maintenance program includes the following features: • Ability to track 700 fire extinguishers throughout the facility • Quick notification of missing fire extinguishers • Reliable documentation of fire extinguisher inspection and maintenance • Real-time reporting capabilities that allow staff members to see completed and pending inspections at a glance • Assurance that security officers are inputting information correctly through guidance from the mobile system

MAY 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 21

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By Gary Mintchell

sset-management tools keep proliferating as suppliers place information technology (IT) applications into service to help owner/operators manage their assets in a more intelligent way. I recently had an opportunity to catch up with Erik Udstuen, Business Leader for Software and Services at GE Intelligent Platforms. I wanted to know more about GE IP combining its acquisitions of SmartSignal and CSense with organic development to create a business that brings together data, predicting, prognostics and diagnostics into “process tools for the enterprise.” The company’s developers, according to Udstuen, worked on the organic part for two years, reworking recording, reporting and diagnostics toward an assetintelligence solution. This included collaborating with other GE businesses that work with GE Energy to monitor gas-turbine fleets around the world. The idea is to not only alert operators about pending failures, but also work with customers for process optimization. Udstuen explained that the SmartSignal patent portfolio on prognostics, among other technologies, emphasizes monitoring major pieces of equipment and alerting on an anomaly. CSense, a South African-based company that focuses on deeper analytics, had developed a suite of tools including neural net, fuzzy logic and other core machine-learning technologies into a machine-learning environment with deep analytics. “SmartSignal focused on failures,” he pointed out, “CSense on optimization/process performance.” The combination of the three streams into one offering solved the problems of building a massive historical database and finding the needle in the haystack: important information needed by operators in real time. Udstuen said that in the current example of 1800 turbines, each might collect 10,000 measurements. The number of technicians in Atlanta, though, is quite small. Thus, the software analytics must sift the data for the important information. “Our vision is to be the world-class remote-monitoring platform across many industries,” Udstuen noted. With 60% of the North American power-gen market today, power generation and oil and gas are big industries for GE. Given the fact that oil and gas is mainly upstream right now, he told me, “We’re expanding power-generation capability globally and pushing into the oil and gas midstream.” MT Gary Mintchell, gmintchell@automationworld.com, is Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of Automation World magazine and blogs at www.garymintchellsfeedforward.com. For more info, enter 01 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Call 866.879.9144 or sales@fosterprinting.com For more info, enter 71 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

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C: 60 M: 0 Y: 100 K: 28

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220 207

Taming Those Misbehaving Motors It takes a lot to stump most maintenance pros. The points in this article, though, may help you become an even better troubleshooter.

193 179 164 147 130 112 91

Thomas H. Bishop, P.E. Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA)

iven the number of motors in most plants, it’s not surprising that they sometimes misbehave. While maintenance professionals are typically well equipped to tame the unruly motors that come their way, they’re occasionally puzzled by the following three behaviors:

1. The motor is drawing high no-load current. 2. The current of the three line leads isn't balanced. 3. The motor is running hot. Let’s troubleshoot When any of the above situations arise, it’s helpful to know how to assess them, as well as what their likely causes are and how to prevent future occurrences. 1. The motor is drawing high no-load current… A good way to determine if a motor is running properly at no load is to check the current draw with an ammeter. Low-speed motors, typically with 8 or more poles (900 rpm and slower), draw relatively high no-load current. If possible, compare the suspected high no-load current reading with the motor manufacturer’s data and previous service-center repair records. The applied line voltage

MAY 2012

should also be compared with the motor's rated voltage. Table I shows typical ranges for motor no-load current. Higher-than-rated line voltage will increase no-load current; lower-than-rated voltage will reduce it. As obvious as this sounds, it is often overlooked when test running a motor, such as one rated 208 volts and tested at an actual line voltage of 240 volts or above. Table I. Typical Ranges of No-load Current vs. Winding Poles Poles (rpm) of 3-phase induction motor

Expected no-load current as a fraction of FLA

Approximate percent of FLA

2 (3600) 4 (1800) 6 (1200) 8 (900) 10 (720) or higher

1/4 to 1/3 1/3 to >3/8 1/3 to <1/2 1/3 to >5/8 3/5 to >FLA

25-33 33-40 33-45 33-63 60-110

MT-ONLINE.COM | 23

MAINTENANCE LOG

If the motor has been rewound recently, the situation may be different. Magnetic-flux values that are too high or core loss that is excessive will often result in higher than normal no-load current. Good service-center repair practices can prevent the high-current issue by checking the magneticflux densities and correcting the winding data before the motor is rewound, rather than after it is fully assembled. A software application like EASA’s “AC Motor Verification and Redesign Program” can be used by a service center to quickly check the magnetic densities and “flag” values outside typical acceptance ranges. The condition of the laminated stator core should be checked, and repaired or replaced if necessary, before a motor is rewound. Testing can be done with a commercial core tester or with a “loop test.” Although “lower-tech” than a core tester, the loop test can readily pinpoint poorly insulated or damaged areas of the stator core by causing to heat up when a load is applied. Good repair practices like these minimize downtime while conserving copper and other valuable materials that would be needed to repair or replace a defective winding or core that is discovered after the motor has been reassembled. 2. The current of the three line leads isn't balanced… The current unbalance could be due to the motor or the supply line. To determine which one is the source, arbitrarily label the supply lines A, B and C, and the motor leads 1, 2 and 3. Connect A to 1, B to 2 and C to 3, then operate the motor and measure the current in the three lines. Next, de-energize the motor and connect A to 3, B to 1 and C to 2, then operate the motor and again measure the current in the three lines. If the high-current and low-current readings follow the same line leads, the supply is the cause. If the high and low readings follow the motor leads, the motor is the source. This is illustrated in Table II. Table II. Example of Unbalanced Current Following the Line Leads (A Supply Voltage Issue) Line leads Amps Motor leads

Line leads Amps Motor leads

INITIAL TEST RECONNECTED TEST A 112 1 B 126 1 B 126 2 C 116 2 C 116 3 A 112 3

If the supply is the source of the unbalance, the supply voltages need to be better balanced. NEMA Std. MG 1 prescribes a 1% limit for voltage unbalance, noting that current unbalance can be expected to be 6-10 times the voltage unbalance on a percent basis. If the supply voltage 24 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

unbalance exceeds 1% or the current unbalance exceeds 10%, the supply voltages must be corrected to less than 1% unbalance or the motor must be de-rated. If the motor is the source of the unbalance, the turns per phase or per parallel circuit are probably not balanced or the winding is misconnected. An error when making coils could lead to some coils having more or fewer turns than others, resulting in unequal turns in a circuit (versus other circuits) or a phase. The unbalanced turns will result in unbalanced currents much the same as with unbalanced supply voltages. An unbalanced or misconnected winding can usually be detected using a surge tester. Measuring the lead-to-lead resistance with a digital low-resistance ohmmeter (DLRO) may also detect unequal turns. The lead-to-lead resistance should be within 5% of the average. If the air gap—the space between the stator and the rotor— is eccentric, unbalanced currents can occur. In that case, the “high leg” will stay with the motor. Another possibility is an open connection that leaves out a circuit in a multiple circuit winding. An example is a 4-parallel delta connection with one circuit of one phase not connected. The result is a winding with three circuits in one phase and four circuits in each of the two correctly connected phases. Testing lead-tolead with a DLRO would detect this condition. 3. The motor is running hot… There’s no way to determine if a motor is running hot just by touching the frame—and doing so is dangerous. Maximum temperature ratings are based on insulation class and apply to the winding temperature at the hottest spot inside the motor. As a general rule, the frame can be 20 to 40 C degrees cooler (less or more), depending on the design and the enclosure. Still, with some modern insulation systems, the surface temperature of the motor could be hot enough to burn your fingers or hand. (CAUTION: Never use a body part to check the temperature of a motor. Use a temperature-detection device.) To illustrate how hot a frame could be, assume a highefficiency design motor with Class F insulation has a 40 C ambient temperature and operates with a Class B temperature rise—i.e., a winding temperature rise of 90 C degrees. At full load, that means the total winding temperature would be about 130 C (90 C + 40 C), well below the 155 C design limit for Class F insulation. Assuming the frame temperature is 40 C lower than the winding temperature (which is rather liberal), the surface temperature of the frame would be about 90 C, or 194 F. No one should touch a frame that hot. A safer and more effective way to determine if a motor is running hot is to estimate the temperature of the winding. MAY 2012

MAINTENANCE LOG

Install thermocouple on center line of laminations through outlet box opening

Drill hole through frame at center line to laminations

Center line of motor

Fig. 1. Using a thermocouple on the stator core in a terminal box to estimate winding temperature

The estimated winding temperature will be about 5 to 10 C degrees (9 to 18 F degrees) hotter than the temperature at the outside of the axial center of the stator core. To estimate the winding temperature in critical applications, a thermocouple can be installed on the stator core in the terminal box (refer to Fig. 1). A temperature-detection device like the one shown in Fig. 2 can also be used to safely measure the temperature at the same location or to check other parts of the motor. If the

Fig. 2. Using a digital infrared thermometer to check motor-bearing temperature MAY 2012

winding temperature is higher than expected compared with the frame's surface temperature, it's possible that the stator core is loose in the frame—which would inhibit heat transfer. Other causes of excessive heat in the winding can be external or internal to the motor. External causes include high ambient temperature, contaminants, mechanical overload, high inertia loads, high- or low-supply voltage or unbalanced voltages. Total winding temperature is the combination of winding temperature rise plus ambient temperature. If the ambient is 10 C degrees (18 F degrees) hotter than normal, the winding under the same conditions will be 10 C degrees (18 F degrees) hotter and have approximately half of its normal thermal life. Contaminants that build up on the motor—or that block the ventilation passages—increase the temperature of the winding and other components (such as bearings), resulting in premature failure. Mechanical overload simply means the driven load is greater than the motor’s power rating. A pump or fan with a discharge valve or damper open too wide can increase load, as can putting too much load weight on a conveyor. High-inertia loads such as fans or blowers that result in extended starting time increase heating of both the rotor and the stator. High- or low-supply voltages will result in either excessive core losses or reduced torque capability, respectively. Unbalanced voltages increase current in at least one phase, increasing the I2R (current squared times resistance) copper losses of the winding. They also create “negative sequence” currents (a topic beyond the scope of this article) that heat the stator and rotor surface at twice line frequency. Causes of excessive winding temperature internal to the motor include contaminants that build up in the motor or block ventilation passages, missing or damaged air deflectors or a winding with incorrect data. Examples of incorrect winding data include a misconnected winding (e.g., a winding connected delta instead of wye); a winding with “dropped” turns (reducing turns increases magnetic-flux density and core losses); or incorrect voltage (e.g., a 208-volt winding being operated on a 240-volt supply system). A damaged stator core can greatly increase core losses and cause excessive heating and high current even at no-load (refer to common problem #1). MT Thomas H. Bishop, P.E. is a Senior Technical Support Specialist at the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA), based in St. Louis, MO. EASA is an international trade association of more than 1900 ﬁrms in 58 countries that sell and service electrical, electronic and mechanical apparatus. Telephone: (314) 993-2220; email: easainfo@easa.com. For more info, enter 02 at www.MT-freeinfo.com MT-ONLINE.COM | 25

ELECTRICAL-SAFETY SENSE

Elimination Of Risk Phil Allen, President, Grace Engineered Products

he practical side of electrical safety gets much easier when this one simple principle is embraced: elimination of risk. The Risk Control Hierarchy in ANSI Z10 Standard explains that hazard prevention is much more effective than hazard protection. Thus, a worker who is exposed to a hazard—and is protected accordingly—still is in significantly more danger than workers who have no exposure to a hazard. Preventing exposure, in electrical-safety terms, requires keeping workers away from voltage. Translation: Electrical panels should be designed to allow more tasks to be done without exposure to voltage. Thru-panel programming ports offer that type of solution. They allow workers to program a panel without opening the panel door. PESDs: safety + compliance An electrical-safety program is safer when workers can determine a zero electrical-energy state without any voltage exposure to themselves. Permanent Electrical Safety Devices (PESDs) allow for thru-door electrical safety and greater NFPA 70E/CSA Z462 compliance. That’s important for any safetyconscious company. PESDs inherently enhance any mechanical or electrical lock-out/tag-out procedure because they allow for verification of electrical isolation from outside the panel—without exposing the worker to voltage. An example of such a voltage indicator is a PESD that mounts outside the panel. It is a hard-wired LED indicator permanently wired to the phase(s) and ground, and illuminates when 40VAC/30VDC or greater voltage differential exists between two lone inputs. No question Before PESDs, creating an electrically safe work condition depended solely on the portable multimeter. This tool is not just used in electrical safety: Its features make it invaluable for other purposes, including electrical troubleshooting and diagnostics. A PESD, however, leaves no question or confusion when a worker uses it in creating an electrically safe work condition. That’s because today’s PESDs have been designed, built and installed for a single purpose—voltage indication for electrical safety. MT To learn more about specific recommendations and practices, email the author: philallen@grace-eng.com. For more info, enter 03 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

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UM BIG MONEY TALKS

XX UM

William C. Livoti, GIW/KSB

Gearbox Efficiency: There’s Money To Be Saved

earing is a common way to reduce speed and boost torque. During this transformation, the gear “consumes” a certain percentage of power. This power is termed as a loss and is measured in watts. Efficiency—as it relates to enclosed gearing— is simply the ratio of the output power (power transmitted through the gearbox as usable work) to the input power. Losses can be measured by subtracting the power out from the input power. As losses are reduced or minimized, efficiency improves. Gearing losses are due to friction. Two gears in mesh generate losses and inefficiency from the sliding action of one gear tooth against the corresponding tooth of the mating gear. This action converts usable power to heat and reduces overall efficiency of the gear set. While it’s inaccurate to say that a specific gear type has a definite efficiency, some gear types typically operate at lower efficiencies than others. How to calculate these losses Keeping in mind various gearing types (right angle helical bevel; right angle worm/helical; parallelhelical; and right angle worm), it’s easy to determine gearing losses:

4. Calculate annual energy savings, cost of energy in $/kW and estimated hours of operation per year as follows: Savings / year = power saved (watts) x cost of energy ($/kW) x hours of operation 5. In justifying the cost premium of an alternative gearing selection, you can calculate simple payback (i.e., number of years required to pay off the initial investment) as follows: Simple payback = initial cost difference / savings / year Of course, common sense reduces the need to calculate losses. For example, avoid over-powering the application. The proper selection of gearing and motor to meet application requirements will save energy and keep equipment costs low. Gearing should be applied based on output capability— not on the input power required. During idle periods, consider turning off equipment. Finally, remember that proper installation and alignment are priceless, as is proper maintenance.

2. Comparing two choices of gearing for an application, the power savings is the difference in the power losses or the difference in the input power required: Power saved (watts) = input power choice 1 - input power choice 2

Conclusion Since many factors affect gearbox efficiency, it can be worthwhile to perform a system study and replace inefficient, unreliable gearboxes with more reliable units. For example, the durability and longevity of helical bevel gears often makes it possible to replace a worm gearbox/motor combination with a smallerhorsepower input-HB and produce more torque at the driven shaft. The bottom line is if you’re using the right gearing type—and following the above advice— you can expect to save money while you boost reliability and efficiency. UM

3. If data is available, converting from horsepower to watts yields the savings directly: Power saved (watts) = 746 x HP in [ 1- eff lower / eff higher ]

Bill Livoti is Power Engineering - Energy Efficiency Service Center Engineering/Manager for the GIW/KSB Florida Service Center in Mulberry, FL. Email: William.Livoti@giwindustries.com.

1. Measure losses by subtracting the power out from the input power: Power losses (watts) = input power (watts) - output power (watts)

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| UTILITIES 30 VOLUME 2 / NO.MANAGER 2

| 30 7 / NO. 2 UTILITIESVOLUME MANAGER

UM Editor’s Note: This article is based on one that first appeared in the March 2012 issue of Commercial Building Products, a sister publication of Maintenance Technology.

Specify Backup Power That Fits Ensuring that your selected backup-power system can meet both current and future needs depends on a number of factors. Michael Kirchner Generac Power Systems

eace of mind is a priceless and coveted commodity in today’s business environment. Adequate backup power contributes to that peace of mind, because downtime means lost revenue. Thus, specifying a backup-power system that’s appropriate to a particular application requires attention to several details.

The first thing to consider when specifying a backuppower system should be obvious: power demand— the amount of electricity needed to back up all necessary circuits. However, what’s often not so obvious are the future power needs for the application. Over time, the power demands of a building (or the tenants in that building, if applicable) will likely change. The demands won’t get smaller, either. According to a commentary by Max Schultz on Forbes.com, ( h t t p : / / w w w. f o r b e s . co m / 2 0 0 9 / 0 6 / 0 4 / a m e r i c a power-grid-opinions-contributors-energy.html), the U.S. economy will require 30% more electricity by 2030. Increased power needs place more demand on a backupVolume 7 / no. 2

power system in emergency situations and can reach a point where the system is no longer capable of supplying the necessary amount of power. Additionally, because backup-power systems have an effective life of several decades, it’s important to build in scalability so as not to replace a perfectly good—not to mention costly—system before its effective life has been exhausted. Scalability can be addressed in a single-generator solution by designing extra capacity into the specification to allow for future power needs. This approach, while often acceptable, has its drawbacks. First, it requires an accurate estimate of what the maximum power needs of an application will be over the course utilities manager | 31

of the generator’s life. It also ties up capital in the backuppower system at the outset—monies that might be better invested elsewhere. Additionally, because large generators use equally large engines that are manufactured in relatively small volumes, turnaround time for such a system can be longer than anticipated, which can cause problems from a project-scheduling standpoint. An excellent alternative to this approach is a modular power system, in which several smaller generators are connected in parallel to provide the necessary output. Such systems are becoming increasingly cost-effective and space-efficient, thanks to new digital technologies that control all generator functions and switchgear integrated into the generators themselves. As the power needs for the application grow, other generators can be easily added to the system to provide extra capacity. This allows for a less-accurate initial estimate of how power needs will grow, since more capacity can be added in relatively small increments. A modular system also offers installation flexibility not found in a single-generator (genset) solution, because the units need not be installed side by side. Furthermore, because these smaller generators typically use high-volume, on-highway truck- and automotive-derivative engines, instead of the lower-volume large engines mentioned earlier, most manufacturers can fulfill modular powersystem generator orders in a shorter time. That means additional capacity can be added very quickly to a system to accommodate growth. Build in reliability Reliability is also a key factor in specifying a backup-power system. Nothing is worse than expecting a backup-power system to protect your investment, only to have it fail when it’s needed most. While on the surface, reliability sounds subjective—related exclusively to one’s belief in a brand name or faith in a particular system’s components—there are some concrete ways to evaluate reliability in a backup-power system. Consider the single-engine vs. modular-power system example described above. Large single-engine gensets can offer reliability on the order of 98% to 99%, which is acceptable in many applications. However, there are applications, such as those associated with mission-critical data, where a power failure means a business failure— not just a loss of revenue. In such cases, maximizing reliability should be the goal. Modular power systems can do that, as well, through increased redundancy. Unlike a single-generator solution, no one generatorfailure results in the failure of the entire backup-power system. As previously mentioned, if the reliability of a standby generator is defined at 98%, a modular power system with an N + 1 configuration has a reliability of 99.96%, and an 32 | utilities manager

N + 2 configuration has a reliability of 99.999%. Therefore, when power absolutely, positively must remain on, it might be wise to eschew a single-generator solution in favor of a modular power system. The fuel supply is another reliability factor. Diesel fuel has been the traditional choice for backup power because its high thermal efficiency typically results in a lower cost/kilowatt in larger applications. On-site emergency-system fuel storage also tends to be preferred by many authority-having-jurisdiction (AHJ) agencies. Issues of fuel storage, contamination and breakdown, however, can have an impact on system reliability. If ongoing fuel maintenance will be a challenge, a diesel-fueled genset might not be the best choice. Natural gas is being considered more often for standby applications because it avoids the diesel-fuel storage issues. The natural-gas infrastructure is generally not affected by utility failures. The natural-gas supply, though, can be affected in situations such as seismic activity, raising questions of suitability for code-required emergency systems. The AHJ can address the reliability of natural gas in a given area. If on-site fuel storage is required for the application, dual-fuel gensets that can operate on both natural gas and on-site LP fuel are an option. Bi-fuel generators, which simultaneously burn diesel and natural gas, effectively capitalize on the benefits of diesel and gaseous fuels while minimizing drawbacks that affect reliability. They offer the extended run times of natural gas, but can operate on 100% diesel fuel, if necessary. The amount of diesel fuel stored on site is significantly reduced as well, because natural gas is the dominant fuel. Other benefits include reduced maintenance costs, lower emissions and reduced operational costs. Explore standards compliance As clear from the previous discussion, it’s always wise to consult with the appropriate AHJ regarding specific code questions. For example, the key NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standard for backup-power generation is NFPA 110, which addresses the assembly, installation and performance of backup-power supplies for emergency systems and legally required standby loads. Compliance with NFPA 110 is compulsory in those jurisdictions that also have adopted NFPA 101 (life-safety code) or NFPA 99 (healthcare facilities), as both of those standards require NFPA 110 compliance. The local AHJ can advise as to whether NFPA 110 compliance is required for a facility backup-power system. But even if it is not, NFPA 110 compliance goes a long way toward ensuring that a backup-power system is adequate for supporting key building systems in particular applications. It can also help you determine the size and type of system you will specify for a given application. Volume 7 / no. 2

Consider maintenance requirements Preventive maintenance is the most effective and important tool for ensuring the reliability and adequacy of any backup-power system. However, different backup-power systems will require different amounts of maintenance. The ability of the end-user to comply with the system’s maintenance schedule should be considered when specifying a system. Single-engine gensets offer the benefits that come from having only one unit that needs maintenance. On the other hand, such units incorporate engines built in lower volumes, so consumable preventive-maintenance components tend to be more costly. Moreover, singleengine gensets require large volumes of oil and coolant— which are also pricey items. Before specifying such a unit, it’s important to make sure that the end-user is willing to bear these maintenance costs. Note, too, that since just a single generator will be providing all backup power, the facility won’t be protected during any maintenance that calls for taking the unit offline Modular power systems, by comparison, are multiple in number and offer the advantage of units that can be taken offline—one at a time—for extensive maintenance without eliminating the facility’s backup-power protection. Moreover, because they are powered by engines that are produced in much higher volumes, preventive-maintenance consumables are more cost-effective.

Keep in mind that the chosen fuel supply also affects preventive maintenance. Diesel fuel, for instance, requires more maintenance than gaseous fuels. Unless properly maintained, diesel fuel will lose its efficacy. Maintenance requires the removal of water and dirt from the diesel tank. Water must also be drained from the tank monthly/ weekly in more active systems or in areas with large daily temperature changes. If the end-user operation is unable to perform this type of maintenance, a diesel-fueled genset might not be appropriate. The value in peace of mind There’s no doubt that backup-power systems mean peace of mind for building owners. Selecting the right system requires planning for those things that truly matter: current and future power needs, reliability, standards compliance and ongoing maintenance. Specifiers and endusers need to stay mindful of these items while maintaining a strong working relationship with the local AHJ to ensure that the right system for the application is installed. MT Michael Kirchner is Technical-Support Manager for Generac Power Systems in Waukesha, WI. A 12-year veteran of the company, he holds both an Electrical Engineering degree and Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin. For more info, enter 262 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Improved Cooling Of Electrical Enclosures

XAIR’s Dual High Temperature Cabinet Cooler® Systems purge and cool overheated electrical-control panels in harsh environments up to 200 F (93 C). Incorporating a vortex tube that cools ordinary compressed air to cold air without the use of refrigerants, they can be mounted through a standard electrical knockout while still maintaining the NEMA 12, 4 or 4X rating of the enclosure. Thermostat controls minimize compressed air use, keeping the enclosure at ± 2 F of the temperature setting. An automatic drain filter separator prevents moisture from passing into the enclosure. With no moving parts to wear out, maintenance issues are reduced. These new systems are available with cooling capacities of 4000, 4800 and 5600 Btu/hr, and are UL Listed and CE compliant. Applications include variable frequency drives, programmable controllers, industrial computers, motor controls, microprocessors and robotics.

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utilities manager | 33

TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

MRO Equipment & Supplies Welding Gloves For A Range Of Applications

est Chester Holdings’ new IRONCAT® line of welding gloves is designed for the unique heat-shielding, dexterity and protection demands of Stick, MIG and TIG welding applications. IRONCAT Stick-welding gloves incorporate thick materials to withstand the higher heat of this process. Their 14” length protects forearms, while welts protect finger seams against sparks and abrasion. IRONCAT MIG-welding gloves allow for maximum dexterity with an unlined palm, while foam insulation on the back of the hand provides increased heat protection. Wing thumb designs for open-handed work are available, as are straight thumb designs for better grip. A reinforced thumb strap increases durability in high-wear areas. IRONCAT TIG-welding gloves are made of light-weight, unlined materials for maximum dexterity. Goatskin models offer durability and comfort, while the kidskin gloves aid ease of movement. For softer feel and comfort, deerskin gloves are available. West Chester Holdings, Inc. Monroe, OH

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34 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

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CAPACITY ASSURANCE MARKETPLACE

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he Powerfoil X2.0 ceiling fan from Big Ass Fans features a patented airfoil system that combines airfoils and winglets with the company’s AirFences™ to increase overall coverage. The winglet improves airfoil effectiveness by eliminating turbulence at the tip, while the AirFences capture air that would otherwise slip off the end of the airfoil. Completely enclosed electronics and the NitroSeal™ custom gearbox help ensure the fan’s durability.

ableWISE®, a service of UtilX, is a unique, non-destructive on-line electrical system assessment technology that can evaluate the condition of cable systems, transformers and switchgear without them having to be shut down. Knowing a cable system’s weaknesses allows owners, asset managers and reliability engineers to be proactive in identifying and repairing problems before they cause outages. The CableWISE technology can detect the deterioration in cables, splices and terminations on both new and aged cable systems. Developed for the utilities industry, it’s now available for commercial and industrial customers.

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CAPACITY ASSURANCE MARKETPLACE

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at Lift Trucks’ 2EPC5000 – 2EP6500 Series is a line of electric pneumatic tire lift trucks with a capacity of 5000–6500 lbs. According to the manufacturer, these 80V units deliver performance comparable to internal combustion models, but reduce overall maintenance costs and cut emission levels to almost zero. Offering a 10% increase in energy efficiency over the previous generation, they also let operators run up to two shifts per one battery charge in most applications.

High-Clarity IR Camera

LIR’s T440 infrared camera offers sharp thermal resolution at 76,800 pixels (320x240) and the company’s exclusive MSX™ MultiSpectral Dynamic Imaging. MSX adds the detail of real-time visible spectrum images captured by the built-in digital camera to thermal spectrum images, providing high sharpness, contrast and clarity. Other capabilities include scalable picturein-picture and thermal fusion for easier image identification and added context. Users can add voice and text comments to images and sketch right on the screen. FLIR Systems Portland, OR

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ENGINEERED TO SERVE INDUSTRY MAINTENANCE At Revere, we engineer controls for an incredible range of industrial applications. From mining conveyor controls to 15 kV switchgear and plant wide PLC systems for municipal, industrial and energy applications. System upgrades, expansions, and maintenance. Control your systems. Control your business.

Revolutionary Technique for Condition Monitoring SPM®HD is implemented in the Intellinova® Compact, a new addition to the very successful range of SPM Instruments on-line condition monitoring products.

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36 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE MARKETPLACE

Easy, Less-Messy Oil-Sampling

ccording to JLM Systems, the Pass-Thru technology on its recently introduced OILMISER™ Pass-Thru Sampling Valve (SV-PT) is a game changer for oil sampling. Designed with a plated steel body and Hex cap with chain tether, the device’s Pass-Thru feature allows a ¼” OD plastic tube or the OILMISER™ passthrough pitot tube to be inserted from the outside into the machine from which oil is being sampled. A tube seal/wiper strips surface oil from the sampling tube. The new SV-PT is available with a ¼”, ⅜”, ½” or ¾” NPT male pipe thread.

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Water-Resistant Computer Terminal

he Everest S9000 stainlesssteel computer terminal from Glacier Computer is suitable for conditions that require water resistance, such as food processing, outdoor kiosks, clean rooms and some marine applications. The unit provides a NEMA4/IP65 power supply and I/O, with the AC power supply, I/O connectors and cables available with a NEMA4/IP65 rating. The terminal utilizes the INTEL Atom N270 1.6 GHz processor with a 2.5” SATA HDD, Internal 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual internal antennas and 12” and 15” displays. Glacier Computer New Milford, CT For more info, enter 35 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

7-Step Best Practice Lubrication Program Professional Self-Directed Implementation ToolKit COOL ELECTRONIC CABINETS

UL Listed and CE compliant Cabinet Coolers are the low cost way to cool and purge heat sensitive electronics. The compact Cabinet Coolers produce cold air at 20°F from compressed air. NEMA 4, 4X (stainless steel), and 12 models are available with thermostat control to minimize compressed air usage. No moving parts assures long life and maintenance free operation. Ideal cooling capacities for control panels.

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MAY 2012

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MT-ONLINE.COM | 37

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Engineered Products

U.S. Tsubaki Power Transmission, LLC is excited to announce the integration of KabelSchlepp America into its operations as part of the Tsubakimoto Chain Company’s global acquisition of the German-based Cable & Hose Carrier manufacturer. KabelSchlepp America will now operate as a division of U.S. Tsubaki and will expand Tsubaki’s presence in the U.S. market by adding cable & hose carrier systems to its already extensive product lineup.

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Increase Productivity and Safety with Mechanical LOTO

Workers performing mechanical LOTO procedures must isolate electrical energy. Externally-mounted voltage detectors provide a means of checking voltage inside an electrical panel. Without these devices, a mechanic performing mechanical LOTO would be required to work in tandem with an electrician using a voltmeter to physically verify voltage inside an electrical panel. In this case, the electrician is exposed to voltage. With The Combo Unit, the mechanic can single-handedly check for zero electrical energy without any exposure to voltage.

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Submissions Policy: M T gladly welcomes submissions. By sending us your submission, unless otherwise negotiated in writing with our editor(s), you grant Applied Technology Publications, Inc., permission, by an irrevocable license, to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish, and adapt your submission in any medium, including via Internet, on multiple occasions. You are, of course, free to publish your submission yourself or to allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be returned. Reproduction of Materials: Materials produced by Maintenance Technology may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without permission. For Reprints: Contact the publisher, Bill Kiesel (847) 382-8100 ext. 116.

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ARTHURSTAFF L. RICE SALES President/CEO arice@atpnetwork.com OH, KY, TN

135 N. Rocky River Road Berea, OH 44017 MADDING 440-463-0907; 440-891-1254 Vice Fax President tmadding@atpnetwork.com JOHN DAVIS jdavis@atpnetwork.com BILL KIESEL Vice President, Publisher

AL, DC,bkiesel@atpnetwork.com DE, FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, VA, WV 1750 Holmes Drive West Chester, PAStaff 19382 Business 610-793-3093; Fax 610-793-3094 JIM HANLEY TERRI WYMORE Director of Creative Services/Production jhanley@atpnetwork.com twymore@atpnetwork.com

IA, MN, NE, ND, SD ELLEN SANDKAM 1300 South Grove Suite 105 DirectAvenue, Mail Barrington, IL 60010 esandkam@atplists.com 847-382-8100 x116; Fax 847-304-8603 BILL KIESEL Sales Staff bkiesel@atpnetwork.com

AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT, ON, QC MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, OK, SC, SD,P.O. TX,Box WI, 1059 Ontario Canada Osterville, 02655 1300 South GroveMA Avenue, Suite 105 Barrington, 60010 508-428-3331; FaxIL 508-428-2545 847-382-8100; 847-304-8603 VINCENTFax LeGENDRE BILL KIESEL vlegendre@atpnetwork.com bkiesel@atpnetwork.com KY, IL, IN,OH, MI,TN WI 135 N. S. Rocky River Road 1173 Summit Street Berea, OHIL44017 Barrington, 60010 440-463-0907; Fax 440-891-1254 847-382-8100 x108;DAVIS Fax 847-304-8603 JOHN TOM MADDING jdavis@atpnetwork.com tmadding@atpnetwork.com AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA,WY, British Columbia Canada AR,South KS, LA, MO, NM, OK, TX 1300 Grove Avenue, Suite 105 5930Barrington, Royal Lane,IL Suite E #201 60010 847-382-8100; 847-304-8603 Dallas, Fax TX 75230 TOM MADDING 972-816-3534; Fax 972-767-4442 tmadding@atpnetwork.com GERRY MAYER gmayer@atpnetwork.com CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV, Quebec Canada, Space 225 NV, Fuller Street AZ, CA, CO,Age, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, Brookline, MA 02446 WY, AB, BC, MB, SK 617-232-2000; Fax 617-232-2951 3605 N. Tuscany VINCE CAVASENO Mesa, AZ 85207 vcavaseno@atpnetwork.com 480-396-9585 ClassifiedJERRY Advertising/Electronic Sales: PRESTON 1300jpreston@atpnetwork.com South Grove Avenue, Suite 105 Barrington, IL 60010 847-382-8100; Fax 847-304-8603 TRACY RYLE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING tryle@atpnetwork.com 3605 N. Tuscany Mesa, AZ 85207 480-396-9585 JERRY PRESTON jpreston@atpnetwork.com

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MAY 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 39

viewpoint Gary Pearsons, Vice President and General Manager Customer Support & Maintenance, Rockwell Automation

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify (Your Support Experience)

ike their colleagues in other departments, those responsible for equipment maintenance have felt the reality of a declining engineering and manufacturing workforce. And when that shrinking workforce meets budget cuts, many manufacturers decide to focus on efficiency improvements— in their production infrastructure, in their workforce or in their supply chain—as a means to improve uptime and reduce costs short-term without negatively impacting their long-term strategic direction. When identifying and implementing these operational efficiencies, however, manufacturers should also consider their plant maintenance efforts. Indeed, most maintenance engineers currently face a fairly complex troubleshooting effort when problems arise during production. For example: The line operator calls a maintenance engineer to examine a glitch. Perhaps it’s a mechanical or configuration issue, or maybe it’s the control technology installed on the line. If it is the control technology, and the maintenance engineer is able to identify that a part needs to be replaced, he/she attempts to locate a spare part. If the spare is convenient, the engineer installs it and sends the faulty hardware out for repair, which requires getting quotes from multiple vendors and other time-consuming tasks. Alternatively, the root of the issue might be difficult to identify, or maybe the maintenance engineer isn’t sure precisely how to configure the replacement part, thus requiring outside support to fix the issue. A manager has to approve the cost for that support, and a service engineer has to be dispatched, often taking more time than the application can afford to be down. Simplifying these efforts could help maintenance engineers be far more effective in their jobs. For example, if the maintenance engineer could immediately phone a control engineer to not only diagnose the problem quickly but also simultaneously initiate appropriate remediation, this not only reduces the amount of time it takes to administer support but also reduces the amount of time production is down. In addition, utilizing this single-phone-call

methodology creates more time for the maintenance engineer to spend on preventive and predictive tasks—something that can ultimately help reduce the number of downtime events in the first place.

A single call puts you in touch with specialists who have decades of experience solving your challenges. New, comprehensive service agreements provided by automation vendors allow companies to do exactly that: simplify and streamline issue resolution, maintenance, support and repair processes. In the case of Rockwell Automation, these contracts typically combine remote support, replacement parts and on-site service into a single annual agreement, available for one flat fee. Although IT companies have offered similar service options for several years, this type of comprehensive support for automation and control equipment is a new concept designed to give maintenance engineers access to the help they need, whenever and wherever they need it, while helping their employers achieve financial predictability in their maintenance budgets. Service contracts also help manufacturers avoid the relearning process and corresponding delays that so often plague the troubleshooting process when the issue has to be explained multiple times to multiple parties. With a single call, maintenance engineers can access specialists with decades of experience solving the challenges engineers face daily, without the need to locate the “right” person at the “right” company with the “right” knowledge—all before remediation actually begins. While comprehensive service contracts might not be for everyone, any maintenance department struggling to keep up with demands on its time and budget can benefit from simplifying its support experience. MT For more info, enter 06 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

The opinions expressed in this Viewpoint section are those of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect those of the staff and management of Maintenance Technology magazine.

40 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

MAY 2012

Standby for Big Power Every Baldor generator set, standard or custom, is designed and engineered to meet the individual needs of your application. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 2,000 kW genset to keep your industrial facility up and running, or a 30 kW generator for your remote agricultural needs, Baldor has the right products to meet your need. Engineered to the highest performance standards and built with unmatched quality, Baldor gensets give you the power you need, when you want it.

baldor.com

479-646-4711

ÂŠ2011 Baldor Electric Company

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Sullube™ Fluid Conversion. Sullair Gives Compressors New Life.

fluid-related maintenance. Unlike other fluids, Sullube™ is backed by three-tiered support from

Don’t allow your compressor fluids to generate varnish build-up, which lowers the performance of your compressors, reduces production, and costs you money. Convert to Sullube™ now and let this synthetic polyglycol-based fluid immediately improve performance and reduce expenses.

Sullair, your local distributor and the fluid manufacturer. Benefits of Sullube™ Fluid: • Long life.

Sullube™ is so highly resistant to varnish and sludge that it actually cleans your compressor by dissolving varnish build-up in your fluid components. This helps keep rotors clean, reduce energy consumption, and allows your compressor to run cooler by removing more heat.

• Resists sludge and varnish. • Removes existing varnish. • Environmentally considerate. • Cools more efficiently. • High flash point.

Sullube™ can operate continuously in any rotary screw compressor, regardless of make or model, for up to 8,000 hours without fluid changes or

For more information about how a Sullube™ Fluid Conversion can extend the life expectancy of your compressors, contact your local Sullair distributor.

Varnish build-up can cause component’s bearings to seize. With Sullube, your components will perform as good as new!

www.sullair.com

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Sullair Corporation is a subsidiary of Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation, a United Technologies Company. (NYSE: UTX)

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