Support +33 1 80 86 52 80
Preserving natural resources and protecting the environment: all manufacturing activities are concerned.
In industry as in other sectors, awareness is growing, and the various departments have their part to play.
As a key player in cost and energy management, the maintenance department is also set to evolve in this direction.
Already in place in many companies, predictive maintenance is now taking pride of place in “sustainable” maintenance.
Here’s an overview of the issues and techniques involved.
What does sustainable maintenance mean?
Sustainable maintenance is the practice of maintenance that aims to reduce environmental impact while maintaining a high level of performance.
The direct objectives are :
- reducing energy consumption;
- limiting the consumption of spare parts;
- better availability of production facilities.
All these points also relate to financial savings and optimal use of production resources.
How does predictive maintenance contribute in concrete terms to “preserving the planet”?
Definition of predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance involves analyzing the values of significant parameters in order to anticipate an imminent failure of a critical component in the production chain.
By monitoring the evolution of these values, it is possible to avoid (or delay) unnecessary component replacement.
This is where it differs from preventive maintenance.
The latter is based on predetermined time intervals for replacing spare parts.
The impact of predictive maintenance on sustainable resource management
Predictive maintenance helps to save resources, as it enables repairs to be planned according to actual needs.
As a result, costly production stoppages are minimized, and equipment availability is maximized.
Machines with a higher commitment rate mean higher production.
In other words: more parts manufactured for a machine already in place.
Production capacity is thus increased, delaying the need to purchase any new equipment.
Fewer machines purchased = fewer resources consumed to manufacture them and less energy to run them.
The proof is in the pudding: predictive maintenance not only saves money, but also protects the environment by consuming less.
Examples of “basic” techniques used in predictive maintenance
Here are two examples of current predictive maintenance techniques:
- vibration analysis ;
- infrared thermography.
How to implement vibration analysis as part of predictive maintenance?
Vibration analysis technologies used in predictive maintenance are based on :
- vibration spectrum analysis ;
- envelope analysis ;
- monitoring of peak amplitude, speed and acceleration;
- peak pulse measurement
These analysis tools can detect abnormal or excessive vibrations in equipment, which may indicate potential problems.
Maintenance teams can therefore intervene before damage occurs.
Vibration sensors are generally used to monitor and analyze vibrations for predictive maintenance.
They can be placed on equipment or used without contact to collect the necessary data.
Examples of sensors used :
- accelerometers ;
- pressure sensors ;
- speed sensors ;
- etc.
Depending on the application, portable data loggers or online monitoring systems collect and store the relevant data.
The information collected is then analyzed using specific software, tailor-made to detect any anomalies.
How can infrared thermography be used for predictive maintenance?
Infrared thermography can be used to detect hot spots on equipment, signs of emerging defects.
The principle: a thermal camera is used to measure surface temperature.
This creates a thermal image showing temperature variations on the surface of the equipment.
