Reliability and TPM
RCM, Total Productive Maintenance, predictive maintenance and risk-based inspection (RBI).
Real case
A public utility in Ecuador (EMMAIPC-EP) started with 49 elements of its vehicle fleet with repeated failures. Using Pareto and a risk priority index (critical if above 100), only 9 ended up as critical: clutch, leaf springs, engine, radiator, hydraulic hose, wiring harness, tires, brakes and bodywork. The RCM-based maintenance plan focused on those 9.
Source: Thesis, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (Cuenca, Ecuador). See the article
6 articles
Laser shaft alignment: the step-by-step procedure
Misalignment is the most common cause of vibration in rotating machinery. The full procedure for aligning feet and couplings with a laser aligner, in 12 and 9 steps respectively.
Predictive maintenance: vibration, thermography and oil analysis
The three most widely used predictive techniques measure a real physical condition of the equipment to anticipate failure, instead of intervening on a calendar. A case with a diesel engine shows what this looks like in practice.
Risk-based inspection (RBI): inspect more where the risk is higher
RBI prioritizes and plans equipment inspections according to risk, which combines the probability of failure with its consequences. It uses the same logic as criticality analysis, but to decide what, when and how to inspect.
TPM: the pillars of Total Productive Maintenance
TPM moves basic maintenance tasks to the operator and organizes everything else into eight pillars, with the stated goal of zero failures, zero defects and zero accidents.
Weibull distribution: how to calculate reliability and MTBF
With the real times between failures of a piece of equipment, the Weibull distribution gives you Beta and Eta: two numbers that tell you whether the equipment fails at random or is entering wear-out, before the failure rate gives it away the hard way.
What is RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance)
RCM is not just another type of maintenance: it is a method for deciding which maintenance strategy fits each failure mode, by answering seven questions.