Maintenancetechnology_epfebruary2018.pdf

FEBRUARY 2018

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CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2018 | VOL. 31, NO. 2 | efficientplantmag.com

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The tribology program at Auburn Univ. is helping fill the skills gap by developing graduates who have extensive practical experience and can step into manufacturing positions without substantial training. See p. 14.

Maximize CMMS, EAM Use

Experts say focus on stakeholder buy-in and strong data management to get the most out of your software investment. Gary L. Parr, Editorial Director

14

18

21

24

28

Tribology Program Fills Skills Gap

Don’t Ignore Small Failures Randall Noon, P.E.

Press-Brake Safeguarding Matters

Oil Systems Need to Breathe

Michelle Segrest Contributing Editor

Caring for Bearings In Extreme Environments

FEBRUARY 2018

Ken Bannister Contributing Editor

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

1

CONTENTS

31 SAP: Kicking Bad Habits

8 Implementations Know Your R&M Quartile Dr. Klaus M. Blache Contributing Editor

32 Advice for Automated Substations

33 Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency

34

38 IIoT

Grant Gerke Contributing Editor

Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis

35 Heed These Signs of Inefficiency

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Digital Platforms Join TPM and IIoT

DEPARTMENTS

Editorial 36 On the Floor 39 Solution Focus 41 Products 45 Showcase 46 Index 6

On The Cover

Successful reliability and maintenance efforts typically leverage CMMS/EAM systems in managing assets and making the best use of resources. This month’s “Industry Views” (p. 10) highlights advice from experts on maximizing the value of such systems in your operations.

48 Efficiency Insight Embrace IIoT Technology Gary Mintchell Contributing Editor

Visit our website! efficientplantmag.com ... For information on web-exclusive content, see page 4.

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FEBRUARY 2018

Choose Performance, Quality, and Value Without Compromise More than 40,000 quality-tested products at a competitive price.

© Allied Electronics & Automation, 2018

Find this and more at

alliedelec.com/rs-pro

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EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

WEB

THERE IS MUCH MORE AT EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM Our website, efficientplantmag.com, is constantly updated to keep you informed of the latest in reliability and maintenance developments. The most recent information you’ll find includes:

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY PODCAST

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DIGITAL-TWINS PODCAST

DEVELOPING SKILLED WORKERS PODCAST

In a new podcast, Schneider Electric’s Kim Custeau discusses mobile technology trends, the role mobile systems are playing in companies of all sizes, hurdles that might be slowing future growth, and data security issues.

GE Digital vice president of Intelligent Systems explores, with editorial director Gary L. Parr, the roles artificial intelligence and digital-twins technology are playing in developing and improving efficiency and asset reliability.

Gary L. Parr interviews Uponor North America president Bill Gray to learn about the company’s efforts to develop skilled workers, increase female manufacturing employment, and educate students in local schools.

efficientplantmag.com/1801mobile

efficientplantmag.com/1801aitech

efficientplantmag.com/1801uponor

BANNISTER ON LUBRICATION PODCAST

WEBINAR: COST OF UNRELIABILITY

WEBINAR: ASSET MANAGEMENT AND IIoT

In this month’s podcast with lubrication expert Ken Bannister, he discusses often overlooked breathers, the role they play in lubrication systems, and the various factors involved in selecting and maintaining the devices.

In this webinar, industry consultant and author Al Poling explains what unreliability costs plant operations and how building and sustaining a reliability-focused culture can have a direct impact on the bottom line.

Connecting your smart devices, through an asset-management program, to the Industrial Internet of Things is a good way to begin realizing the benefits of IIoT technology, including mobile monitoring.

efficientplantmag.com/1802lube

efficientplantmag.com/1709unreliability

efficientplantmag.com/1708emerson

FEBRUARY 2018 • Volume 31, No. 2 ARTHUR L. RICE CEO/Applied Technology Media

PHIL SARAN President/Publisher | [email protected] JULIE OKON Associate Publisher | [email protected] GARY L. PARR Editorial Director | [email protected]

JANE ALEXANDER Managing Editor | [email protected]

GREG PIETRAS Managing Editor, Print/Emedia | [email protected] KENNETH E. BANNISTER, KLAUS BLACHE, GRANT GERKE, GARY MINTCHELL, MICHELLE SEGREST | Contributing Editors FRANCES JERMAN Creative Director | [email protected] MARGA PARR Editorial Production | [email protected]

MARIA LEMAIRE Electronic Marketing Manager | [email protected]

EDITORIAL OFFICE

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Efficient Plant® (ISSN 2575-6400) is published monthly by Applied Technology Media Inc., 535 Plainfield Road, Suite A, Willowbrook, IL 60527. Periodicals postage paid at Willowbrook, IL, and additional offices. Circulation records are maintained at Efficient Plant®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Dr., Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL, 60440. Efficient Plant® copyright 2018 by Applied Technology Media Inc. Annual subscription rates for nonqualified readers: 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 Efficient Plant®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Dr., 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: [email protected]. Efficient Plant® is a registered trademark of Applied Technology Media Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

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FEBRUARY 2018

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column | editorial

Plenty of Skills Gap Fillers Gary L. Parr Editorial Director

The Kids to Love KTECH mechatronics program is open to youth, military veterans, homeless adults, and anyone else who needs a helping hand. Graduates are qualified to take the Siemens Certification exam. Photo courtesy Kids to Love KTECH

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M

Y FIRST EXPOSURE to skills-gap-filling programs was 16 years ago when I was teaching high-school science at a very small school in northern Illinois. The closest the vast majority of students at that school were ever going to get to a college was watching Saturday football on TV. Fortunately, years before I arrived, an educator saw the same thing and partnered the school with a nearby community college that offered a significant skills/technical training program for high-school students. The “skills gap” we address today was not an issue then, but the student need for skills in that community could have easily been described as critical. Students in the program would begin and end their days with core courses (science, math, English). About mid-morning, they would fill up a couple of busses and head to the community college where they would learn building construction, welding, electronics, and other skills. They would return late afternoon for another core course, then head home for the day. For many, I think I can safely say, the program was a lifesaver. Without those skills, their futures were not very bright. I’ll never forget one young man who struggled with “book learning,” and found it extremely difficult to sit still in my science class. He was a good kid, and I’m confident is a good man today, but simply wasn’t wired to sit in a classroom. Yet he couldn’t wait to get on that bus each morning. His efforts earned him a summer job at a local metalworking business and, upon graduation from high school, when most were wondering about their futures, that summer job became a full-time position. I still carry the memory of his proud face when he told me about the job. One student saved.

OTHER SUCCESSES Since our December “Industry Views” article that illustrated what several companies are doing to fill the skills gap, I’ve become aware of many other programs that are making a difference for people young and old. For example, visit efficientplantmag.com/1801uponor to hear my podcast discussion with Bill Gray, president of Uponor North America (Apple Valley, MN, uponor.com), about the three-pronged approach they are using to develop skilled workers. Recently, I came across an article on al.com by Shelly Haskins about the KTECH school, which is part of the Kids to Love program located in Madison, AL (kidstolove.org). Former foster child Lee Marshall started The Kids to Love Foundation to care for foster children. According to Haskins, Marshall worried about the futures of the children in her care. After some fundraising and generous philanthropic contributions, Marshall started the KTECH school as an effort to provide foster children with employable skills and keep them out of prison. The mechatronics program is managed today by Dorothy Havens and, in its two years, has graduated 29 students ranging from 18 to 42 years of age. The program offers 16-week and 6-month paths and is open to youth, military veterans, homeless adults, and anyone else who needs a helping hand. Upon completion, students are skilled enough at mechanical, electrical, and computerized technologies to take the Siemens Certification exam. Some 93% have earned certification. It’s programs such as these that tell me the skills gap may not be closing quickly, but it’s closing. EP [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2018

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column | implementations

Know Your R&M Quartile Dr. Klaus M. Blache Univ. of Tennessee Reliability and Maintainability Center (RMC)

R&M Percentages by Quartile Reactive Maintenance Maintenance Cost/ Replacement Asset Value

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

9%

19%

47%

64%

2.1%

3.6%

9.2%

13.3%

Results from the Univ. of Tennessee Reliability and Maintainability Center study indicate the high level of maintenance expense realized by companies that operate in the 3rd and 4th quartiles.

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“

W

HY IS IT important to know your R&M (reliability and maintenance) quartile?” Just like all continuous-improvement efforts, you need to understand your current status to establish a baseline from which to measure progress. Let’s take a look at Reactive Maintenance Percentage and Maintenance Cost/Replacement Asset Value as means of understanding the impact of quartiles. The accompanying table shows percentages, by quartile, for those two measurements, based on my 2016 study of more than 140 companies representing more than 3,000 facilities (all types of industries). Companies in the 1st quartile are at 9% reactive maintenance and operations in the 2nd quartile are at 19%. Historical data shows that a reactive-maintenance event is five to ten times more expensive than a scheduled-maintenance event. If you are in the 2nd quartile, that means 10% of your total maintenance budget x average cost per maintenance event x 5 = your minimum savings if you are a 1st-quartile operation. If you are in the 3rd or 4th quartile, the savings become even more eye opening. The Maintenance Cost/Replacement Asset Value numbers tell the rest of the story. I’ve calculated values to less than 1% (discrete manufacturing) and exceeding 20% (mining operations), with most between 2% and 9%. What’s unique about this universal metric is that it’s scalable for all types and sizes of businesses. When I go into a facility, I observe current practices to assess how they are actually spending their resources. This includes such things as in-place lean-process elements, daily maintenance processes, material flow

practices, and problem-solving/continuous-improvement robustness. It doesn’t take long to determine whether these processes are in place, understood, and being applied. By doing this, I can determine whether daily practices are driving improvements or costs are being cut simply to improve the metrics. Replacement Asset Value (RAV) is a good indicator of how effectively you are using financial resources to maintain assets. If you are at 20% of RAV, you spend enough on maintenance each year to pay for a new plant every five years. At 2.1% (1st quartile) of RAV, it would take more than 47 years for your maintenance expenditures to equal the cost of acquiring a new plant. Take time to collect necessary data so you can have an informed discussion and make fact-based decisions. Otherwise, you are only another person with an opinion. Also, keep in mind that everything is related. When looking at industry overall, note that, for each quartile, there is about a 5:1 ratio of Reactive Maintenance to Maintenance Cost/ RAV. This ratio can vary by industry type. However, as you get to best-practice numbers with either of these metrics, the top-quartile values are similar for most types of industries. Know your current and target quartile for these metrics. If you don’t know where you are going, you may end up where you are headed. EP

Based in Knoxville, Klaus M. Blache is director of the Reliability & Maintainability Center at the Univ. of Tennessee, and a research professor in the College of Engineering. Contact him at [email protected].

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feature | industry views

Gary L. Parr Editorial Director

Maximize CMMS,

EAM Use

Experts say focus on stakeholder buy-in and strong data management to get the most out of your software investment.

AT THE HEART of just about any reliability-based maintenance program is regular and widespread use of CMMS (computerized maintenance management software) and/or EAM (enterprise asset management) systems. Organizations that leverage these systems find it easier to be proactive at scheduling maintenance tasks, tracking work orders and logging results and feedback to apply to future situations, managing backlogs, communicating with management, and staying on top of spare parts and consumables and the potential runaway costs they can generate. Safety, though, is probably the most important benefit of effective CMMS/EAM usage. Better planning, organization, and scheduling allows workers to approach tasks in a calm, organized manner, fully equipped to do the job properly. In other words, there are fewer, if any, rushed, pressure-filled

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situations that can lead to workplace mistakes and accidents. CMMS/EAM systems really shine in operations that have moved to a reliability-based culture that is driven by predictive/prescriptive asset management. Lifecycle management, analytics, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data, and compliance are just some of the factors that are effectively handled. To help you maximize your CMMS/EAM use, we asked industry experts two questions this month:  What is your top tip for CMMS or EAM implementation?  What is the one benefit everyone should be getting out of their CMMS or EAM software? Whether you’re at the entry-level end of the spectrum or your CMMS/EAM system is part of the fabric of your operation, it never hurts to take a moment to assess if you’re truly benefiting from your investment.

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | industry views

Team Buy-In is Critical Paul Lachance, senior manufacturing advisor, Dude Solutions, Cary, NC, dudesolutions.com

Top Implementation Tip: Get “buy in” from the entire team. A CMMS will impact and benefit many people, often in different ways. For example, if you are looking to improve efficiency, asset reliability, and profitability, a CMMS can be a big help. But, before you take on a project such as this, form a team and ensure they are ready, willing, and able. No one likes to have software forced on them. It’s also better for all, and usually much more effective, if the entire team is involved at appropriate levels. What does management want in terms of metrics and reporting? What problems are the maintenance/operations managers trying to solve? How can a

CMMS simplify the day-to-day battles ‘A CMMS for the technicians? You won’t know will improve unless they are all involved at the uptime, appropriate levels. Full team buy-in create a more ultimately allows a more effective, effipredictable cient, and quicker implementation. production Primary Benefit: A CMMS should environment, enable everyone do their job better and look great while doing it! A reacand reduce tive-maintenance culture can be toxic fire fights.’ and downtime is a killer to operations, profitability, and morale. A CMMS will improve uptime, create a more predictable production environment, and reduce the “fire fights” often found in a nonCMMS environment. Ever see a production supervisor the moment they find out their critical asset is down unexpectedly? When unplanned downtime becomes habit, it creates a toxic, unwelcoming environment. A CMMS changes all of that, and makes you look good doing it!

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feature | industry views

Focus on Quality Master Data Tara Holwegner, CPLP, PMP, CMRP, learning and performance subject matter expert, Life Cycle Engineering, Charleston, SC, LCE.com

Top Implementation Tip: Our subject-matter experts publish extensively on this topic, and two themes surface repeatedly: the importance of including all stakeholder groups early in the design process and a focused effort on quality master data. ISO 55000 details a formula of people and physical assets creating value for the organization. In this spirit, when planning to implement a CMMS or EAM system, it is critical to understand how information passes between and through organizations so you can identify stakeholder groups and design requirements to meet the needs of different workers. How do people work with and interact with each other and

Management Support is Critical Steve Wigton, training coordinator/consultant, Mapcon Technologies Inc., Johnston, IA, mapcon.com

Top Implementation Tip: Management support is needed, especially beyond the original purchase. It is imperative to have full engineering and operations involvement to gather equipment items and other data to correctly implement the system for future use. These days, the only honest hands-on commitment there is are the frontline technicians and supervisors actually entering daily transactions. While this is important, it is typically post-implementation and is often too late at that point. Without other departments involved in the implementation of a CMMS, systems can stagnate and fail. Involving all stakeholders in the implementation will greatly increase the chances of CMMS success.

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assets? Early involvement encourages user buy-in, influences functional requirements, and can identify training needs early in the process to promote proficiency in the system’s use. Regarding master data, in LCE’s four decades of experience working with organizations striving for reliable operations, we’ve seen around 30% data accuracy in CMMS/EAMS systems. Making sure that an organized asset hierarchy is in place and establishing standards for asset types, naming conventions, and additional necessary data, such as replacement asset value, provides the foundation for pulling reliable information to make data-driven decisions. Primary Benefit: I discussed this question with colleagues, and although our discussions yielded different perspectives, each agreed on a few general assertions: CMMS and EAM systems should provide valuable data for better decision making, the systems should provide an enterprise approach to asset management, and ideally, companies should see 20% to 40% maintenance-cost reduction through its use. For work and materials management, reliability engineering, and operations, the history kept in a CMMS/ EAM tells a story that supports troubleshooting and problemsolving activities to reduce downtime, increase productivity, and ultimately increase profitability.

Primary Benefit: The main benefit of a CMMS is definitely the delivery of meaningful reports. Generally speaking, a CMMS is just a large database, so being able to run reports using that data can be a huge advantage. It can even help with business-intelligence analysis. For example, if a maintenance manager needs to determine whether it is more cost-effective to repair a machine or replace it, they can look at the machine history and run a report that details the cost and time spent on repairs for a given amount of time. Additionally, the ability to run reports within a CMMS allows users to quickly and easily gather information that can be used for audits. EP

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feature | tribology Near right. Professor Robert Jackson teaches Collin Phillips how to use the Bruker Dektak 150 profilometer to measure surface roughness. Middle. Mechanical engineering student Kaylee Wynn is developing skills in the Design and Manufacturing Lab. Far right. The Design and Manufacturing Lab offers students an opportunity to learn how to use major manufacturing equipment, and also teaches them how to design equipment for the facilities of the future.

Samford Hall is an iconic building on the expansive Auburn campus. All images by Michelle Segrest

Tribology Program

Michelle Segrest Contributing Editor

Fills Skills Gap A one-of-a-kind program at Auburn Univ. is helping develop manufacturing engineers with hands-on experience that translates directly to real-world jobs.

WHETHER IT’S AN AIRPORT runway, a manufacturing robot, fluid couplings, power transmission, a tile floor, human-joint replacement, hard-drive technology, or biomedical equipment, surfaces are in constant contact with each other in the mechanical world. The result is friction and wear. In fact, one fourth of the world’s manmade energy is lost to friction. Tribology is used to maintain, control, monitor, and positively manipulate friction,

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and studying it has the potential to make innovative contributions to industry, society, and environmental conservation. “Friction is very complicated,” said Robert L. Jackson, Ph.D., professor and director of the Auburn Univ. Tribology Program, Auburn, AL (auburn.edu). “We teach our students to not oversimplify. Friction changes with elements like temperature, humidity, and the geometries of the surfaces. Everything affects it, and it’s

difficult to predict. Part of what we teach is to know where to look. In engineering, we are teaching specifics, but we are also teaching the students where to look for solutions and how to solve problems.” Tribology is the multidisciplinary study of surface contact, friction, wear, and lubrication. While most accredited engineering programs offer an elective on the subject, Auburn is the only school in the United States that offers a

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | tribology

minor in Tribology and Lubrication Science for its engineering students. For the students and the mechanical-engineering world, the program is making a difference. “If companies need an intern or to hire someone with experience right out of college, they come to us,” Jackson explained. “This program is unique. People from industry approached us and said no other universities were teaching tribology with any kind of depth. There is a real need in manufacturing for these skills. One student got a job with a company that makes baby carriages. They said the tribology knowledge this student gained in our program was a key in her hiring. Any facility that has moving parts needs to worry about friction. Every mechanism in a manufacturing plant needs proper lubrication.” Tribology drives modern technology and is critical to improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental waste by extending the life of consumer products and industrial equipment. Industry demand is high for graduates with a background in tribology, Jackson said. “Students who participate in Auburn’s unique minor gain a multidisciplinary appreciation and broad understanding of the field of tribology—especially in the subjects of engineering, chemistry, and business,” he said. “It provides a pipeline for well-prepared graduates to meet industry needs.” In addition to the required courses—Friction, Wear, and Lubrication; Rheology; and Organic Chemistry—the Tribology and Lubrication Science minor involves a diverse laboratory in which students participate in actual studies for major companies, as well as projects they invent themselves. The program also offers a full-service Design and Manufacturing Lab in which students will become nationally certified apprentice machinists in one semester. Minors include electives in Corrosion, Boundary, and Full-Film Lubri-

FEBRUARY 2018

cation; Metalworking and Manufacturing Tribology; Macroscale Assembly and Applications of Nanomaterials; and Multiscale Contact Mechanics. In the lab, the students gain practical experience that manufacturing employers consider to be the equivalent of real-world experience. “We create all kinds of projects for the lab,” Jackson said. “Sometimes there is a new technology we want to research. Sometimes problems come from the industry. Sometimes students come up with ideas. One wanted to measure the surface roughness of Legos. Another group measured the wear on their cell-phone screen. One student was a trombone player, and he did a report on the lubricants used for the instrument’s sliding mechanism. We are truly producing professionals who have extensive expertise in the field of tribology.” “We have potential employers who ask for five to ten years of experience on their job applications,” Jackson continued. “When they learn about our program, they waive this requirement because they can see that the practical experience is being earned through this minor.” Among the students who have benefited from the program are Collin Phillips, Zoe Tucker, and Kaylee Wynn. Each has excelled in a variety of ways, and each has chosen a different career path.

MECHANICAL-CONTACT ENGINEER In May 2018, Collin Phillips will earn his Mechanical Engineering degree with a minor in Tribology and Lubrication Science. After summer internships with Chevron (chevron.com), he landed a job with ExxonMobil (exxonmobil.com) in its Baytown, TX, location as a fixed-equipment mechanical-contact engineer. “I can say with absolute confidence that my tribology experience at Auburn helped me get this job and the internships,” Phillips reported. “ExxonMobil specifically recruited me because of my three summers working in the tribology lab at Chevron (Pascagoula, MS). ExxonMobil works closely with our [university] program to recruit people with tribology experience. They are always looking to recruit people who understand lubrication, and especially tribology. Even the marketing people at companies like this need to have at least a basic understanding of lubrication and engineering.” Phillips’ physics team activities at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile, AL, and spare-time hobby tinkering with cars, fostered an interest in engine longevity and fuel efficiency. When he arrived at Auburn in the fall of 2014, he learned about the tribology program during Engineering Orientation and knew it would be a fit for him. “I am terrible at math, but I enjoy solving problems,” Phillips said. “I like the classical mechanical physics, but when I came to Auburn, I didn’t even know that tribology existed. I learned quickly that anywhere you have two surfaces contacting in motion is where tribology comes in. You don’t have to have lubricants. You can just study surfaces. If two surfaces don’t wear away over time, then maybe there is not a problem… but this EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | tribology doesn’t exist too often. Friction is complicated. We’ve gotten a good mix of knowledge about how to analyze wear and friction and learn where it comes from.” At Chevron, Phillips focused on testing and analyzing lubricant additives for new motor oils. “We are specifically looking at boundary lubrication,” he said. “One key thing I used at Chevron in the tribology lab in Richmond, CA, was through researching Stribeck curves, which define how friction is related to several variables like speed and load. They use the Stribeck curve to understand where an engine’s performance is coming from.” A common theme when studying lubrication is understanding what kind of film you are dealing with and trying to predict the life of the equipment, Phillips added. “In the lab, we take whatever the problem is in real life and try to mimic it in a controlled environment,” he explained. “We use the same geometries, load, speed, to make it as close as possible. We receive real-world, hands-on application experience, in addition to classroom instruction, scholarship support, internships, upper-level technical lab experience, and research experience—all in one bundle.”

RESEARCH-LAB TECHNICIAN Zoe Tucker grew up in Huntsville, AL, in a family of engineers. “My entire family is in engineering,” she said. “Growing up, I didn’t even know there was an option to be anything but an engineer. It was only a question of which type of engineering. I’m the black sheep of the family because I got into mechanical engineering instead of electrical.” Tucker is a fifth-year senior at Auburn in mechanical engineering and plans to pursue a doctorate in materials engineering. Her passion is research, and advanced academia is her path. “I first heard about the tribology program during my first-semester chemistry class,” she said. “I thought it was interesting and later became an officer in the TLSS (Tribology and Lubrication Sciences Society). I’ve

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been conducting research with Dr. Jackson for several years.” During a past summer, Tucker worked an internship with RSC Chemical Solutions, makers of Liquid Wrench, in Charlotte, NC (rscbrands.com). “The lab had people who had been studying tribology for 25 years and I felt very comfortable discussing tribology issues with them because this program prepared me so well,” she said. “I was still learning, but was comfortable and confident with my knowledge level. We are getting useful skills, education, and training to prepare us for the real world.” Tucker’s ambition is to work at a research lab, perhaps with the U.S. Department of Energy. She received an Auburn undergraduate research fellowship and the Society of Tribology and Lubrication Sciences Boozer fellowship to support her research, in which she compared transparent and opaque nanoparticle-enhanced lubricants. “For this project, we used one lubricant that is dark and has nanoparticles that darken the lubricant,” she explained. “You can teach the user that this is normal, but to some extent it’s important to look at it and ensure that it’s how you expect it to look. The consumer may look at it and say, ‘This isn’t what I’m used to seeing.’ We wanted to use a clear nanoparticle to see if it had the same effects as the darker particle, but without any change to the lubricant performance. A grad student in chemical engineering put together the chemistry of the lubricants and then I tested them. In the end, it was determined it didn’t make a difference. But it was interesting to see that there are some nanoparticles that won’t change the way [the lubricant] looks. We hope we can continue to do this kind of research so we can get some that won’t change the appearance but still do the work it needs to do.” Tucker has worked with the tribology program for four years. “It’s given me many opportunities I would not have gotten elsewhere,” she said. “One thing is we go to the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Scientists (STLE)

conference every year. After attending three times, I began to know people at the conference, and this gave me confidence to pursue a doctorate.”

MANUFACTURING-DESIGN ENGINEER Growing up in Ocilla, GA, Kaylee Wynn had an early interest in engineering. “My dad went to school for civil engineering and owns a construction business with his brother, so growing up on a farm and on the construction site, I was always around machinery,” she said. “As a kid, I was always curious about how things worked, and I was also good at problem solving and building anything I could get my hands on. All these things pushed me to go into the engineering field.” Wynn is now a second-year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering and has been doing research on orthogonal metal cutting infused with additive manufacturing with, Dr. Lewis N. Payton, Ph.D., director of the Design and Manufacturing Lab. “This program has really helped me to understand more than just what you read in books and in classes,” she explained. “Being here in the lab with Dr. Payton has taught me more hands-on skills and especially how to be more creative and how to solve problems. I’d love to find a job somewhere in manufacturing and work my way up with the company. I want to be involved in the designing of equipment. In this lab, the students are taught how to use the machines, but we take it a step further. We are taught how to design machines in a way that someone else can use them. The idea is to make designs that are not impossible, but realistic.” Wynn learned about wear and lubrication through the tribology courses. “For instance, in the Design and Manufacturing Lab we create parts by using several different tools,” she said. “The class taught me about the wear of those tools and how lubrication can help to not only preserve tool life,

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feature | tribology but also give a much better surface finish to the part being made. This knowledge can be used in future jobs, especially if I go into a manufacturing field.” “The lab has given me more hands-on experience in manufacturing engineering than anything else I have done,” she continued. “Working in it has taught me how to apply what I’ve learned in my classes. For me, I can try to learn everything you can think of in a class, but until I do it myself and apply it to a real-world situation, I won’t truly learn it. This lab has taught me how to apply what I’ve learned so that when I graduate, I have a much better understanding of what I was taught in my classes.”

FILLING THE SKILLS GAP The number-one concern of the future of manufacturing is filling the skills gaps, Professor Jackson stated. “Industry is full of people getting ready to retire. Auburn is positioning graduates to be able to fill these positions.” Jackson is a graduate of Georgia Tech, Atlanta, which had a strong tribology research program. “I took an elective and wondered why no one was talking about this,” he said. “I couldn’t believe I had to take an elective to learn about this. I asked one of the professors if I could do some summer research. He gave me a project and it grew from there.” Those experiences later inspired him to spearhead the program at Auburn. “Students come into the lab and get their hands dirty, helping with experiments, making measurements, and then analyzing the data,” Jackson said. “This is very valuable experience, even if they are not going to do research after school. It’s very applicable to an environment where they may need to evaluate the wear and friction and lubrication of a certain application. Some companies have similar machines to what we have here. These machines are actually used in manufacturing facilities.” The students also learn from some nontraditional studies. For example, Jackson is collaborating with Auburn’s Veterinary School to study the cartilage of a horse’s leg. “We theorize that the cartilage on the different joints is also different,” he said. “This is different than other engineering materials. For instance, if we can

FEBRUARY 2018

make better artificial joints, perhaps we can make better industrial bearings.” Another nontraditional research area is electrical contacts. “In tribology, the chemistry, fluid, thermal effects, etc., are all considered but then you add electricity into the problem and it makes things more complicated,” Jackson explained. “We do a lot of research on the reliability of electrical connectors. Tribology is very diverse. We always get new things to work on. Anytime you have interactions between surfaces, tribology is very important.” Dr. Payton agreed that this kind of experience helps to fill industry’s skills gap. “In the Design and Manufacturing Lab it is not our goal to make machinists,” he said. “It is our goal to make designers who understand what their technicians can and cannot do. We have 1,400 qualified users of this lab. They build things for research, personal, and class projects. Once they finish the basic course, they are very skilled on these machines. They learn in one semester everything about operating these machines that students learn at a two-year community college.” There is a misconception in industry that someone coming out of a two-year college is ready to do real machinist work on a production line, Payton said. “They are capable of doing basic things like setting up a CNC machine,” he explained, “but they are not qualified to optimize the machines to achieve maximum throughput. They can’t design tooling. “Some major four-year universities also are not offering this education and training,” Payton noted. “It’s difficult to imagine who will build the next generation of machines when the colleges don’t have several generations of old machines to teach with, and the students are not actually using the machines.” EP

Above. Zoe Tucker operates the software controlling the Bruker UMT friction and wear test machine. Left. A view of the multi-scale tribology laboratory at Auburn.

See videos about the Auburn Tribology Program in the online version of this article at efficientplantmag.com.

Michelle Segrest is president of Navigate Content Inc. and specializes in creating content for the processing industries. If your facility has an interesting efficiency, maintenance, and/or reliability story to tell, please contact her at michelle@ navigatecontent.com

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | reliability strategies

Don’t Ignore

Small Failures

While a power plant’s fractured oil plug seemed like a small failure, the root cause suggested larger, more costly incidents could follow.

Randall Noon, P.E.

THE FOLLOWING CASE study involves a fractured oil plug in a power plant. In itself, a fractured oil plug isn’t a significant failure in a large industrial facility. However, even back-of-theenvelope analyses of seemingly small failure incidents can reveal larger patterns that should be addressed.

INITIAL FAILURE STORY The oil plug shown in the above photograph had been removed from a 300-hp vertically mounted electric motor. That motor drives a mixed-flow, single-stage vertical pump in a power

plant. The pump feeds cooling water from a river to various heat exchangers. The plug is from the lower oil reservoir that services the lower motor bearing. An upper reservoir services the motor’s upper bearing. The fracture was discovered when the plug was removed to collect a lubricant sample for periodic analysis. Leakage from this plug had been occasionally reported in the past. Each time a leak was noted, a mechanic was dispatched to fix it. No other information was supplied at the time the photograph was pro-

Following maintenance recommendations for inexpensive components, such as the oil plug in the inset (above), can prevent damage to much larger, more expensive equipment.

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feature | reliability strategies vided for review. What could the image possibly tell us?

OBSERVATIONS The plug’s threads (standard right-hand type) are undamaged. The head of the plug has tool marks on the edge of the flat, i.e., in the top left in the photograph. These marks are consistent with those made when a tool slips off the head. In this case, they appear on the side of the head typically engaged when the plug is being loosened. The edge between the two visible flats is rounded off. This typically results when a tool slips on the head. There are tool marks opposite the aforementioned ones, near the thumb of the person holding the plug. These marks are serrated, similar to those that would be made by a tool with gripping teeth. The plug is equipped with an O-ring, i.e., gasket. Instead of being round, the gasket profile is misshapen. A ridge down the middle of the gasket indicates it had been crushed by tightening and had not elastically recovered its original round shape. Note that the crack in the plug begins at a thread root. This crack is within the smallest diameter of the plug’s shaft and has a barber-pole-type fracture angle of about 15 deg. The crack also passes through a hole drilled through the smallest diameter of the plug. Superimposing the two sides of the hole bisected by the fracture, one can see that the hole was slightly distended in the area where the crack passed through it. This suggested the plug was subjected to relatively high levels of tensile stress.

ANALYSIS The crack started in the weakest part of the plug with respect to axial tensile stress: at the root of a thread where the shaft

FEBRUARY 2018

diameter is smallest and where there is a 3X stress riser. The 15-deg. angle of the crack indicates that not only was the area of the fracture in tensile stress, but that torsional stress was also present. The angle of fracture provides a way of determining the ratio of tensile stress to torsional stress that was present when the plug fractured. Recalling a little mechanics of materials, i.e., Mohr’s Circle of Stress equations, assuming there was tensile stress due to tightening, as well as shear stress due to tightening or loosening of the plug, then the following holds true:

tan(2q) = (2t)/s where q = fracture angle of the crack t = torsional stress s = axial tensile stress In this case, the tangent of 2 x 15 deg. (or 30 deg.) is 0.577. So, when the crack occurred, the torsional stress being applied was equal to about 28.8% of the tensile stress that was present. Substituting this data into the maximum principle stress equation for a two-dimensional case, the maximum principle stress that existed when the plug fractured is as follows:

smax = s/2 + [(s /2)2 + t2]1/2 smax = 1.077 s The plug clearly fractured when it reached the limit of its ability to resist internal stress. Thus, smax (above) is equal to the ultimate strength of the material. The preceding equation also tells us that the oil plug was tightened such that its axial tensile stress was about 93% of its ultimate material strength. This amount of tensile stress is unnecessary for a simple oil plug. The plug is not a structural bolt that has to be stretched EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | reliability strategies nearly to its breaking point. It merely requires enough tension to compress the rubber O-ring or gasket sufficiently to prevent oil leakage from a low-pressure oil system. In applying torsion to the plug, shear stress was added to the axial tensile stress. The additional shear stress caused the principle stress angle to shift about 15 deg. The combined tensile and shear stresses then exceeded the ultimate strength of the material. In short, the oil plug was tightened until it broke.

WHY? The motor-maintenance manual recommends replacing the gasket after the oil plug has been tightened twice. This is a reasonable recommendation since the elastomer in the gasket, given time, degree of compression, and ambient operating temperature, won’t rebound

There’s more to this story than meets the eye.

This oil plug clearly fractured when it reached the limit of its ability to resist internal stress. But that wasn’t the root cause of the problem.

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elastically to its original shape. With each cycle of compression and release, the gasket becomes misshapen just a little bit more. Review of the motor’s maintenance history revealed that no replacement gasket had been released from inventory for this specific work task in several years. Each time an oil leak was reported, the plug was simply tightened until it the leakage stopped. In failure reports from other power plants that had experienced similarly fractured oil plugs in similar machines, some authors blamed the original material in the oil plug for being too weak. Personnel at those sites then changed the original material specification for the plug to a stronger material. They apparently reasoned a stronger material would allow them to tighten the oil plug as needed without fear of fracturing it.

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If the primary concern of those power plants was the oil plug itself, that rationale would hold true. The additional compression on the gasket afforded by greater tightening of the oil plug would allow the gasket to be used several additional times before leakage occurred or the plug fractured. Unfortunately, by electing to use oil plugs made of a stronger material, site personnel risked damaging the pump-motor housings. The economics don’t make sense, considering the modest cost of new gaskets versus the cost of a re-designed plug or replacing a cracked pump-motor housing.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED Several lessons can be learned from this case study.  Gaskets are cheap. Replacing one every time the oil plug was removed would have been better than replacing it every other time, given the fact that doing so could reduce the amount of tightening needed to compress the gasket and stop leakage.  Changing the material specification to make the oil plug stronger would actually introduce unnecessary levels of stress into the pump-motor housing. In such cases, the risk of cracking the housing will increase. Compare the cost of a gasket to that of re-designing the oil plug, or replacing a cracked 300-hp pump housing. It’s significantly less—very much so.  Equipment maintenance manuals are valuable resources, but only if they are read. The facts in this story indicate that the power plant’s personnel, for whatever reasons, didn’t follow the motor manufacturer’s recommendations. How often was this occurring with regard to other plant assets? In the end, the most important lesson for other plants is to ensure this scenario isn’t occurring in their operations. EP Randall Noon is a registered professional engineer and author of several books and articles about failure analysis. He has conducted root-cause investigations for four decades, in both nuclear and non-nuclear power facilities. Contact him at  [email protected].

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | maintenance strategies

Caring For Bearings

In Extreme Environments ENSURING THE RELIABILITY of equipment assets in extreme operating environments, such as those often found in food- and beverage-processing applications, isn’t easy. A well-planned and consistent best-practice approach to lubrication management is key in these demanding situations. Fortunately, there are better alternatives today than the “give it more grease” solution. Less resource-intensive than past solutions, they also reduce the chance of product contamination. Technological advancements in those types of alternatives are changing the thinking about lubrication strategies and the way they are practiced in plants. In the process, they’re having a positive impact on food

FEBRUARY 2018

and human safety, cost, overall equipment effectiveness, and sustainability.

EXTREME-CONDITION CONCERNS Consider these individual examples of extreme environments and the implications to bearings operating in those conditions:  Subjecting bearings in ovens to temperatures exceeding 350 F and high levels of humidity increases maintenance requirements and costs. Limitations of available grease technology do not permit increased oven temperature that would allow faster throughput. High-temperature lubricants—those that are formulated to function at temperatures of 250 F and

The old ‘give it more grease’ approach has been supplanted by safer, more cost-effective strategies.

Above. Operating in cold environments (below 32 F) has an adverse effect on bearings.

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | maintenance strategies re-lubrication. Corrosion may occur in areas with poor chemical resistance, creating flaking and possible contamination. These combined effects can lead to reduced service life of bearings, as well as increased costs for re-lubrication. Many times those individual adverse conditions combine in the same application. In addition to causing potential bearing failures and downtime, such combinations can also pose risks in the areas of food contamination and operator safety.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Subjecting bearings to temperatures above 350 F increases maintenance concerns.

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higher—are required for extreme conditions.  Operating in cold environments, as found in chillers and freezers below 32 F, also has an adverse effect on bearings. Oil viscosity changes and appropriate grease consistency with an NLGI 0 or less is required. If the oil becomes too viscous, the all-important film separating the rolling elements and the race surface will not form. Subjecting bearings to sudden temperature shifts during washdowns increases the chances for moisture to seep into the bearing, emulsify the grease, and cause it to leak out.  Pressure washing with hot water and caustic agents creates a variety of reliability problems. Lubricants can be washed out, resulting in the need for frequent

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The following types of lubrication and sealing solutions can reduce the critical control points in your HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) process, as well as reduce the need to stop production lines for re-lubrication and frequent replacement of bearings:  Graphite-based lubricants: Advanced graphite-based lubricants contain minute quantities of graphite that lubricate the bearing during operation, preventing metal-to-metal contact. This NSF-approved technology allows bearings to perform optimally in humid and continuous operating temperatures as high as 660 F without re-lubrication.  Solid-oil lubricants: Solid-oil lubricants use an oil-saturated polymer matrix that effectively fills all of the free space within the bearing allowing the bearing to contain two to four times more oil than is possible with conventional greases. The porous polymer material is molded into the bearing, forming very narrow gaps around the rolling elements and raceways and enabling the bearing to rotate freely. These micro-pores hold the lubricating oil. In service, oil is released from the material into the narrow gaps between it and the bearing components, thus providing effective minimum-quantity lubrication that makes re-lubrication unnecessary. The micro-pores withstand the negative effects of high humidity and the breathing effect caused by air-volume expansion and contraction. These features make solid-oil work reliably, even when faced with rapid operating-temperature changes, such as those found in freezer applications.  More effective seals and housings: Specially designed housed bearings incorporating corrosion-

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | maintenance strategies resistant materials and an improved sealing system are a good choice for high-pressure washdown environments. Glass-fiber-reinforced polyester housings and insert bearings using a multi-lip seal design, coupled with end covers, to form an effective barrier to hazardous conditions. Stainless-steel balls and bolt-hole bushings prevent corrosion. The benefits of these re-lubrication-free solutions include:  reduced foreign-body contamination  no dripping grease or purge contamination  decreased re-lubrication costs and environmental impact  compliance with OSHA requirements  no risk of missed lubrication points due to human error  reduced risk of premature bearing failure and maintenance intensity. These types of specialized lubricants and components can help plants overcome the challenges of harsh conditions and, ultimately, reduce downtime, extend bearing life, and increase cost savings. EP

Information in this article was provided by Stephen White of SKF (Gothenburg, Sweden), and Richard R. Knotek, of Motion Industries (Birmingham, AL). White is the SKF Food & Beverage industry portfolio manager. Knotek is a technical-training specialist with the Motion Institute, a division of Motion Industries. A former adjunct instructor with Northern Michigan University’s Industrial Maintenance Program, Knotek is the co-author of Mechanical Systems & Principles for Industrial Maintenance (Pearson, London and New York, 2005). For more information, visit MotionIndustries.com, or take a closer look at SKF’s Solutions Factories by clicking on the following link: motionindustries.com/miHow2.jsp#H-7VfbmoGak.

Groove ball bearings with solid oil have been a stable solution in this Swedish bakery’s yeast house for many years. Photo courtesy SKF

WE OPTIMIZE YOUR MACHINES ALIGNMENT VIBRATION BALANCING www.pruftechnik.com

FEBRUARY 2018

ULTRASOUND

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | human/machine safety

Press-Brake

Today’s advanced technologies offer safer, more operator- and production-friendly solutions than earlier approaches.

Safeguarding Matters PRESS BRAKES ARE unforgiving machines, and a frequent source of workplace amputations of hands, fingers and arms. Statistics from the United States Department of Labor (dol.gov, Washington) indicate an average of 368 instances of amputations annually from press-brake accidents. And these are only the reported accidents. Press brakes have a long history of productivity and danger. Hammers were the tool of choice for any blacksmith until 1784. That was when Scottish inventor James Watt came up with concept of the “steam hammer.” The building of the first steam hammer in 1840 marked a turning a turning point for manufacturing with steel. The downside of this industrialization, though, was safety:

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it was largely disregarded in the rush to use labor-saving machines and processes. Developments of press brakes and other machinery occurred within a legal and regulatory climate that diminished employer’s interest in safety. In the process, while highly effective production methods became commonplace, for various reasons they often were unsafe. Manufacturing operations have come a long way since then in terms of productivity and safety. Older press brakes, i.e., those built prior to 1985, were mechanical or flywheel types. Stopping times were long, making modern safeguarding techniques such as light curtains impractical. After 1985, press brakes were hydraulic, allowing a wider variety of safeguarding options with faster stopping

times. Still, regardless of their age, press brakes present a unique set of dangers.

SAFETY CONCERNS The primary safety concerns with press brakes involve access to the point of operation at the front of the machine and reaching around the safety device to get to the point of operation at the ends of the machine. Pinch points and hazardous motion created by the back-gauge system are also problematic. But the dangers don’t stop there. However well intentioned, machine fabricators often employ lower cost, used, or refurbished press brakes that can make the primary controls and/or condition of the machine and safety system suspect. Because

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feature | human/machine safety Left. Laser AOPD systems allow operators to work within close proximity (15 mm) of the point of hazard. Photo courtesy of Laser Safe

personnel in such enterprises may not have safeguarding competency, serious shortcomings can be overlooked or ignored. Plus, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) generally consider the point-of-operation aspect of the pressbrake safety system to be the end-user’s responsibility. The end user, in turn, may incorrectly assume that the machinery arrived on-site in full operating condition for commissioning. Lastly, press brakes have always been operator-intensive technologies—sometimes involving multiple operators. Unfortunately, operator behavior is not always predictable. That’s why it is good practice to make one operator the leader of the crew. Training should be completed before any employee or operator is allowed to work near the press brake, and the employer should maintain accurate records of all training. Employees should also be encouraged to report press-brake hazards and make suggestions related to safety. Refresher training should be conducted as needed. It is also good practice to develop and enforce a written safety program, one that incorporates guidelines for operating all machinery and performing tasks. Employees should be given a copy and provided training that emphasizes safe operating procedures, limitations of equipment, use of guards, and hazard recognition and control. Employers should monitor employee compliance with all policies.

OSHA/ANSI REGULATIONS There are two sources of press-brake regulations: OSHA and ANSI. Of the two, ANSI is considered the more specific and modern.

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OSHA’s machinery and machine guarding regulations (29 CFR 1910 Subpart O) require one or more guarding methods to protect employees from exposure to hazardous machine energy during the operation of press brakes. There isn’t a great deal of detail to the OSHA regulations, so fabricators in search of answers would be better served by turning to ANSI B11.3-2012, which covers safeguarding of power presses. The B11.3 adopted EN 12622 (European standard), giving it even more specific instructions to follow and minimizing any vague, gray areas. ANSI B11.3 is the only safety-system standard specifically applicable to power press brakes used in America, and it excludes mechanical power presses, hydraulic power presses, hand brakes, tangent benders, apron brakes, and other similar types of metal-bending machines. It discusses hazards associated with the point of operation at length and identifies alternative guards and devices,including, for example, the “close proximity point of operation AOPD” safeguarding devices, discussed later in this article, and a means of safeguarding referred to as “Safe Speed.”

PRESS-BRAKE PROTECTION OPTIONS Today, there several ways to safeguard a press brake, some better than others. All have advantages and drawbacks. The most basic type of safeguarding is a fixed and interlocked barrier guard coupled with two hand controls. This is not a functional solution for fabricators, as a work piece held by hand in close proximity to the point of operation during the braking process can

Fig. 1. The main difference between laser AOPD and light-curtain systems is that the first protects the point of hazard itself and the second restricts operator access to the point of hazard.

+ THE ‘GOLDEN RULES’ OF PRESS-BRAKE USE Basic safety procedures bear repeating. The “golden rules” of press-brake use can save body parts and lives:  Keep work area clean, orderly, and free of oil, grease, or scrap.  Use work supports, mechanical assists, or helpers when loading and unloading parts or heavy sheets.  Wear PPE, i.e., gloves, goggles: never wear loose clothing, wristwatches, rings, bracelets, and other items, when operating machinery to avoid being dragged into the danger area.  Never leave machine running unattended.  Keep hands away from all moving items (ram, work pieces). Avoid trip hazards with foot switch and cord.  Always lockout/tagout (LO/TO) equipment before performing maintenance, no matter how small the task.  Never use damaged dies.  Never attempt to tamper with wiring or bypass safety control. When finished, position ram at bottom of stroke and LO/TO. EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

25

feature | human/machine safety Safety light curtains protect personnel in the vicinity of point-of-operation hazards.

potentially whip up as bending occurs. A second approach involves pull-backs and restraints. These types of devices are restrictive and have limitations—and operators hate them. Both shackle the operator to a machine and restrict mobility. The two-hand, down/foot-through device is yet another approach. While this method will work in some cases, it raises ergonomic issues and is very slow. Then there are light curtains and laser active-optic protective devices (AOPDs). They represent more advanced press-brake safeguarding options. The diagram in Fig. 1 (p. 25) shows how these technologies work.

SHEDDING LIGHT ON SAFETY Light curtains started out as simple product detection devices, then developed into machine-guarding solutions. Early versions used incandescent lamps strung together with a corresponding line of light detectors. Presses were one of the first machine-safety applications where safety light curtains were

26

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used. A light curtain is a photoelectric presence-sensing device. It protects against access into hazardous points and areas. These solutions range from very compact to larger, more robust and resistant models that can withstand demanding ambient conditions. Note that a stop-time measurement (STM) device is needed to calculate the safety distance on a regular basis, just as it is needed with two-hand controls. Safety light curtains safeguard personnel in the vicinity of point-of-operation hazards. This is done with an LED transmitter and receiver. Any interruption of the plane of light by an object equal to/or larger than the “minimum object sensitivity” initiates an output signal. That could be a hand or a finger or a misplaced tool, and it causes the machine to stop or it doesn’t allow a cycle until the blockage is removed. To not initiate this output signal, the operator must be outside the protected area through the entire stroke of the press-brake ram. The safety distance between the light curtain and the

machine depends on the application, the type of light curtain, and the machine’s stopping performance. OSHA has established the following set of regulations for light curtains: 1. The machine must be able to stop the movement of the ram anywhere in the stroke. 2. The stopping time of the ram must be known. 3. The stopping time of the ram must be monitored for deviation in stopping time on each stroke. 4. The minimum distance the light curtains can be located to the pinch point must be known. 5. The light curtains must be control reliable. 6. The machine stop circuit, with which the light curtains are interfaced, must be control reliable. 7. The light curtains must be self checking for proper operation on each stroke.

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | human/machine safety Pros and Cons of Advanced Press-Brake Safeguarding Methods

New vs. Retrofit Machines

Light Curtains (LCs)

Laser-Based AOPD Camera Vision System

Available for both with some manufacturers.

Available for both with some manufacturers.

 Less expensive

Pros

 Less setup time tooling or part changes  Newer LCs have programmability and

 Faster production with smaller work pieces.

 Difficult to bend parts with flanges

 Higher price

features to allow bending of difficult parts.

Cons

 Box bending or bending with flanges

 ‘Muting Abuse’ makes machine unsafe by

 Setup time associated with tooling changes

 Slower production with smaller work pieces

 Does not work with all tooling (larger radius

over-muting and blanking.

 With older LCs, smaller-parts bending is

possible, but complicated (sequence-step mode at operation).

8. There should be no easy way to disable the safety system without special tools. 9. If the safety system is disabled there should be a clear indication that it is disabled. 10. The operator and setup person should be properly trained in the operation of the safety system.

A LASER FOCUS ON SAFETY The laser AOPD, is the newest entry in the press-brake-safety-solution arena. Invented in 1998 as an alternative to light curtains, the systems were first used in the European Union before coming to the United States as a retrofit solution for existing press brakes. Today, these systems have become standard for many press brakes, on imported machines and those manufactured in the U.S. Because of their close proximity point of operation, laser AOPDs are best suited for applications such as box bending, bending with flanges, or where light-curtain effectiveness is diminished due to excessive blanking or muting. Inclusion of laser

FEBRUARY 2018

 Restrictions on safe use with tooling

or flattening dies)

 Unable to protect operator for most step-

bending applications.

AOPD technology in the B11.3 is a welcome addition to the standard that now gives press-brake manufacturers, dealers, and users a clear guideline for implementing this technology safely (see B11.3 sub-clause 8.8.7 - Close Proximity Point of Operation AOPD Safeguarding Device). The biggest advantage of AOPD is that operators can hand-hold parts close to the dies, while using a foot-switch to actuate the machine-cycle—something that’s almost impossible to accomplish safely with a light curtain. Another advantage is seen in the machining of larger-piece parts with tall side legs, a task that would be difficult using a vertically mounted light curtain for safeguarding. Such applications often require excessive “Channel Blanking,” which often allows hands and fingers to become too close to the dies.

SELECT THE RIGHT SAFEGUARDING SOLUTION Light-curtain systems restrict operator access to the point of hazard, whereas laser

AOPD protects the point of hazard. But that doesn’t make AOPD perfect for every application. Nor is it an either-or situation between the two approaches. There are advantages and drawbacks to both systems. In fact, the two technologies can be used on the same machine—and often are. For example, light curtains provide for die configurations, such as compound bends that a laser AOPD won’t handle. This is done to ensure that safeguarding is provided for all die setups. For die setups where neither light curtains or AOPD can offer effective safeguarding, but the part can be machined in a fixture-in-place manner, i.e., without hand-support, a two-hand control can be used for safeguarding. The table at the top of this page sums up the two systems. EP This information was provided by Carrie Halle, a vice president of Rockford Systems LLC, Rockford, IL. To learn more about these technologies and other machine-safeguarding solutions, visit rockfordsystems.com. EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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feature | lubrication strategies

Oil Systems Need to Breathe

Properly maintained breathers make it possible for lubrication systems to effectively protect moving parts. Ken Bannister, MEch Eng (UK), CMRP, MLE Contributing Editor

The most-common breather is the combination filler/ breather design that allows a single reservoir opening to serve as a fill port and breather. Note that, as is the case in this photo, no breather will do its job if it’s not properly attached. Photo courtesy Engtech Industries, Innerkip, Ontario, engtechindustries.com

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TO BREATHE IS to allow air to freely enter and exit a fully enclosed space. We humans are accustomed to breathing automatically without thinking about the process. When it comes to machines, however, the design engineer must be cognizant of enclosed spaces and mechanisms that can internally create air-pressure buildup. Any machine or system design must be able to relieve, or ventilate, the excess air pressure at a controlled rate to return or maintain the space to a neutral or positively pressurized state. The ability of internal mechanisms to breathe and equalize pressure has a profound effect on a machine’s ability to perform work efficiently, and its component(s) lifecycle. A perfect example of this is found in early combustion-engine design in which

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crude piston-and-ring technology inevitably allowed combustion gases to leak past the piston rings into the crankcase, a process known as “blow-by.” With no engineered provision for venting the enclosed crankcase, pressure would build up and compromise seals and gaskets, allowing crankcase oil to diffuse to atmosphere. This would result in engine power losses, oil contamination, and constant leaks. The problem was eventually solved through improved piston and ring design and the introduction of a crankcase ventilation system that introduces fresh air through the filler cap. The air mixes with combustion gases and drafts out through the roaddraft tube, which is connected to the crankcase. The system was further refined by introducing the pres-

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | lubrication strategies

surized crankcase ventilation (PCV) system in use today. An automotive crankcase is, of course, a reservoir similar to any gearbox or hydraulic-oil reservoir. In all cases, the reservoir is an enclosed container used to house oil that is pumped through the machine to lubricate bearing surfaces and return to the reservoir within the closed-loop system. When designed correctly, the reservoir will always have an air space (headspace) above the oil level designed to permit thermal expansion of the oil and allow the fluid to de-aerate (aerated fluids cause pump cavitation). To equalize the internal pressure build up created through the resulting changes in the oil level as the machine moves from rest to full operation, and vice versa, air must be allowed to enter and exit the reservoir through a device known simply as a breather. If air is allowed to freely move in and out of the reservoir through the breather, so is everything contained within that air exchange. This can include contaminants and moisture, both detrimental to the oil and the very bearings surfaces oil is designed to protect. This now requires the reliability engineer and/or maintainer to recognize the ambient working conditions and choose the appropriate breather style and type for the conditions and, furthermore, exercise diligence, through preventive-maintenance procedures, to ensure that the breather is always in place in the reservoir, is clean, and is unencumbered, allowing it to work as designed.

the lubrication system preventive-maintenance program. The change-out schedule is based on application and ambient conditions. If the breather is a less-sophisticated design that does not display its condition to the operator or maintainer, the rule of thumb is change out every three months in dirty environ-

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ANATOMY OF A BREATHER Breathers come in all configurations, shapes, and sizes, and different styles accommodate different airflow, particulate size, and working conditions. Most breathers are consumable devices. As such, they must be changed regularly as part of

FEBRUARY 2018

If air is allowed to freely move in and out of the reservoir through the breather, so is everything contained within that air exchange.

EPRS Maintenance Tech.indd 1

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1/3/18 9:06 AM

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

feature | lubrication strategies ments, such as a foundry, and every six months in cleaner environments.

FILLER/BREATHER CAP

Bannister on Lubrication

Go to the online version of this article at efficientplantmag.com to hear a podcast in which Ken Bannister provides more detail about breathers and how to specify and maintain them.

Contributing editor Ken Bannister is coauthor, with Heinz Bloch, of the book Practical Lubrication for Industrial Facilities, 3rd Edition (The Fairmont Press, Lilburn, GA). As managing partner and principal consultant for Engtech Industries Inc., Innerkip, Ontario, he specializes in the implementation of lubrication-effectiveness reviews to ISO 55001 standards, assetmanagement systems, and training. Contact him at kbannister@ engtechindustries.com, or telephone 519-469-9173.

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The most common breather in service is the combination filler/breather design that allows a single reservoir opening to serve two purposes. The device looks like a typical fill port with its screw-on cap and tubular mesh basket designed to prevent large debris from falling into the reservoir during the filling process (see image, right). The difference from a regular fill port is found in the combination-unit cap design, which contains a filter element to keep out contaminants. Filters can be made from different media based on the filter size and airflow restriction requirements. For example, a polyurethane filter medium is good for >10-micron particulates and allows an airflow exchange of 140 gpm (19 cfm), whereas an impregnated-paper medium will capture >3 micron particulates and allow an air exchange of 110 gpm (15 cfm).

DESICCANT BREATHERS Desiccant breathers are recent additions to the breather family and differ in that they offer superior air exchange and condition control and are designed to visually indicate to the operator when replacement is required. Dessicant units are designed with a see-through polycarbonate body filled with a silica-gel absorbent designed to hold as much as 40% of its weight in absorbed moisture. The gel changes from a blue to light pink color when saturated. The unit also contains regular polyester filters designed to capture particulate as small as 3 micron. Desiccant breathers use a see-through polycarbonate body filled with a silica-gel absorbent that holds as much as 40% of its weight in moisture. Replace the breather when the gel turns pink. Photo courtesy Des-Case Corp., Goodlettsville, TN, descase.com

STANDARD BREATHERS Standard breathers look almost identical to the filler/breather cap and is usually screwed onto a threaded pipe that provides air exchange through the top of the reservoir. Other styles can look similar to an automotive spin-on oil filter. In environments that experience large shifts

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in ambient and working conditions, or high humidity, breather caps designed with a filter and a pressure valve can be specified. The pressurerelief and vacuum-breaker capability is designed to limit air exchange and provide a positive suction head at the pump inlet.

WORD OF CAUTION

Note that a breather will only work when it’s in place. Breathers taken off to fill reservoirs, or for checking purposes, must be replaced or refitted immediately if the reservoir environment is to stay protected from outside contamination. The opening photo on p. 28 shows an example in which the filler breather cap has not been refitted correctly, allowing contamination into the reservoir. Breathers are an important and integral part of any reservoir-based lubrication system—and they require their own maintenance schedule. EP

FEBRUARY 2018

enterprise software solutions

Kicking Bad Habits Kristina Gordon DuPont

IF THERE’S ONE WAY to complete a task in SAP, there are 10 more behind it. Choosing the correct steps when processing work orders, entering time confirmations and history, and creating purchase requisitions can be exhausting, especially if the user doesn’t fully understand the financial implications behind it. This month, we will explore five critical elements of SAP PM that, if processed correctly, can actually increase the reliability of your plant.

Video Training

There is no training video for this month’s column. The January training video on planning was delayed due to technical difficulties. By the time you read this, it should be available at efficientplantmag. com/1801SAPtips. Watch this space each month for a new training video.

Kristina Gordon is SAP PM Leader, DuPont Protective Solutions Business, and SAP WMP Champion, Spruance Site, Richmond, VA. If you have SAP questions, send them to editors@efficientplantmag.com and we’ll forward them to Kristina.

FEBRUARY 2018

+

BLANKET WORK ORDERS

Blanket orders are work orders that have time confirmations or materials for shop supplies continually added over a long period of time without being closed. Acceptable reasons for use:  Training time  Housekeeping  CBT (computer-based training) completion and meetings. Unacceptable reasons for use:  To replenish materials used on a job  To use for “fill in” time confirmations (other than startup coverage or similar)  For repair work that should be confirmed to a corrective or urgent work order  For PM work that should be confirmed to preventive- or predictive-maintenance plans. If not managed well, the following issues can result:  Loss of equipment history  Work-order estimating accuracy will be poor  Could lose the ability to update and make task lists more accurate due to time not being confirmed.

+

TIME CONFIRMATION

Time confirmation in SAP is a key component in accounting for maintenance dollars and where they are allocated. Compliance with this metric will avoid residual costs at month-end financial closings. Acceptable reasons for use:  Add time spent on a job into the system  Have history of the real time spent on a job to improve estimates  Justify any requirements for increasing/reducing maintenance labor  Efficiency allocate maintenance-labor time costs. Unacceptable reason for use:  False time confirmation entered by supervisors to justify full utilization of job resources during shifts. If not managed well, the following issues can result:  Loss of time history required to perform jobs  Manual-labor costs cannot be efficiently allocated to the correct work/equipment

 Loss of maintenance-cost visibility.

+

WORK-ORDER HISTORY

+

PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE

The accuracy and consistency of reporting equipment history, including failure codes and long text descriptions of what was observed/found and completed, are essential to the future reliability of, and engineering improvements in, our equipment and systems. Acceptable reasons for use:  Keep historical data on cause of failure  Close feedback loop on improving maintenance plans and reliability  Continuous improvement of maintenance execution and job packs. Unacceptable reasons for use:  Failure to complete history or improper history will cause loss of valuable execution data. If not managed well, the following issues can result:  Loss of job safety-observation history  Loss of valuable data to improve maintenance and reliability across the plant  Could potentially put the plant in a non-compliant state with OSHA.

Increasing asset reliability should always be the focus of a plant. To achieve this target, we need to shift from a reactionary mode, where most of the work is “urgent” or “emergency’” to a proactive mindset where preventive and scheduled work is the norm. Acceptable reasons for use:  Shift reactive mindset  Improve asset reliability  Reduce maintenance costs  Reduce unplanned downtime  Improve product quality  Reduce loss/scrap of product. If not managed well the following issues can result:  Have a reactive organization always in firefighting mode  Equipment reliability decreased due to lack of preventive work. EP EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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disaster preparedness

Advice for Automated Substations

+

BACKUP AND RECOVERY

+

MALWARE PROTECTION

+

+ Any system, no matter how many precautions are taken, can be compromised, be it through cyber attacks or natural disasters. Automated substations are no exception.

CONNECTED AUTOMATION SYSTEMS are making utilities and industry more efficient, more productive, and more economic, but they are also introducing new challenges to those organizations. In a recent online article, Frank Hohlbaum of ABB (Cary, NC, new.abb.com), suggested several questions that substation managers should ask themselves regarding their cybersecurity policies. He also touched on ways to address any problems that might surface in their responses. Hohlbaum’s questions and advice for dealing with various issues associated with them are summed up here. — Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

Frank Hohlbaum is a product manager for cybersecurity within ABB’s (Cary, NC) Substation Automation business. Learn more about the issues and network-management solutions discussed in this article at new.abb.com/network-management/service.

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+

Q: Does the substation operation have a recent backup of its automation system? If the worst does happen, and cyber attack or natural disaster strikes, then the security of an off-site backup will make recovery much easier.

Q: Is the substation’s automation system protected against malware? These systems can be equipped with industry-standard malware- and intrusion-protection solutions such as anti-virus protection and application whitelisting.

PERIMETER PROTECTION Q: Is the network’s firewall configured properly? Firewalls can protect the perimeter of a network, and a well-designed security policy will separate the network into distinct, controlled zones, protected by internal firewalls to ensure that a compromised server doesn’t mean compromising the entire network.

SECURITY UPDATES & HARDENING Q: Is the substation’s automation system up to date? It’s not just the anti-virus software that needs updating. Modern operating systems and embedded software often need to be patched to defend against emerging threats. Efficient patch management is an essential part of any security policy, but one that’s often neglected.

SECURITY ASSESSMENT & MONITORING Q: Who is regularly assessing and monitoring the substation’s automation system? Assessment and monitoring services for system software, system hardware, and communication networks are fundamental in order to keep these types of systems constantly secure.

Hohlbaum concluded by noting that any system can be compromised. For best results and a consistent security level, components, such as patch management and virus protection, should be applied and regularly updated. Cybersecurity will always be a challenge on a global scale. No single solution can keep increasingly interconnected systems secure. Leading companies work with sites to create a defense-in-depth approach where multiple security layers detect and deter threats—if, where, and when they may arise. EP

FEBRUARY 2018

mro issues

+

+ + Asset-intensive operations, regardless of sector, can reap significant benefits when appropriate personnel are able to access good equipment Bills of Materials.

Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency MOST CMMS SYSTEMS have the ability to create Bills of Materials (BOMs) for equipment or assets. This type of BOM includes all the components needed for a piece of equipment. According to information from Life Cycle Engineering (LCE.com, Charleston, SC), all types of asset-intensive industries can reap benefits from good BOMs—with one of the most important of those benefit coming in the form of increased maintenance efficiency. Among other things:

For more information from Life Cycle Engineering on this and other important plant topics, visit LCE.com or email [email protected].

FEBRUARY 2018

+

EQUIPMENT BOMs CAN HELP THE MAINTENANCE PLANNER PLAN A TASK OR JOB FASTER. Do your planners spend time looking at drawings, manuals, or catalogs to find part numbers that could be right at their fingertips? BOMs can be created for certain PM tasks, shutdowns, or redundant tasks. Yes, it does take time to create and maintain good equipment BOMs. If they aren’t maintained correctly, confusion ensues and end-user time is wasted.

EQUIPMENT BOMs CAN HELP REDUCE DOWNTIME. Do you have craftsmen working on back shifts, nights, or weekends? Good equipment BOMs will reduce equipment downtime because, regardless of the time that any parts are needed, they can be identified and procured quickly.

USING A GOOD BOM SYSTEM CAN HELP MANAGE SYSTEM SUB-COMPONENTS. Do you have sub-components with replacement parts that are hard to identify? Consider a conveyor that uses lifts, curves, and belts of different lengths or widths, gearboxes with motors, or a hoist made of several components. The sub-component items can be broken out into their own BOMs and become part of a sub-BOM for such systems.

USING EQUIPMENT BOMs HELPS MANAGE SPARE-PARTS INVENTORY. Do personnel ever decommission and remove equipment from the plant floor? The associated spare parts can sit in the storeroom for years, taking up valuable space. With good equipment BOMs, the task of identifying spare parts that belong to a decommissioned piece of equipment is a simple task. With a little cross-checking to ensure that the parts aren’t used on some other piece of equipment or system, you’re almost done—except for removing the items from the CMMS and storeroom. This strategy helps reduce the total dollar amount of a site’s spare-parts inventory.

THE PAYOFF While it does take time to create and regularly update equipment BOMs, the payoff is big. When BOMs are correctly set up and maintained, and appropriate personnel know how to access them, an operation can look forward to fewer headaches and a reduction in equipment downtime. EP — Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

33

motors

As these images show, rotors from squirrel-cage induction motors are not all alike. Differences aside, they also can be difficult to access and evaluate in installed equipment.

Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis ROTORS ARE AMONG the many variables that can affect the reliability of squirrel-cage AC induction motors. According to Noah Bethel of PdMA Corp. (Tampa, FL, pdma.com), a study sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA, epri.com), and performed by General Electric in the 1980s estimated that rotor defects were responsible for approximately 10% of failures in such motors. Things certainly have changed since then—including motor-testing equipment and methods. Yet, even now, Bethel notes, one of the biggest problems in electrically analyzing squirrel-cage induction rotors continues to be access to the rotor itself. The solution? “We don’t want to disassemble every motor just to look at its rotor,” he explained. “We have to be a little smarter and a little more equipped with the right kind of tools and techniques.” As an example, he points to the following six types of rotor analysis. Keep them in mind. — Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

Noah Bethel is vice president of Product Development for PdMA Corp., Tampa, FL. For more information on motortesting and analysis topics and solutions, visit pdma.com.

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+

+

+

FP SIDEBAND Fp (pole-pass frequency) sideband amplitude is one of the more established methods of rotor evaluation using the current-signature analysis test. The slip between the rotating rotor and stator magnetic fields creates a modulation of the stator current at Fp presented as a peak on a spectrum plot in the frequency domain. Differential amplitudes between the Fp and line frequency can be trended to identify rotor-bar defects.

DEMODULATED FP Demodulating the current and displaying it in the frequency domain provides a look into rotor health, as well as the electro-mechanical machine-train components of the motor. Research has found that the Fp identified in the demodulated spectrum is the most sensitive indication of developing rotor-bar anomalies for large two-pole motors.

5TH HARMONIC Broken rotor bars result in a 180-deg. phase shift in rotor magnetic flux. This can be seen in a rotor-evaluation current spectrum as three peaks

+

+

+

separated by Fp to the left of the 5th harmonic peak.

ROTOR INFLUENCE CHECK Inductance measurements of the de-energized stator windings at different rotor positions can be plotted to create a graphical representation of the rotor magnetic flux. High resistance joints and broken rotor bars will change the impedance reflected back onto the stator windings creating a rotor-defect flux pattern.

IN-RUSH/START-UP High resistance connections or broken rotor bars change the reflected impedance on the stator windings causing a drop in the start-up current and start-up torque. This drop in startup torque will result in a longer acceleration time for the motor.

AVERAGE INDUCTANCE Broken rotor bars result in an increased inductance value measured on the stator windings of a deenergized motor. Trending this value will give ample warning of developing rotor defects. EP

FEBRUARY 2018

compressed air systems

Heed These Signs of Inefficiency Ron Marshall

+

LOW-LOADED VS. RUN-TIME RATIO

+

STORAGE RECEIVER SIZE

+ Some compressed air systems are more efficient than others in serving end-use applications in plants.

WHILE COMPRESSED AIR is one of the most inefficient ways to power mechanical systems, it’s also one of the most widely used sources of such power in industrial operations. For various reasons, some systems are simply better than others at converting atmospheric air into compressed air, and efficiently delivering it to end users. Is yours one of them? The following seven signs may point to inefficiency problems:

Ron Marshall has spent almost 25 years working with compressed air systems, first as an industrial-systems officer with Manitoba Hydro (hydro.mb.ca) and, since his retirement, as owner of Marshall Compressed Air Consulting, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. For more information, email [email protected], or visit compressedairaudit.com.

FEBRUARY 2018

+ + + +

If your system runs in load/unload mode, i.e., wherein any compressor alternates between loaded and unloaded, record its loaded and run-time hours. If the loaded hours are less than 70% of total run-time hours, it’s likely a compressor is running inefficiently. Are any of yours running in modulation mode? Modulation mode is the least-efficient way to run compressors in part load. If you don’t know the mode, ask your service provider.

How large is your storage receiver in relation to your trim compressor? The trim compressor is the one that loads and unloads to take partial load when the plant air demand only requires a fraction of a compressor. Sometimes, there could be more than one trim. Take the number of gallons of storage capacity and divide it by the CFM (cu-ft./min.) rating of the trim compressor. (Usually, CFM is about 4 times the horsepower rating). Is the ratio less than 5? For sites with lubricated screw compressors, the effective storage should be larger than 5-gal. per trim CFM. Best practice is about 10-gal. per CFM. For variable-speed compressors, the storage volume would be 10 times the flow at minimum speed.

EXCESSIVE CYCLE FREQUENCY When monitoring your load/unload operation, measure the number of seconds the compressor is in the loaded condition and the time it’s in the unloaded state. An efficiently running system would have total cycle time (loaded plus unloaded) above two minutes at around 50% loading (when load and unload are equal).

HIGH SYSTEM PRESSURE If system pressure is running above 100 psi, the system may be inefficient. It takes 1% more energy to produce compressed air for every two psi of higher pressure.

HIGH LEVELS OF LEAKS Visit your plant during non-production hours. Does the compressed air system sound like a pit of angry vipers? Obvious audible leakage is indicative of inefficiency.

LACK OF SYSTEM MONITORING How much is the energy input to your compressed air system compared to the flow produced? If you can’t answer this question, your system is likely inefficient.

HIGH DRAINAGE LEVELS Do you have condensate drains that have been cracked open manually or timer units that are wasting expensive compressed air? These situations typically reflect efficiency problems. EP EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

35

Answers to questions facing today’s reliability & maintenance professionals

department | on the floor

Cultural Q Improvement A Takes Work

Why is improving culture so difficult and so important?

Dr. Klaus M. Blache Univ. of Tennessee Reliability and Maintainability Center (RMC)

Developing a mature culture requires trust and can take many years to develop; more than five years if the culture is ingrained. A productive culture can very quickly be destroyed without ongoing daily support.

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For as long as I can remember, culture has been, simultaneously, the top roadblock and leading opportunity for large implementations and ongoing improvement. In simple terms, culture is what your employees do when they think that you are not watching. Many labels have been used to describe factors that make cultural change difficult. The top three are fear of change (lack of confidence), lack of trust (people need time to accept a new concept), and lack of a clear communication/understanding of why the change is necessary (what the future state looks like). Results analyses, case studies, and related headlines continue to make statements such as:  Culture is the main reason we are not making faster progress.  Culture accounts for a large percentage of ROI.  There is too much employee resistance to process change or

introduction of new technology. I have found that people, in general, don’t resist change. What they resist is the impact it has on their work and personal lives. This is where employee involvement in developing workable solutions is rightfully discussed. A mature culture requires trust and can take many years to develop; more than five years if the culture is ingrained. However, it can very quickly be destroyed without ongoing daily support. Trust and credibility need to be earned. They don’t just happen. There are exceptions. You often read about the one-year cultural turnaround of employees at NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between GM and Toyota in California) after Toyota took over the General Motors plant. What’s usually not mentioned is that the previous plant closed and this venture was the primary opportunity for workers to stay employed at their current wage levels. You can get cultural change in a year if everyone is standing on a burning platform. In saying this, I’m not discrediting anything that happened at NUMMI. Toyota sent hundreds of coaches to make lean manufacturing work, but also wanted to learn more about dealing with American workers. Early in my career, while I was a manager at GM Corporate Industrial Engineering, I volunteered to work the production line several times to better understand the workforce and had numerous discussions with various levels of management. These efforts allowed me to confidently state that the people and manufacturing processes worked. When I conduct reliability and

FEBRUARY 2018

department | on the floor

Organizational Culture and Reliability Process Maturity

Keep it running. Safely.

Organizational culture index (10-pt. scale)

10 D B E

A C 0

0

Plant reliability process maturity (10-pt. scale)

8

The graph lines show a comparison of assessment results from multiple plants in three companies.

maintainability assessments, understanding the current state of the existing culture is one of the key elements. Some of the other 15 elements we use are work management, standardized work, continuous improvement, and equipment process design. In the graph above, the lines show a comparison of assessment results from multiple plants in three companies. The company represented by line AB has a high correlation (R2 = 0.73) between process reliability and organizational culture maturity. The organization represented by line CD started with the same challenging culture as company CE but, through an increased people focus, will reach cultural and reliability maturity (and realize related performance benefits) much faster than company CE. Planning for and tracking your cultural progress can be accomplished by comparing multiple plants or the same plant over time. While you still need to have efficient and effective processes in place to be competitive, a better culture will get you there much faster. In their book, Corporate Culture and Per-

FEBRUARY 2018

formance, authors J. P. Kotter and J. L. Heskett found that, over a 10-yr. period, companies had reached cultural and reliability maturity realized revenue increases of 682% versus 166%, net income growth of 756% versus 1%, stock-price increases of 901% versus 74%, and 282% job growth versus 36%. It’s also not surprising that one of the key Toyota Principles is about becoming a learning organization through relentless self-examination and continuous improvement. Cultural improvement will always be difficult to enable and sustain. But those who understand it and embrace it will have greater success in business performance. EP

Offering 12 electrical technician certifications and arc flash safety.

TRAINING INSTITUTE Based in Knoxville, Klaus M. Blache is director of the Reliability & Maintainability Center at the Univ. of Tennessee, and a research professor in the College of Engineering. Contact him at [email protected].

www.avotraining.com Let us bring the training to your location Call 877-594-3156 for a quote

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

37

column | industrial internet of things

Digital Platforms Join TPM And IIoT Grant Gerke Contributing Editor

This screen display, created by The Aquila Group, alerts operators of scheduled maintenance events within their area of responsibility for their respective machine.

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T

HE BUZZ AROUND digital platforms in manufacturing has a lot to do with advanced automation and the ability to move machine data to human-machine interfaces (HMIs) or to enterprise systems. However, successful asset management also involves dependable work processes, along with technical solutions. Total productive maintenance (TPM) aligns nicely with IIoT’s (Industrial Internet of Things) mission statement of more actionable data on the plant floor. TPM provides an operator with the ability to perform basic maintenance routines for a work center and, in theory, relegate larger reliability issues to the maintenance staff. Taking on more predictive/preventive maintenance routines, reporting on deteriorating machine conditions earlier, and providing more support in specifying new plant equipment are examples of this shift. One company facilitating this type of solution is The Aquila Group Inc., Sun Prairie, WI (the-aquila-group.com), an automation solutions and consulting company providing a range of manufacturing solutions, including a manufacturing-execution system (MES) called the Dynamic Machine Management (DMM) platform and the Green Light Monitoring data acquisition platform. DMM makes it possible to create, collect, distribute, and manage manufacturing information, instructions, and performance metrics in real time. “The system enables management to create customizable dashboards that alert operators of scheduled maintenance events (within their area of responsibility) for their respective machines,” explained David Wilmer,

vice president of manufacturing systems design at The Aquila Group. “The operator completes the events, and then a digital maintenance record can be shared with multiple departments or technicians.” Green Light Monitoring is a software platform that manages and automatically performs OEE calculations. In conjunction with the DMM platform, the monitoring system can feed machine data to business systems for long-term trend analysis and record maintenance data in one action with little to no operator involvement. For example, the monitoring system can create a cascade of questions in real-time to operators experiencing a micro-stoppage for a machine, such as a failure alarm for low oil. The system will then generate a series of questions around the low-oil alarm and cascade these questions, such as how much oil was added to that machine. “You can acquire micro-stoppage data for OEE calculations, but now you’re also using that microstoppage data as a maintenance component,” added Wilmer. This national consulting company works with many sheet-metal manufacturers, such as Eaton, Siemens, and Fiat. In addition to these large companies, Aquila can also create customized, data-monitoring solutions for small- and mid-sized companies looking to modernize operations with minimal capital outlay. “Predictive-maintenance solutions are now in reach for smaller companies due to lower implementation IIoT costs over the past ten years,” said Wilmer. An essential ingredient of machine data visibility is interoperability between devices. Third-party companies, such as The Aquila Group, are providing this much-need expertise for enterprises. EP [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2018

feature | solution focus

DCS Opens New Markets for

Process automation is providing critical production insights and centralized control for a major agricultural terminal operation.

Farm Cooperative AFTER OPERATING FOR decades, Nebraska’s Midwest Farmers Cooperative (MFC, midwestfarmers.coop) found itself facing limited opportunities for an expanded global-market reach. With most of its grain transported by truck, the co-op determined the best way to grow the business would be to build a new central-hub terminal with access to major U.S. rail lines. In addition to train service and highway access for inbound trucks, the terminal would also need to be strategically located with respect to MFC’s existing operating facilities. Having settled on a location that met

FEBRUARY 2018

those requirements, the co-op worked with system integrator Wachter Inc. (wachter. com, Lenexa, KS) to design a fully automated facility based on the scalable PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS) from Rockwell Automation (rockwellautomation. com, Milwaukee). Now up and running, the terminal is helping MFC efficiently move corn and other grain into new markets around the world.

THE CHALLENGES MFC is a full-service cooperative. It brings together 4,100 farmer patrons in Nebraska

to negotiate higher prices as a group and reach customers to which individual members might, otherwise, not have immediate access. The co-op operates 28 Nebraska facilities where trucks bring grains to be dried, conditioned, and stored until purchased and transported out. Previously, only a few of those terminals had access to trains to haul grain to market. Reliance on trucks as the primary means of transit, in turn, limited the co-op’s customer base solely to companies operating in the Midwest. The co-op’s efficiency also was limited given the fact most of its terminals EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

39

feature | solution focus weren’t automated. Consequently, operators needed to manually keep processes moving forward. An automated greenfield central-hub terminal, MFC reasoned, would not only be key to developing a larger customer base for the co-op’s patrons, it could help keep operating costs low.

them, production moves more quickly and efficiently compared to older terminals. Case in point: The terminal has a capacity of 2.75 million bushels, which could more than double if warranted. The receiving end has the capacity to take in 1,000 bushels every two minutes, and receives an average of 300 trucks each day. The site THE SOLUTION also reports that remote monitorCo-op management found a location ing reduces downtime and helps in Syracuse, in southeastern Nebrassave maintenance costs. ka, that met their requirements for One of the biggest benefits, rail-line access. Once the land was though, may have come as a result secured, the project moved forward. of the project’s development “This was the first time MFC was process and expedited commisdeploying a centralized DCS in a sioning. MFC began building terminal,” said Daniel Alvarez, autothe terminal in December 2015. mation software systems consultant Wachter began performing the Up and running since October 2016 with no major downtime events, the at Wachter and a lead on the project. upfront engineering and design Midwest Farmers Cooperative’s fully-automated central-hub terminal in Syracuse, NE, is helping efficiently move corn and other grains to “We knew that the PlantPAx modern in March 2016. The PlantPax customers around the world. DCS would be easy to design and DCS was deployed by October of deploy quickly, helping to get the that year—and began validating facility operating sooner.” processes less than two weeks later. receiving, weighing, and loadout. Typically, When designing the control system, “Our operations, management, and terminals would require multiple operators Wachter leveraged the Rockwell Automaleadership teams have varying levels of to manually manage the process. tion Library of Process Objects. The preautomation experience, from little or none, The new system also smoothly manages built, pre-engineered, and tested process to full-on, wholly automated facilities,” said enterprise-level monitoring, data storage, objects allowed Wachter to quickly design Eric Werth, manager for the MFC Syraand alarming. The system’s connectivity to and deploy the system. cuse terminal. “With the PlantPAx system, the enterprise-level monitoring also enables The Rockwell Software Studio 5000 Logix Wachter helped us go from design to operremote access. If an issue arises, Wachter Emulate software application enabled the ations at the same location, within a year, can remotely access the control system for Wachter team to validate, test, and optimize letting our patrons reach a bigger customer maintenance and troubleshooting, reducing code without hardware. This reduced design base faster than expected.” costs and time for both. time by about 25%, and allowed the team to Bottom line: The Midwest Farmers CoopTHE ROI gather buy-in from MFC stakeholders and erative plans to standardize on the PlantPAx MFC’s greenfield terminal has been opertrain operators. system across its facilities as it builds future ating with no major downtime events to With an EtherNet/IP backbone, the terminals and upgrades existing ones. EP date. Its rail-line access allows the co-op modern DCS integrates smoothly with the to deliver corn and other grains to more facility’s new machines, including conveyors Results mentioned in this article are specific national and global markets, at higher profit and dryer systems, to efficiently monitor to the Midwest Farmers Cooperative’s use of margins. and visualize the terminal from inbound to Rockwell Automation products and services The business is realizing a number of outbound. This comprehensive view enables in conjunction with other products. Specific specific benefits from its first centralized operators to control all areas of the site results may vary for other users. For more DCS and fully automated operation. Among through only three workstations located at information, visit rockwellautomation.com.

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FEBRUARY 2018

department | products

PRODUCTS FEATURED PRODUCT

Redundancy Modules Protect Against Power Failures The SolaHD SDN2X power-supply redundancy modules continuously monitor two power supplies connected in parallel. In the event one power supply fails, the unit automatically switches to the second power supply, eliminating the potential for single power-supply failure causing an unexpected shutdown. Because the power supplies are decoupled using the module, the operating power supply does not feed into the failed power supply. The modules use a MOSFET design that generates less heat than diode-based redundancy modules. Three module sizes are available, each supporting redundancy between two 12 VDC or two 24 VDC power supplies.

Emerson St. Louis emerson.com

INTERFACES FOR MOTOR FEEDBACK KIT ENCODERS

SMART MACHINE CHECKER

Accurex is automatic diagnosis software built into the company’s Fixturlaser Smart Machine Checker (SMC). The SMC includes several built-in tools to provide an accurate and comprehensive report on a machine’s health. Tools include a laser pyrometer to check bearing temperature, a stroboscope to pinpoint the exact RPM, and a camera to document sensor placement or machine defects.

Interfaces for the company’s magnetic Kit Encoders include support for the non-proprietary opensource BiSS Line communication protocol. This enables single-cable technology, increasingly popular with motor and robot manufacturers. The kits, which feature 17-bit electronic resolution, bridge the gap between simple resolvers and more complex optical encoders for servomotors, robot joints, and other applications where absolute rotary position feedback is required.

VibrAlign Inc. Richmond, VA vibralign.com

Posital Hamilton, NJ posital.com

SLIDING-VANE PUMPS

The GNX series sliding-vane pumps are alignment-free, reduced-speed pumps for portable and stationary applications. The design eliminates the couplings between the gearbox and the pump and motor by rigidly connecting them in alignment with a C-face (or similar) motor on the high-speed and low-speed sides of the pump. The result is a pump that reportedly will not need to be realigned either at initial installation or following a maintenance procedure. Applications include chemical transfer. Blackmer Grand Rapids, MI blackmer.com

FEBRUARY 2018

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

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department | products

PROXIMITY SENSORS

The V3 series AC-powered inductive proximity sensors are available in 8, 12, 18, and 30 mm. Extended sensing distances range from 2-mm shielded and 4-mm unshielded for 8-mm versions to 12-mm shielded and 18-mm unshielded for 30-mm models. Sensors operate on 20 to 250 VAC/VDC input with N.O. and N.C. output options, and are short-circuit protected. AutomationDirect Cumming, GA automationdirect.com

FIELD CALIBRATOR, COMMUNICATOR

The MC6-Ex field calibrator and communicator is a documenting, multifunction calibrator and communicator that offers calibration capabilities for pressure, temperature, and various electrical signals. It also contains a field communicator for HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, and Profibus PA instruments. The device is an IEC and ATEX certified calibrator and can be used in any Ex Zone/Division. The certification classification is Ex II 1 G and Ex ia IIC T4 Ga. Beamex Inc. Marietta, GA beamex.com

PRESS-FITTING SYSTEM

MegaPress XL press-fitting system for 2 1/2- to 4-in.- dia. carbon-steel pipe can be used with Schedule 10 to Schedule 40 pipe. On average, the system is said to make secure connections in 25 sec. Unlike welding and threading, the system does not require a fire watch or cutting oils and creates no sparks. It also has an FKM sealing element that allows it to be installed in higher temperature (to 284 F) applications. Viega Broomfield, CO viega.us

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FEBRUARY 2018

department | products

INSULATION TESTER

The MIT485/2TC-LG2 insulation and continuity tester replaces the company’s MIT480 range tester. The handheld instrument features fixed test voltages of 50, 100, 250, and 500, and variable test voltages from 10 to 500. A gated access feature to 500 V prevents accidental application of high voltage to sensitive equipment. The tester has a three-terminal connection for tip, ring, and ground testing. Accuracy is +2% to 0%. Megger Norristown, PA megger.com

WEAR RINGS

The HiMod Slydring HC wear-ring line includes more than 180 part numbers in outer diameters from 1 to 12 in. The rings have high compressive strength and wear resistance even at elevated temperatures, provide low friction performance in lubricated settings, and are said to be easy to install with a simple closed-grooved design. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Streamwood, IL tss.trelleborg.com

HYBRID PPTC MINI-BREAKER

The MHP-TAT18 metal hybrid PPTC battery mini-breaker with resettable thermal cut-off has a 9-VDC rating. The device meets battery safety requirements of higher-capacity lithium ion polymer and prismatic battery cells. Applications include protection for cells used in gaming PCs, notebook PCs, ultra-books, tablets, and other batterypowered portable devices. Littelfuse Inc. Chicago littelfuse.com

Looking to refocus or revitalize your maintenance program? Looking to prepare for ISO 55001 certification? Does your program currently: P Lack confidence in its

P Lack the time to

P Lack strategic direction? P Lack effective communication?

P Lack succession planning? P Lack effective work planning

maintenance data?

complete all work?

and scheduling?

If you answered YES to any of the above, call Ken Bannister at ENGTECH ENGTECH Industries Inc— successfully implementing usable asset management programs for over 27 years—at (519) 469-9173 or email [email protected] and let’s talk maintenance!

Helping People manage People who Manage Assets!

FEBRUARY 2018

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

43

department | products

ULTRAHIGH-SPEED CAMERA

The Phantom v2640 4-Megapixel camera has a CMOS image sensor that delivers image quality as high as 26 Gpx/sec., while reaching 6,600 frames/sec. at full 2048 x 1952 resolution. The high dynamic range shows significant detail, especially in high-contrast environments. The camera is available with as much as 288 GB of memory, and is compatible with Phantom 1TB and 2TB CineMags for fast data saves. Alternatively, 10 Gb Ethernet is standard, saving significant download time. Vision Research Wayne, NJ phantomhighspeed.com

ENGINEERING FRAMEWORK PORTAL

The new version of the TIA Portal V15 engineering framework emphasizes applications, enhancements within the digitalization portfolio, and functionality ensuring engineering efficiency. Applications are enhanced with high-level language programming, integration of additional drive systems, and handling functions. A broader digitalization portfolio includes improved features for OPC UA functionalities and the powerful feature of virtual commissioning. The version focuses even more on Standardization Functionality and better engineering efficiency with teamwork, as well as expanded diagnostics of machines and systems. Siemens Atlanta siemens.com

CLOUD-HOSTING SOLUTION

The company’s Connected Plant Uniformance Cloud Historian is a software-as-a-service cloud-hosting solution for enterprise-wide visualization and analysis, improving asset availability and increasing plant uptime. It fuses the real-time process data analysis of a traditional enterprise historian with a data lake, enabling the integration of production, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and other business data coupled with analytics tools to provide business intelligence. This allows enterprise data to be analyzed instantly on a scale not previously possible using tools and functions already in use at sites and plants. The software collects, stores, and enables replay of historical and continuous plant and production site process data and makes it visible in the cloud in near real time. Honeywell Process Solutions Houston honeywellprocess.com

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| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2018

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efficient plant | ad index

INTEGRATED MEDIA SPECIALISTS Midwest/West Coast

INTERNATIONAL SALES

LIST SERVICES

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

PATRICK KEEFE FEBRUARY 2018 • Volume 31, No. 2 535 Plainfield Road, Suite A Willowbrook, IL 60527 PH 630.325.2497 FX 847.620.2570

East Coast

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SHOWCASE & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MARIA LEMAIRE

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Allied Elec. & Auto. ....................................3, 5 alliedelec.com

AutomationDirect........... inside front cover automationdirect.com

AVO Training Inst. ................................. 37, 45 avotraining.com

BinMaster Level Controls...........................45 binmaster.com

Engtech Industries...................................... 43 engtechindustries.com

Exair Corp. .................................................... 47 exair.com

IMVAC...............................................................9 vibrationconference.com

Lubrication Engineers...................................11 lelubricants.com

Mapcon ......................................................... 45 mapcon.com

Meltric Corp. ................................................ 45 meltric.com

Pruftechnik.. ..................................................23 pruftechnik.com

Reliable Plant Conf. .......................................7 conference.reliableplant.com

Royal Products. ............................................ 47 mistcollectors.com

SAP Conference. .......................................... 13 sapeamconference.com

Schneider Electric........................back cover schneider-electric.us

SD Myers Inc. ................................................29 powersummit18.org

Superior Signal ............................................ 45 superiorsignal.com/MT

Test Products Intl. ....................................... 45 testproductsintl.com

Univ. of Tennessee ...........inside back cover rmc.utk.edu

Allied Elec. & Auto. ...............................online alliedelec.com

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Baldor Electric .......................................online baldor.com

Dude Solutions ......................................online dudesolutions.com

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Schneider Electric.................................online schneider-electric.us

U.S. Tsubaki Power................................online ustsubaki.com

Submissions Policy: E Pla welcomes editorial submissions. By sending us your submission, unless otherwise negotiated in writing with our editor(s), you grant Applied Technology Media Inc., permission, by an irrevocable license, to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish, and adapt your submission in any medium, including internet, on multiple occasions. You are free to publish your submission yourself or allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be returned.

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Reproduction of Materials: Materials produced by E Pla may not be reproduced in any form, for any purpose, without permission. For reprints, contact Phil Saran, at [email protected].

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efficient plant | showcase

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EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

47

column | efficiency insight

Embrace IIoT Technology Gary Mintchell Contributing Editor

Industry 4.0, IoT, IIoT, digital factory, smart manufacturing, and cyberphysical systems have become the backbone of today’s manufacturing operations because the technology facilitates efficiency and reliability.

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W

HILE SITTING IN a coffee house recently, I was joined by an engineer acquaintance. The resulting discussion focused on what is meant by digital factory, smart manufacturing, cyberphysical systems, and Industry 4.0/IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). Our conversation actually had started with Internet of Things comments. My friend works for Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions, St. Louis (emerson.com/en-us/commercial-residential-solutions), manufacturer of HVAC and refrigeration compressors. We began talking about how they can use the internet to connect and monitor their compressors. What would they monitor? The same things you all do within your plants. They can monitor performance aimed at developing a database to aid future design and evaluate components. Most of all, they can monitor reliability and maintenance issues—downtime, performance degradation, problem prediction. Oh, and they could possibly sell services. The maintenance managers among you readers will recognize these issues. And you’ll recognize the tension among the many companies wishing to provide those services. Do you “own” the data and then use it for in-house maintenance? Do you contract with a distributor or integrator who is positioned between you and the OEM who might want to tap into this information trove and sell the services? Do you contract with the machine builder? Or do you go to the source and contract with the equipment builder? The IIoT can be thought of as the end result of all the buzz words that I used in

my opening statement. Design is now done digitally. The CAD drawings, components, parts lists are all just digital files these days. The cyberphysical systems part of this means that you can have a digital (cyber) representation of just about everything in the physical world. And not just a database, but also motion, engineering, performance curves and models, and metadata of the parts and system. Potentially huge amounts of information. This information can now be manipulated and studied. Dump it into a simulation application (maybe with virtual reality headset), and operators, techs, and engineers can “see” the process. This is great for training new operators or refreshment training for current operators. Suck the information models into an application with performance information and analyses can be made to predict problems or even prescribe solutions before problems crop up. With all the information coming back from the system automatically, think of the cost savings and error prevention from sending technicians out into the field to manually record data. These concepts are more than just buzz words. They point to very real plant efficiency and profitability benefits. Only four years ago I gave a talk at a maintenance conference where one of the audience members told me “engineering says this stuff doesn’t work.” Guess what? It does. EP

Gary Mintchell is an industrialtechnology subject-matter expert. He can be reached at gmintchell@ efficientplantmag.com.

FEBRUARY 2018

Dow Corning makes

time to profit with Schneider’s EcoStruxure™ Plant

For Dow Corning, the largest silicone materials production facility in the world, bringing innovation to control, operational safety and reliability at their petrochemicals plant was a bold idea. Schneider confidently provides Dow Corning with modernization services using their EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS, enabling a seamless, fast control system upgrade for faster time to production. EcoStruxure Plant including EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS offers: • 50% faster migration • Reduction in CAPEX by 50% • Saving 2 days of production and a faster time to profit

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©2018 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric | Life Is On is a trademark and the property of Schneider Electric SE, its subsidiaries, and affiliated companies. • 998-20157407US