How Can Predictive Maintenance Save Your Production Line?
NRTC Automation breaks down predictive maintenance so your production line stays up and running.
Improving your manufacturing processes is all about efficiency.
What will take you to the next level of production? How do you increase throughput and capacity while minimizing costs?
One way to do that is through predictive maintenance.
Learn more about predictive maintenance and why you should implement it into your industrial equipment below.
What is predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance helps determine the conditions of equipment or vehicles for future maintenance needs. It evaluates the condition of industrial robots and manufacturing equipment by using both periodic and continuous monitoring.
The ultimate goal of predictive maintenance is to schedule repairs ahead of time to prevent costly downtime events. This approach to industrial automation favors cost-effective practices over performing routine maintenance when your asset is already experiencing some sort of issue.
How does predictive maintenance work?
The way predictive maintenance approach works is a lot different than just inspecting your vehicle or your asset once a year and making any adjustments that need to be made. It involves the following technologies to test for any maintenance issues:
Infrared monitoring
Acoustic (discharge & airborne ultrasonic)
Corona detection
Sound level measurements
Vibration analysis
Oil analysis
Industrial machinery is prone to wear and tear. If you manufacture parts or products with industrial automation, no matter your industry, it is always recommended to use predictive maintenance system in your facility management plan.
8 ways predictive maintenance can save your production line
1. Cost savings
Knowing exactly when maintenance is going to occur in the next day, week, months, or years makes it easier to budget for these repairs. Being prepared allows you to avoid major damage before it happens, which turns into serious savings. You can accordingly plan your maintenance shutdowns so they don’t happen during regular operating hours.
2. Greater insight
Properly installed predictive maintenance software will immediately notify you when something is going wrong within your system, giving you greater insight into the problem right as it occurs.
3. Find problems before they happen
For automation businesses, having to shut down for an unexpected time because your system is experiencing some sort of damage or error is not ideal. With predictive maintenance, it can tell if your system is slacking in one place and it’ll notify you of any errors immediately.
4. Reduce downtime for repairs.
Because predictive maintenance is always regulating and monitoring your equipment, it can notify you when you have a faulty piece or component, allowing you to plan for repairs. If your system notifies you that a machine is low on grease, you can schedule in time for the repair and not have to disrupt your normal operating hours.
5. Increase service life
Providing industrial machines with regular maintenance and handling any issues before they arise result in a longer usable life. With proper care and maintenance, you can increase the ROI of your equipment.
6. Increase production
By adding in predictive maintenance software, you can increase production by as much as 30%, allowing you to increase your bottom line. Plus, since your machine will be more readily available due to scheduled maintenance, you won’t ever have to worry about losing unexpected work hours during the day.
7. Better safety
When you are notified of any system failures or potential system failures, your team can react accordingly. This keeps employees safe, reducing the potential for danger in the work environment.
8. Fewer machine failures
Regularly monitored machinery results in fewer failures. Predictive maintenance software is constantly checking the condition of the machinery to ensure that it is working properly and up to standards. If it senses even the slightest inconsistency, it will alert you immediately so you can plan accordingly.
Benefits of predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance can take guessing out of your maintenance plan, which can greatly benefit production throughput and capacity.
Cost-saving - The biggest reason businesses add this into their system is to save money long term. Predictive maintenance can save you a lot of money at one time by catching problems before they get unfixable.
Less downtime - The more errors caught early on in your system, the better your machines will work and the less time they will have to be shut down for unscheduled maintenance and repair.
Safety & protection - Predictive maintenance can catch potential safety hazards – keeping your employees and your machines safe and protected.
Longer life cycle - Since your machines will be maintained more often than normal, they are guaranteed to last you longer since they will always be in proper working order.
There are some expenses to predictive maintenance that you have to consider before jumping in.
Up-front investment - Adding predictive maintenance software to your business is an investment for the future of your company.
Intellectual labor - Predictive maintenance also needs a skilled employee to gather the data and interpreting it.
Having a well-rounded understanding of predictive maintenance, along with its benefits and expenses, will allow you to plan accordingly when building out your production line.
START AUTOMATING EFFECTIVELY WITH NRTC
NRTC Automation is dedicated to providing high-value industrial automation and manufacturing equipment solutions to all our customers.
From decommissioning and tear out to industrial robotic training services to custom flexible work cells, NRTC is the key to integrate your workplace. With personalized training and custom-built designs, NRTC Automation is the destination for all your industrial automation and manufacturing equipment services.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you meet your production goals.