Features
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Bearing Witness – Ten industry tips on how to avoid counterfeit bearings
A quick internet search will yield plenty of hits about seizures of thousands and millions of counterfeit bearings. “We’ve estimated in the past that 10 to 15 per cent of the global bearing market is counterfeit bearings. In Canada and…
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Fluid transfer management – Follow this checklist to ensure secure fittings, and prevent leaks and damage
Earlier in my career I was a mechanic on the railway. Equipment has always fascinated me. Integrated electronics automating advanced hydraulic systems on track liners, tie inserter cranes – all types of equipment working in harmony! This metal ballet was…
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Manage failure – Integrate CBM information to optimize decision support
The Situation A bearing fault! With gear noise! Okay, this is bad and it’s on a large planetary gear set. I quickly (well, quickly for someone relatively new to vibration) put together a report showing the issue. This was one…
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MRO Quiz – How well can you troubleshoot lubrication problems?
Investigating problems related to equipment lubrication issues can be difficult unless the troubleshooter understands two items of critical importance. Firstly, he must fully and completely understand the operation of the machine or associated components and the operating conditions, such as…
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Editor’s Notebook: I know a guy, who knows a guy…
Maintenance and reliability programs are like any other continuous improvement initiative. Success depends on a structured process that requires ongoing streamlining and improvement. The idea points to a basic principle expounded by Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s 14 Points: “Create constancy…
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What’s Up Doug? How bearings assist in power transmission
Let’s start at the beginning. Mass-produced bearings date back to the end of the industrial revolution (late 1800s) and one of their major uses was to support the line shaft suspended from the factory ceilings that transmitted power from the…
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10 Myths About RCM – reliability centered maintenance
Despite its well-documented successes, reliability centered maintenance (RCM) has always drawn a lot of discussion and controversy. Much of it is because of a lack of understanding and “myths” generated to discredit RCM as a viable business solution. Here we…
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Make it or brake it – Oil shear technology ensures brakes will operate in the dust
As counterintuitive as it seems, the right brakes can speed up a production line. When St. Vrain Block Company, in Dacono County, CO, began switching out faulty brakes for brakes that use oil shear technology, maintenance downtime plummeted, the production…
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Life Expectancy – What should the maintenance organization focus on?
Recently I have been seeing the P-F interval curve popping up a lot on my LinkedIn feed. It is a concept that I was first introduced to when I was implementing reliability centered maintenance into the Engineering and Maintenance department…
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Words of wisdom on conveyor drive components
Simon Rouleau is the president and owner of Quebec-based Simar-Dacon, Inc. He designs, and his shop builds, conveyors of all shapes and sizes for different industries. Douglas Froom is the president of Nova Scotia-based BF Consulting. He is a conveyor…
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At your service – Extracting value from maintainability
As a tradesman, “maintainability” wasn’t a word I thought about when something was inaccessible or removals required a contortionist with a handful of various extensions. I used different words. They were eloquent strings of disjointed words that clearly demonstrated the…
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A digital future for maintenance
Connectivity presents unprecedented opportunity. That much was clear after attending Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2017 Conference in Singapore in October. Siemens and Bentley Systems have formed a technology-software partnership that is expected to accelerate digitalization and boost infrastructure project delivery…
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Optimizing belt and chain drive life
Snow plowing a Fernie, B.C. driveway on five acres, located 15 minutes from a major ski hill is not a minor task. The massive snowfalls on some days are a three-shift strategic feat. This particular day of snowfall, I used…
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What’s Up Doug? Severe service bearings
There are many severe applications in the world and some are specialized to certain industries. When it comes to bearings, most companies are split into business units that generally serve three main industries: Aerospace, Automotive and Industrial. There is no…
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Tip: Planners should nail down the problem
In general, planners should precisely nail down the problem and what we are going to do about it before attempting to define a repair procedure. We do want the details of how to do the repair, but we also count…
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A game plan for unexpected electrical power outages
Stories of mass disruptions caused by electrical power outages make front-page news. We hear about extreme weather events, such as Hurricanes Katrina (2008) and Sandy (2012) and the Ontario Ice Storm of 2013 that cause widespread power outages due to…
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Retrofitting – Taking the next smart step with your VFD
As VFDs continue to inhabit the industrial and commercial landscapes around us, there comes a time when everyone realizes the finite lifecycle of their investment. Far too often this recognition happens during an unplanned failure or fault. Most experts in…
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Coupling maintenance strategies for critical equipment
Beloit, WI — Regal Beloit Corporation, is a leading manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation and power transmission components. Unplanned outages due to mechanical failures can cost millions of dollars of lost production time to Oil and…
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Cost concepts of planning and scheduling
Most people are surprised to see maintenance costs go up (!) as they first implement proper planning and scheduling. Maintenance planning and scheduling help an existing workforce complete more maintenance work so, of course, they will use more spare parts…
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A view of NAFTA, as seen from a Canadian auto plant in Mexico
San Juan Del Rio, Mexico – Looming above a Canadian auto-parts plant, keeping watch over workers, is a painting of the Virgin Mary. This same plant plans a celebration of its latest expansion with a party featuring a mariachi band.…
