
	COVER PAGE

	IBT
	Customer Appreciation Event IBT Goes To The Racetrack Car 33 Where Are You? IBT's Training Nationally Recognized Now Available On DVD! IBT Tools Up

	ISG
	Getting It Done for Doane

	ENGINEERING
	Vision to Finish Doing It Right

	MATERIAL HANDLING
	Hytrol On-Line

	PT
	Get a Grip! The New Falcon Pd™

	FLUID POWER
	Cylinder Replacement Ace's New Shock Absorbers Valve Specifying Norgren's VM15 New Winch from IR

	IBT MEDIA
	Diamond Jubilee

	SAFETY
	Take a Deep Breath All About Respirators OSHA on Respirators Respirator Glossary

	LEAN SIX SIGMA
	A Good Start

	ELECTRICAL
	Arc Flash Prevention Fuse Definitions

	IMT
	Prevention Pays

	LUBE
	Over 600ºF Hot All About the Grease Gun

Prevention Pays, Says IMT

When a piece of equipment at the average plant goes into unexpected downtime, there is trouble. Production suffers. Money losses mount up. People get frustrated and sometime angry. It isn't pretty.

However, when that unexpected downtime occurs at a utility plant that generates electricity, the problems multiply.

At a power plant, the unexpected loss of even one bearing can be disastrous causing a partial plant outage, resulting in a compromised electricity supply to thousands of their customers. This unexpected downtime can not only cost the power plant millions but costs the affected businesses too. And, there isn't a whole lot that anybody - power plant or customer - can do about it.

There is one step they can take, and wise power plant operators have learned to take it: predictive/preventive maintenance, using vibration analysis services supplied by IBTs Industrial Maintenance Technologies Department (IMT).

IMT has built a good reputation by saving customers money through eliminating costly unscheduled downtime. This is achieved by the use of a vibration monitoring/analysis program.

Vibration analysis finds hidden problems while they are still minor. Vibration analysis is effective in detecting imbalance, misalignment, degraded bearing condition and many other situations before they cause any further damage to the machine. When the problem is detected in advance, it is easier and less expensive to fix it. You can choose the time and you can prevent the type of major damage that turns a routine repair into a major overhaul.

With all the different predictive/preventive maintenance programs in the industry, vibration analysis leads the way in reliability. It not only measures the overall amount of vibration, but allows technicians to be able to pinpoint the root causes. Vibration analysis is effective because it identifies the problem early, so the right degree of urgency can be placed on the machine, allowing repairs to be made during scheduled maintenance, rather than a emergency shutdown due to machine failure.

All machines history is captured, and the trends analyzed, from each time the machine is checked. This allows a qualified technician to follow any changes in machine condition. These changes, if there are any, can then be analyzed to find the cause and the severity of the problem, so the formulated solution best suits the production schedule rather than having machine failures drive the urgency.

IMT technicians have been practicing their knowledge and expertise at industrial applications ranging from production facilities to major power plants. Vibration analysis programs can be customized to fit the particular, specialized needs of each customer.

This is done by assessing the machinery and equipment in a given facility, then adjusting the plan to those specific needs accordingly.

Vibration analysis is only one of IMT's tools from a whole range of high tech solutions for preventive and predictive maintenance. All of the tools help trouble-shoot for mechanical and electrical problems, including the condition and performance of bearings, belts, pulleys, shafts, pumps, gearboxes, fans, motors, cooling towers, chillers, etc.

For more information, contact Chris Treat.




	IMT Articles Archive




	To learn more about services available form IMT, contact us today!