7 Machinery Maintenance Tips for Any Industry

Machines wear down over time; it’s inevitable with the amount of wear they undergo just doing their job. Moving parts, caustic fluids, and the force of time and nature all take their toll. The best way to make your machines work longer and harder for your operation is maintain them regularly, ensuring they last as long as possible, saving money, and reducing downtime. Here are some tips to consider:

1: Lubrication

Friction is one of the most constant forces wearing on your machinery. Proper lubrication is key when it comes to machine maintenance, as it reduces the degradation of equipment. Lubrication also makes it so your machines don’t have to work as hard, further reducing wear, as well as energy costs from machines that are working beyond their optimal limits.

2: Cleanliness

It’s hard to keep machines clean, especially in industrial settings. A clean machine isn’t just an aesthetic improvement. Contaminants from dirt and other residue buildup can pose a major problem: jamming parts, increased friction, and more. They can also contaminate product. A clean machine is less likely to rust, which can help prevent long term damage to equipment and possible outright mechanical failure.

3: Testing

Often machines are composed of multiple working parts with their own operating ranges, not to mention entire groups of machines working together. It’s important to regularly test each component of a machine or group of machines to make sure they are all working as they should: maintaining proper heat, speed, pressure, and other important variables. When one part of a machine, or collection of machines, begins to fail, it can cause a chain reaction of issues. So nipping smaller problems in the bud can really cut down on the potential of larger issues.

4: Alignment

Another key variable for machines is the alignment of various parts. When a part isn’t properly aligned, it can cause a machine to break down much more quickly as it isn’t exerting its forces properly, causing damage to parts not designed to bear the amount of said force. Misaligned parts can cause increased vibrations, which will increase heat and friction.

5: Keep a Schedule

It’s imperative to regularly perform all of the necessary maintenance on your operation’s machines. A schedule, whether physical or digital, can be a great way to ensure it’s being done. Include a checklist of each step for every machine so nothing is missed. If possible, it’s a good idea to occasionally rotate who is doing the inspections if there are multiple qualified personnel, as a different set of eyes will see different problems and might catch something another person might’ve missed.

6: Components

While it’s easy to remember to check a machine, sometimes it can be hard to remember that components play an equally vital role to a machine’s function. Always inspect such essential pieces of the operation, because when they fail the rest of the machine can fail, as well. Each component will have its own unique set of needs.

For example, seals are extremely vital to any operation where fluid is flowing through a system. Check seals for signs of leakage regularly, as this can be an indication of a possible impending failure and that the seals should be replaced. Making sure that your machine is operating within its limits is also important to ensure that components, such as seals, will perform as designed; many components can only function within a certain range of conditions and will fail when pushed beyond those points.

7: Consult the Experts

Often, when dealing with components, it’s hard to know all you need to in order to ensure that they aren’t going to fail and will be maintained properly. Contacting an expert can save your operation from an inevitable large scale issue. Real Seal is an expert in seals and can help with any of these issues. Contact us today!