M-News Edition 29
|
| Plant Maintenance Resource Center
M-News Edition 29
| |
|
|
|
|
Edition 29, October 2002 ContentsIn this edition...
If you wish to receive notification of future copies of this newsletter by email, please register at www.plant-maintenance.com/registration.shtml. If you have any feedback on the newsletter, or have something to contribute, please send me an e-mail. News - Improvements to this NewsletterYou have probably already noticed that this newsletter is now being delivered to you in HTML format - this is just one of the improvements that we have made to M-News. In addition, we have now made it easier for you to subscribe and unsubscribe to this newsletter (and our associated occasional mailings related to Maintenance Products and Services). You will find a personalised link at the bottom of this newsletter which you can use to modify your registration details (including whether you wish to continue to receive the newsletter in HTML format, or would prefer to get it in good ol' plain text) at any time. Finally, on our registration page you will notice that you now have the option to enter additional information regarding your Organization and Country which will potentially allow us to customize future newsletters to suit your interests at a future date. I welcome any feedback on these changes. Please email me at webmaster@plant-maintenance.com. As always, I am looking for good articles to use in this newsletter - if you know of an article that you think may be suitable, please let me know at the above email address. Alexander (Sandy) Dunn
Feature Article - Best Maintenance Repair PracticesA number of surveys conducted in industries throughout the United States have found that 70% of equipment failures are self-induced. Maintenance personnel who are not following what is termed 'Best Maintenance Repair Practices' substantially affect these failures. Between 30% and 50% of the self-induced failures are the result of maintenance personnel not knowing the basics of maintenance. Maintenance personnel who, although skilled, choose not to follow best maintenance repair practices, potentially cause another 20% to 30% of those failures. You may be asking what are the "Best Maintenance Repair Practices" - some of these are contained in this article, contributed by Ricky Smith of Life Cycle Engineering, Inc.. You will find it at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/Best_Maintenance_Repair_Practices.pdf. Please note that you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed to be able to view this file. Feature Article - Outsourcing - A plan for successOutsourcing is not the right answer for every maintenance situation. However, consideration should always be given to outsourcing when evaluating potential solutions to difficult maintenance situations. This article, written by Steven Welch of ATS, discusses some of the considerations that should be evaluated when making a decision to outsource maintenance on production equipment. It is available at Feature Article - Rotary Screw Compressor Winterizing TipsThe oil flooded rotary screw is the most popular type of air compressor used by industrial plants. However, there is still a mystique about some aspects of this type of compressor. Cold weather causes unique problems that can lead to expensive repairs of this type of compressor. This article, contributed by Dan Wise of CompressorWise.com dispels 7 myths about rotary screw compressors that can help you prevent airend failures due to cold weather. You can read the article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/rotary_compressor_winterizing_tips.shtml. Feature Article - Coal Handling Plant Alignment Standards For Shaft To Shaft AlignmentThis article is another in a series offered by Makarand Joshi. Shaft alignment is a technical skill that is not common in the construction and maintenance professions, but categorized more like a specialty. It requires unique and expensive measurement instruments, some calculation capability, and relies heavily on experience for successful results on heavy, high-speed, or high-temperature machines. This paper covers alignment standards for the Four-dial indicator method. You can read the full article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/AlignmentStandards.pdf. Yet again, you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed to be able to view this file. Current Survey - Design for Maintainability/ReliabilityOur survey on this subject continues...(you can see the results of the previous survey, conducted three years ago at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/dfm_survey_results.shtml). What standards and processes does your organization have that lead to reliability and maintainability issues being considered in the design/configuration/procurement of new or modified equipment? Let us know by completing the the survey at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/survey.shtml The survey will close on November 15, 2002. Recommended BooksView our current Top 5 recommended books, and the current Top Ten Best Selling Maintenance Books at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/maintenance_books.shtml.On the Lighter Side - Engineering HumorA physician, a civil engineer, and a computer scientist were arguing about what was the oldest profession in the world. The physician remarked, "Well, in the Bible, it says that God created Eve from a rib taken out of Adam. This clearly required surgery, and so I can rightly claim that mine is the oldest profession in the world." The civil engineer interrupted, and said, "But even earlier in the book of Genesis, it states that God created the order of the heavens and the earth from out of the chaos. This was the first and certainly the most spectacular application of civil engineering. Therefore, fair doctor, you are wrong: mine is the oldest profession in the world." The computer scientist leaned back in her chair, smiled, and then said confidently, "Ah, but who do you think created the chaos?" I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. All feedback, comments and contributions to future editions are very welcome (as are enquiries about contributions to, and sponsorship of, this newsletter). Alexander (Sandy) Dunn
Copyright 1996-2009, The Plant Maintenance Resource Center . All Rights Reserved.
|
|
