MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:55 - My Take: The Heroes Among Us

Wed, 18 May 2011 16:55:18 +0100

Bummed out. It’s a feeling I hadn’t been able to shake since the day the monster earthquake and tsunami slammed Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began melting down, dashing so many lives, hopes and dreams in a deadly domino-effect process.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:46 - Uptime: Do We Really Need Preventive Maintenance?

Wed, 18 May 2011 16:46:44 +0100

“Sure, I know. Preventive maintenance (PM) helps avoid unplanned downtime or breakdowns.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:32 - Boosting Your Bottom Line: Motor-Management Toolbox Essentials

Wed, 18 May 2011 16:32:23 +0100

Motor management isn’t difficult: Understand what you’ve got, then use tools and information to make informed decisions at key times.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:27 - Don't Procrastinate... ...

Wed, 18 May 2011 16:27:01 +0100

Innovation, by its very name, is different, whether you are selling a product, process or idea.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 09:51 - Measuring Through A Chain Of Success

Wed, 18 May 2011 15:51:58 +0100

Connecting these important links can bring clarity to an operation and benefits to its bottom line.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 14:13 - Filling In The Electrical Safety Picture

Tue, 17 May 2011 20:13:02 +0100

Is your organization missing some major pieces in thisvery important picture? These tips will help close the holes.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 13:50 - Cardan Shaft Alignment

Tue, 17 May 2011 19:50:52 +0100

These applications aren’t as straightforward as others. Their special considerations call for special tools and approaches.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 12:16 - Big Money Talks: A Counterpoint To Knee-Jerk Reactions

Tue, 17 May 2011 18:16:16 +0100

A “knee jerk reaction” as defined in the Free Dictionary by Farlex “is an immediate unthinking emotional reaction produced by an event or statement to which the reacting person is highly sensitive…in persons with strong feelings on a topic, it may be very predictable.” See where I’m going with this?

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 12:12 - Gadget: Energy-Efficient and Guaranteed-For-Life Fans

Tue, 17 May 2011 18:12:22 +0100

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 11:55 - How Much Is Your Air System Really Costing?

Tue, 17 May 2011 17:55:07 +0100

While you may not be able to run your operations without it, you probably can make your compressed air equipment run more efficiently and economically.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 11:32 - Technology Showcase: MRO

Tue, 17 May 2011 17:32:21 +0100

Of the many items maintenance professionals use in their work, those handled most often are likely in the category of MRO: maintenance repair and overhaul.

Monday, 16 May 2011 11:10 - The Shortest Distance Between Two Points Is A Straight Line

Mon, 16 May 2011 17:10:04 +0100

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, even on your continuous reliability and maintenance journey.

Monday, 16 May 2011 10:41 - How's That Drive Working For You?

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:41:46 +0100

Field experience is the real test of a drive system. When high maintenance and/or frequent replacement of drive components becomes the norm, it’s time to reassess the drive design.

Monday, 16 May 2011 10:30 - Capacity Assurance Marketplace

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:30:18 +0100

Protection For Hydraulic Fittings

The Brennan Black® coating from Brennan Industries protects against rust and corrosion in hydraulic fittings and adapters. The proprietary Bi-LENE® coating is a blend of fluoropolymer, engineered plastics and selected corrosion inhibitors tailored to provide specific properties such as low friction, strong adhesion and resistance to wear and abrasion. According to the company, the coating resists corrosion past 1600 hours of exposure and works in temperatures from -420 to +500 F.

Brennan Industries, Inc.
Cleveland, OH

For more info, enter 31 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Wireless Shaft-Alignment TooL

VibrAlign’s Fixturlaser GO Pro, a wireless shaft-alignment tool, features an adaptive and time-saving user interface that guides users through the alignment process. If an alignment is out of tolerance, the tool first suggests how to correct it vertically, such as by showing the shims by size required to achieve a precision state. In a horizontal adjustment, live values are displayed throughout the entire process, with no re-measurements required.

VibrAlign, Inc.
Richmond, VA

For more info, enter 32 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Hydraulic-Hose Condition-Monitoring System

Eaton says that its LifeSense™ hose can report imminent hose-assembly failure via real-time monitoring of high-pressure hose assemblies used in hydraulic systems. Capable of tracking the health of each hose assembly in a system, it detects when a hose is nearing the end of its useful life and alerts the user so the assembly can be replaced.

Eaton Corp.
Eden Prairie, MN

For more info, enter 33 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Portable Ultrasonic Flowmeter

KROHNE’s Optisonic 6400 portable ultrasonic flowmeter for liquids measures flow velocity, current volumetric flow and various diagnostic values. Users simply attach the sensor rail to the pipe, plug cables into the handheld electronics, set up parameters and begin reading flow results. The device is powered by an integrated battery with 14 hours running time or line-powered by a supplied adapter.

KROHNE, Inc.
Peabody, MA

For more info, enter 34 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Compact, Eco-Friendly Gas Insulated Switchgear

ABB’s latest generation 245kV ELK-14 series of Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) has a footprint 40% smaller than conventional designs and uses 20% less SF6 gas than the previous generation. Its compact design also allows the unit to be delivered as a completely assembled bay, reducing installation time. The bays feature single-phase isolation, and the systems have been designed for a rated voltage of 253 kV and rated currents of up to 3150 Amperes.

ABB
Cary, NC

For more info, enter 35 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Flexible, Heavy-Duty Speed Reducer

Baldor’s Motorized Torque-Arm II (MTA) is a right-angle shaft-mounted speed reducer with a three-piece coupled NEMA C-face motor input. Its compact, flexible design allows multiple mounting positions. A choice of 12 helical gear-reduction ratios and three case sizes help deliver speed reductions from 18:1 to 75:1 for class 2 applications from 3 HP to 75 HP. According to the manufacturer, the MTA’s heavy-duty AGMA-rated design offers nearly twice the bearing life versus competitors’ European DIN standard designs. Premium HNBR oil seals with excluder seal technology give extra protection against contaminants.

Baldor Electric Co.
A Member of the ABB Group
Fort Smith, AR

For more info, enter 36 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

CIMM Certification Program Becomes CMRT Certification

After nearly two years of work on the body of knowledge and the process and procedures for administering the program, the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Certifying Organization (SMRPCO) has announced its relaunch of the Certified Industrial Maintenance Mechanic (CIMM) program as the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Technician (CMRT) program. According to the SMRPCO, this new certification can be a stepping-stone for candidates who hope someday to become Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (CMRPs). For more information, visit www.smrp.com.

SMRPCO
McLean, VA

For more info, enter 37 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Efficient SS Horizontal End Suction Pumps

Grundfos says its new CRN-H and CRNE-H stainless steel horizontal end suc-tion pumps have been designed for a variety of applications, including washing and cleaning, water treatment, chemical, pulp and paper and more. Among their notable features is the CRN-H plug ‘n play retrofit capability that lets it be bolted directly into the piping and pump case footprint of a traditional ANSI unit. The company also says these pumps can reduce energy costs up to 80%.

Grundfos Pumps Corp.
Olathe, KS

For more info, enter 38 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Remote Valve Operator

Smith Flow Control’s Flexi-Drive valve actuator allows remote operation of valves in hard-to-reach or dangerous areas. It attaches to the host valve with no modifications needed. A flexible linear drive cable connects the valve to a handwheel up to 200 feet away and accommodates up to 540 degrees of bends. The system is completely sealed and permanently lubricated for maintenance-free operation; can operate completely submerged in water up to 50 feet deep; and withstands temperatures from -65 to +400 F.

Smith Flow Control, Ltd.
Erlanger, KY

For more info, enter 39 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Professional-Grade Hand Tools

DeWalt’s recently launched line of hand tools (a first for the company) features more than 100 professional-grade products, including utility knives, pliers, wrenches, tape measures, hammers, saws, toolboxes and more. The company has tested them on jobsites across the country and incorporated feedback from users to improve the quality of the line. Each product comes with a limited lifetime warranty and support from DeWalt’s service network.

DeWalt Industrial Tool Co.
Baltimore, MD

For more info, enter 40 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Signal-Conditioner And Relay Interfaces

WAGO’s Interface Adapter provides JUMPFLEX® Signal Conditioners and Relays with a tool-free interface to the WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM and other PLC interfaces. They capture analog/digital sig-nals for eight combined JUMPFLEX modules. This, the company says, makes them ideal for equipment that requires large amounts of input/output signals. They help cut wiring errors in both field and control levels.

WAGO Corp.
Germantown, WI

For more info, enter 41 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Quick Belt-Change Conveyor Supports

Cantilever stand mounts from Dorner Manufacturing support conveyors from one side, which opens the other side for quick access and belt changes. The design allows the belts to slide off without the need to remove stands. Only one technician is required to complete the belt changeout. These time-saving supports are engineered to work with Dorner’s 2200 and 3200 Series conveyors.

Dorner Manufacturing
Hartland, WI

For more info, enter 42 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

Monday, 16 May 2011 10:08 - Viewpoint: What Do We Do When ISO 55000 Arrives?

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:08:03 +0100

BSI PAS 55 is a specification, not a standard. Until the new ISO standards exist (between 2012 and 2013), we can refer to several documents that have been developed as management-system standards: All have six common elements (so will this latest addition to the ISO library).