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M A I N T E N A N C E
Machinery & Equipment MRO
December 2021
Regardless of their size or the industry segment in which they operate, manufacturing companies are constantly striving to increase efficiencies within the various processes they employ. BY JONATHAN BEAUMEL
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rguably, maintenance is one of the primary areas in which companies are continually seeking ways to lower costs and cut the time taken to perform essential tasks. With many maintenance operations still planned and performed manually, often by experienced operators performing sometimes basic yet time-consuming tasks, it is easy to see how manufacturers are sometimes swimming against the tide when it comes to achieving efficiency goals. In an effort to improve in this area, more and more companies are turning to innovative and disruptive technologies to streamline processes and reduce the time and costs involved within their maintenance operations. One laborious yet highly important task is the need for maintenance engineers to manually check the torque level of every single bolt that might be in place within a particular piece of machinery, engine, or countless other structures or vehicles.
This has led to the emergence of certain solutions that are designed to eradicate the high level of time demanded in such instances. Examples of such solutions include those that use ultra-sonic waves to perform inspections. However, despite enabling accurate measurements, this method has plenty of critics, who point out certain fundamental limitations. Most notably, such devices require having physical access to the bolt, as the device needs to be plugged in on top of it. Ultra-sonic solutions also require information such as the length of the bolt, which might not be known or readily to hand.
A smarter approach to maintenance operations
Aerospace is one of the foremost vertical sectors in which maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) processes require efficient, as well as standardized, safe practices and solutions providers have been looking at ways to address this fundamental issue for years. It has al-
ways been apparent that maintenance engineers needed something that would meet head-on the fundamental challenges within processes themselves, while also overcoming the shortcomings of existing solutions. This has seen companies in the industry develop new technologies that enables touchless and wireless measurement of bolt axial load. Importantly, this means that instead of having to manually verify the torque level of every single traditional bolt, maintenance engineers are notified about those specific fasteners that are either too tight or too loose so they can attend to them accordingly in just a few seconds. This offers an added immediate benefit from a safety aspect as the device can reduce the eventuality of breakages in bolts caused by repeated over tightening during manual checks. Designed to improve efficiencies within MRO, these technologies perform the fundamental role of a standard washer but uses intelligent connectivity to provide maintenance and service engineers with a clear picture of axial loads. This has been demonstrated by incorporating a strain gauge and a transmission system, which via an appropriate reading device, relays the information to maintenance engineers.
Photos: JPB Système
THE SMART MOVE TO MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS
