By Jim Fitch
Proceedings of the XI NCIT
Costly particulate contamination slowly degrades and jams machine components causing product defects, shorter machine life., increased production downtime and decreased energy efficiency. Even the smallest amount of water, or the most microscopic particles, can ·eventually grind a machine to a halt. Yet, maintenance has historically been a ·reactive type activity .. When a machine breaks down, maintenance personnel give the failed components the “4R Treatment”- that is remove, repair, rebuild and/or replace. When evidence suggests that material degradation and/or deterioration is taking place at an accelerated rate, the cause has been determined and. action taken to correct the problem. In today’s world when there are increasingly complex- systems., maintenance personnel must supplement such traditional reactive maintenance Practices with proactive methods that can identify aberrant root causes of failure long before materials or component performance degradation occurs. No maintenance discipline has previously taken the micro view on machine damage concentrating on the· causes instead of the symptoms of wear. Proactive maintenance is that discipline, and it is quickly being recognized worldwide as the most important means of extending machine life.