Heat is frequently an early indication of equipment failure or malfunction, which is why preventative maintenance tracking programs are critical. Regularly inspecting vital equipment with a thermal imaging camera to observe operating conditions over time and spot any abnormalities, allows you to track operating conditions and swiftly identify unusual readings for further thermography inspections.
Thermal imaging is a valuable preventative maintenance tool because it can help you accomplish four practical tasks:
Detect Early Signs Of Equipment Failure Or Malfunctions – Companies devote lots of resources to the early detection of equipment problems. That makes sense because it’s one area so costly that prevention is always worth the investment. In addition, monitoring crucial tools and devices with state-of-the-art thermal imaging is a practical way to reduce problems from malfunctions.
Monitor Operating Conditions Over Time – It’s also more straightforward to monitor working conditions for months and years. That way, specific patterns emerge, which are helpful for maintenance assessments. For example, when technicians notice a decrease in traditional performance, they can look deeper to see if failure is imminent.
Automated monitoring saves the routine work for the thermal imaging devices because that’s where they excel. Human eyes are unreliable for picking up subtle heat energy, so the new cameras and lenses boost productivity to new heights.
Spot Abnormalities Quickly – Any monitoring program’s crucial benefit is identifying any abnormal operating behavior as soon as it starts. Those incidents where no one addresses maintenance for too long turn into expensive repairs or replacements. Thermal imaging is fast enough to monitor every part in real-time while feeding data for analysis.
Early detection can prevent total equipment failure, which is the worst-case scenario. Protecting against catastrophic faults saves companies money and keeps production running.
Queue Further Inspection With Thermography – Constant analysis means when an aberration appears, someone can flag it for further review. The thermography inspection tool is a plant condition monitoring, preventative maintenance, and process monitoring tool to help identify issues precisely.
Infrared thermography helps check electrical equipment flaws, mechanical equipment, and refractory-lined structures. In addition, measuring temperature using infrared tech is an efficient way to find the weak spots in the production process.
Stay Current
Make sure to keep your preventative maintenance program up-to-date with the latest thermal imaging technology to get the most accurate readings and protect your equipment from unforeseen failures. In addition, companies that rely on continuous production processes to keep the revenue flowing need excellent preventative maintenance programs using thermal imaging. Without it, they’re at the whims of fortune.
Breakthroughs continue to improve the overall performance of thermal imaging, unleashing more valuable applications for manufacturers who must assure quality.
Save Big
Companies aren’t implementing and maintaining preventative maintenance programs for no reason. Instead, they’re doing so because they’re achieving thirty to forty percent savings, according to the Federal Energy Management Program or FEMP. In addition, these initiatives reduce the need to replace equipment while increasing energy efficiency.
Add in the decreased downtime and production boost, and you see why thermal imaging is crucial for running a best-in-class maintenance program.