Preventive maintenance is maintenance that is performed on operating equipment to ensure optimum performance and reduce the likelihood of a failure at an inopportune time. Maintenance strategies for electro-dynamic vibration testing systems (shakers) range from reactive (run to failure) to predictive maintenance, where the aim is to predict failures before they occur. Regularly scheduled maintenance, a.k.a. preventive maintenance, lies between reactive maintenance and predictive maintenance and offers numerous benefits in cost, and system reliability and performance.
Regularly scheduled preventive maintenance on vibration testing systems by the Sentek Dynamics’ Service Team can have a significant payback (return on investment) over reactive maintenance. Running a shaker to failure can cost up to ten times as much to repair as implementing a regular preventive maintenance program. Organizations that rely on reactive maintenance can significantly cut maintenance costs with regularly scheduled preventive maintenance. Unplanned equipment downtime costs companies billions of dollars annually.
| Maintenance Strategies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy | Description | Cost to Implement | Comment |
| Reactive | Run to failure, then fix | Low | Okay for low-priority equipment but can lead to increased repair costs and schedule interruptions |
| Preventative | Maintenance on a regular schedule | Moderate | Best strategy without in-house expertise; reduces schedule disruptions |
| Predictive | Repair based on condition monitoring | High | Not normally applicable to test equipment, very high start-up costs |
A regularly scheduled multi-year preventive maintenance program on a shaker reduces downtime, the probability of failure at a critical time, and extends its operational lifetime. In the case of vibration test equipment, be it air or water-cooled, regularly scheduled preventive maintenance allows test lab and production managers to spend more time managing test activities and less time dealing with the consequences of equipment failures. A pre-planned maintenance schedule allows test labs and production test departments to avoid costly time lost when testing is interrupted for routine cleaning and diagnostics.
Although many companies still indulge in neglecting equipment or only responding reactively to equipment failures, it is a fact that test equipment routinely serviced on a pre-determined schedule performs better and outlast equipment that is not. In today's economy, preventive maintenance of assets has significant benefits that make it worth utilizing. Because of these benefits, companies are beginning to realize the importance of taking proper care of their test equipment. Companies that recognize the benefits and take the time to maintain their vibration testing system regularly get the best performance possible out of their equipment. Many companies rely on their vibration testing system to meet quality and profit targets. Reliable and better performing test equipment ensures higher product quality with resulting higher profit margins. In the near-term, companies may save money by not maintaining their equipment, but in the long run, their equipment will end up performing poorly and ultimately fail, costing them a great deal of money to repair.
Preventive maintenance can help organizations to provide internal and external customers with better, more reliable customer service. Customers are interested in both the quality and reliability of the service they receive. The best companies understand that customers do not want great service delivered on an unreliable timetable caused by poorly maintained test equipment subject to failure. Their customers highly regard companies that can test their products on a reliable schedule or offer reliable services. While not all reputation boosting efforts are worth pursuing, preventive maintenance yields so many benefits in so many ways at so little cost that it is a smart strategy for companies to implement. Companies that neglect their vibration testing system may see temporary savings, but ultimately they are ignoring their reputations and face being displaced by reliable companies with excellent reputations. Only companies that work on cultivating long-term positive relationships with customers have a good chance of surviving in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Contact the Sentek Dynamics' Service Team at service@sentekdynamics.com or +1 980-556-7081 to learn more on how an optimized, multi-year preventive maintenance plan for your vibration testing system can save your company maintenance costs, reduce downtime, extend the useful life of your vibration test system, and boost your company’s reputation.