MAIN
FEATURE
Predictiv e maintenance
Lubrication and condition
monitoring to improve
plant availability
Eur.Ing. Andrew
Monk. C.Eng.
M.I.Mech.E.,
M.E.I.
Managing
Director
Lubrisolve
Engineering
Solutions Ltd.
www.lubrisolve.co.uk
Profile:
Andrew runs a
Lubrication and
Engineering
consultancy, based
in the UK, and has
been involved in
the application of
lubricants for over
25 years in many
different parts of
the world. He is
an experienced
professional
in all aspects
of lubricants,
lubrication,
and lubricating
equipment.
10
Holroyd acoustic Emission equipment being used on a fan bearing.
The basic principles
T
he manufacturing industry is no different from most other types of businesses
in that the service that they provide,
or the products which they produce, must
ultimately deliver a profit. This is not always
what happens in practice, of course, as any
business can have a bad set of financial figures
for any given year which may not be attributable directly to that particular business, but
may be due to extraneous market forces. The
size of any particular business determines
whether that business can absorb a financially poor year or not.
However, the costs associated with running
such a business can be many and diverse, and
generally varying in magnitude in direct
relation to the size of the respective plants
themselves. A significant cost is naturally
attributable to the actual equipment and plant
used in the manufacturing process. In the case
of a new plant, there is obviously the initial
purchase price of the individual plant items
and, prior to purchasing, an in-depth analysis has to be undertaken as to the predicted
payback period. In other words, how long a
particular item of plant has to be in operation,
so as to be able to repay the initial amount
Condition monitoring is a natural
partner to good lubricating practices
and if we deem ourselves to be
efficient and effective at one then it
follows that we should be proficient
at the other.
Lubezine Magazine | July-September 2012