If a company operating in the industrial sector is to be successful, it needs to keep up to date with the maintenance of equipment and machinery, as well as oil analysis. Among the most common types of maintenance are preventive and predictive maintenance.
The names are similar, but the purpose of each is different. For a manager or business owner, knowledge of each type of maintenance and its peculiarities is necessary. That’s why, in today’s post, we’re going to explain the objectives and procedures of the different types of maintenance.
Types of maintenance
Detective maintenance
Detective maintenance consists of methods that guarantee the safety and productivity of equipment and installations. This type of maintenance works to ensure the long-term viability of this equipment, contributing to its smooth operation.
Detective maintenance has similar objectives to predictive maintenance, which you will learn about later. However, the purpose of detective maintenance is to locate possible hidden signs that could lead to a breakdown.
Tools for this type of maintenance include: annual vehicle inspection, smoke and fire gas detectors, tests on all types of valves, control loops for safety devices, inspection of fire, emergency, furnace and boiler pumps, protection relays and electrical equipment.
During detective procedures, the experts carry out checks on the system without it ceasing to operate. This process makes it possible to detect hidden faults.
In this way, the specialist can correct the situation, keeping the system in operation. The advantages of this maintenance include extending the useful life of the equipment, improving safety, reducing repair costs and controlling materials.
Corrective maintenance
Corrective maintenance tools work when there is already wear or failure
in the equipment, replacing the affected parts and components.
It is a set of procedures aimed at correcting, restoring and recovering the production capacity of an installation or piece of equipment that has suffered an alteration in its operation. Corrective
maintenance is a reactive management technique that waits for a failure to determine
what to do.
When it comes to maintenance, corrective procedures are the most costly. This is due
to factors such as high equipment downtime, the high cost of stocks of
spare parts and low production availability.
Preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance, on the other hand, encourages the possibility of failures and schedules machine repairs or reconditioning. In this way, they reduce the likelihood of breakdowns or degradation of the services provided. Preventive maintenance is an intervention that is planned, prepared and programmed before a failure is likely to occur.
Preventive maintenance procedures include periodic lubrication, systematic equipment overhauls, instrument calibration and gauging plans, equipment inspection plans and manufacturer’s histories or recommendations.
Predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance is a methodology, that is, it is a corporate philosophy, known as a maintenance technique based on the condition of the equipment.
Predictive maintenance is the periodic monitoring of machinery, based on the analysis of data collected by
through monitoring or field inspections. The main aim of predictive maintenance is to check equipment in good time in order to anticipate any problems that could lead to higher costs for corrective maintenance.
This type of maintenance indicates the actual operating conditions of equipment based on data about wear and tear or the degradation process. This procedure predicts the useful life of components and their condition.
Predictive maintenance aims to eliminate unnecessary disassembly for inspection, prevent damage from increasing, increase the degree of confidence in the performance of a piece of equipment or production line and reduce unplanned emergency work.
What is the best type of maintenance?
Now that you know about the different types of maintenance, you want to know which one gives
the best results, don’t you? Between preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance,
we’ll take the latter.
Only predictive maintenance can anticipate the need for intervention in industrial parts and equipment, prevent unnecessary replacement and disposal, avoid equipment downtime for repairs and increase the availability time of these machines, reduce costs in the company’s spreadsheet, increase the degree of confidence in the performance of the fleet and other equipment, make the most of the useful life of all components, among other gains.
Predictive maintenance methods
Fluid analysis
One of the predictive methods is fluid analysis, which aims to promote the economical use of
lubricants, as well as correcting defects. Monitoring can indicate the right time to
change or renew the oils in equipment and its components.
With modern machinery, this type of analysis can be carried out quickly and very precisely.
This method regulates the degree of contamination and degradation of oils, optimizing the time between each change for the most economical use.
Monitoring is done through a series of laboratory techniques that analyze solid particles generated by friction between parts, mixing with the oils. These techniques determine the condition of each oil, indicating its degree of contamination.
The main properties observed during these procedures are the viscosity, acidity and alkalinity indices, as well as the flash and freezing points. As for the degree of contaminants, the analysis focuses on carbon residues, metal particles and water.
Structural analysis
Structural analysis, on the other hand, has the role of detecting the occurrence of cracks, fissures or bubbles in
equipment and its components. This is a significant predictive maintenance method.
This monitoring is of great importance, combining techniques such as ultrasound, gammagraphy, holographic interferometry, radiography and ultrasonography. The data is collected periodically by the monitoring systems and analyzed by technicians who record all the information gathered for better predictive management.
The time between each analysis is determined by the number of machines monitored and measurement points, the duration of use of the installation, the strategic profile of the machines and the material resources available.
Surface condition analysis
Another traditional predictive method used to control the degree of wear on equipment. This is done by analyzing the surfaces of the parts, which degrade as a result of the friction produced between them.
This method can be done with a simple visual examination, with magnifying glasses or without them, but there are several professional techniques for precise and detailed monitoring of the condition of each part.
Some of these procedures are: endoscopy, stroboscopy, holography, molding and printing.
Study of vibrations
Finally, there is the study of vibrations. During operation, machines produce vibrations which can gradually lead to wear and tear.
By analyzing the evolution of the level of these vibrations, it is possible to gather information about the condition of the equipment. This measurement uses pickups applied to defined points on a machine in normal production service.
The device is known as a “vibration analyzer”, with various portable and stationary models. It can detect faults in advance that need to be corrected. These include faulty gears, misaligned couplings and inadequate lubrication, among others.
Predictive maintenance and oil analysis
As we’ve already said, oil analysis is one of the most important predictive tools. Common
diagnosis based on oil analysis.
The team responsible for predictive maintenance of machinery and equipment can identify possible errors more quickly and even anticipate them, avoiding compromising service performance or product quality.
Companies can only benefit from oil analysis. The useful life of components is extended. This reduces the cost of replacement materials, unnecessary oil changes and unscheduled maintenance work.
There are various types of oil analysis such as: contamination analysis, spectrometry, physical-chemical analysis and ferrography. Find out more about each one.
Contamination Analysis
With this method, it is possible to identify the presence of substances that could contaminate the system. Oil can be contaminated by dust, wear and tear on equipment or by chemical reactions of the lubricant with other products. Particle counting, water content, dilution and various other techniques are therefore included in this category.
Spectrometry
This oil analysis method identifies the chemical elements present in the lubricant. Since the oil undergoes a combustion process, it is disintegrated down to the atomic level. This analysis is suitable for obtaining more precise information on wear, contamination and identifying additives.
Physical-Chemical Analysis =
It assesses the condition of the lubricant on a one-off basis or in periodic analyses. This includes viscosity, acidity, basicity, oxidation and others.
Ferrograhy
It analyzes the particles found in lubricants to identify the degree and reason for wear on machinery and equipment. It is listed here by tradition, as it is not actually an oil analysis per se, but a machine analysis.
Oil analysis brings important benefits to the fleet. Carried out effectively, the procedure anticipates situations where there is a risk of failure; it avoids unnecessary downtime, increasing the availability of machinery; it reduces maintenance and stock costs and makes it possible to schedule interventions and parts maintenance.
Predictive maintenance and cost reduction
As we always advise, companies that want to increase the useful life of their equipment and reduce costs. They need to keep up to date with the predictive maintenance of their machinery. Assessing the condition of this equipment requires meticulous data collection and analysis of the equipment being monitored.
Predictive maintenance is an essential tool in this context. The focus of predictive maintenance is always on reducing costs and increasing equipment availability. The tools that make up the predictive maintenance process, such as oil analysis.
They help detect anomalies in equipment. Such as its state of wear, as well as the presence of any contaminating substances in various components. In this way, predictive maintenance enables something to be done before defects worsen.
Avoiding major losses for managers
Predictive maintenance allows actions to be taken at the right time. Avoiding
wear and tear on equipment or the loss of an important component as a result of
an unidentified or prevented fault. This also means that the machinery is
always ready for use and working at full capacity. For more productivity and
performance, increasing confidence in the equipment.
Conclusion
Each type of maintenance has its own purpose. With predictive maintenance, it is possible to anticipate the need for intervention in parts and equipment. And avoid downtime in operations, reducing costs and bringing advantages to companies.
That’s why it’s important to know the objectives and processes of predictive maintenance. With it, you can get the best out of your equipment, boosting your productivity.
This series of techniques, which can even be used together, helps to extend the useful life of equipment. And maximum control in the management of materials and resources, increasing the safety and credibility of the service provided.
Do you have any questions about oil analysis? Contact us!
