Think thermally

Infrared thermography equipment keeps productivity up and maintenance/repair costs down

by Kristine Babe

As manufacturers look for ways to reduce costs and increase productivity, they are turning to infrared thermography (IR) in greater numbers. Recent technology advances make IR hot-spot-detection cameras more affordable and easier to use. Improved software and training give maintenance professionals the tools they need to communicate concerns — and potential savings — to management. New applications increase IR’s usefulness in all areas of maintenance. And, the results have never been better.

A better bottom line
“Many of our customers have found that the maintenance department can be the difference between making a profit or not,” says John Snell, president of Snell Infrared.

According to Snell, this occurs in two ways:

First, using infrared thermography increases the availability of machine assets in a reliable fashion.

Second, the business can control the cost of maintenance much more effectively using IR technology as part of a predictive or preventive maintenance program.

Snell recommends that companies with or considering a regular IR program examine the past year’s machine availability. What made machines or lines unavailable? Which of these causes can be detected and prevented using IR technology? Then consider these questions:

• What is the revenue typically generated by this line or machine?

• How much more could be generated if this machine or line is reliably available?

By incorporating a regular program of IR inspections, companies get the upper hand on downtime. When a problem is identified, the maintenance department can make informed decisions.

“(It can ask) how critical is it to fix this problem now?” says Jordan Schlichting, an electrical engineer and sales specialist at Infrared Solutions Inc. “If they can avoid an unplanned shutdown, they save dollars. Now they’re at higher efficiency and productivity, which contribute to the bottom line.”

Balancing these factors against the cost of a regular IR inspection program will help companies see the cost savings made possible by running maintenance as a business.

With the trend for manufacturers to look at offshore production, the pressure is on North American manufacturers to “do more with less,” says Jason Wilbur, the thermography segment manager for Raytek.

“This causes them to look at all aspects of business for smarter ways of doing things,” he says. “Predictive maintenance is a good approach to lowering overall operational costs, and thermography is one of the key elements in a strong predictive maintenance program.”

This is particularly true in process manufacturing operations, which have a large amount of capital equipment tied together.

“If one piece of the chain goes down, the entire process goes down,” Wilbur says. “Material in the process is lost and workers are idle for downtime, so the costs are high per minute, hour or day.”

Some businesses also face penalties for late delivery of product, further increasing the cost of unscheduled downtime.

Technology advances, and the costs decline
Recent technology advances have made IR cameras smaller, lighter, easier to use and more durable, says David Francoeur, director of marketing for FLIR Systems.

In the late 1990s, uncooled, solid-state sensors became available, allowing cameras to be smaller, more rugged and easier to use. In addition, costs have gone from as high as $40,000 to $80,000 for early infrared thermography cameras to less than $10,000 for a quality camera appropriate for maintenance use.

Ease of use is up, too. Uncooled cameras don’t require the 20 minutes of warm-up time common with cooled cameras. And ergonomic “trigger-style” cameras are similar to other electrical-maintenance diagnostic equipment, increasing users’ comfort with the tool.

Reporting and analysis of infrared thermography have also improved.

“(Maintenance personnel) feel their real work is being out in the field fixing the machines,” Francoeur says. “In the past, the desk time required to download images and analyze them made using IR difficult.”

Now, integrated software allows users to place images directly into spreadsheets or report documents. Some software even allows users to preset an inspection route, so images taken at each stage in the route download directly into the report. Some software allows users to include sound clips, as well.

As with anything that is high-tech, training is key.

 “We don’t just bring in the camera,” Schlichting says. “Instead, we help start a predictive maintenance program or incorporate infrared into the existing program to meet the customer’s goals.”

Other innovations designed to help maintenance departments prove IR’s usefulness prior to a purchase include FLIR’s rental program, which allows a company to rent equipment with the option to apply rental fees toward its purchase.

“It’s a low-risk way to bring the technology in-house and prove to management that it will work,” Francoeur says.

Expanding applications
Expanding IR inspections beyond the electrical and mechanical systems to include tank levels, building maintenance — even truck maintenance — can increase the value of having IR equipment on site.

Using IR for building maintenance can prevent significant problems in older buildings.

The Boston Globe, a FLIR client in the newspaper manufacturing industry, reports that it regularly “finds things just by having the camera with them all the time,” Francoeur says. “In addition to enabling predictive maintenance on printing and binding equipment, they have found roof leaks, water seepage in walls — problems they wouldn’t have seen otherwise until they required costly repairs.”

Other unique applications?

Many argon-filled windows begin to collapse after about 10 years, Snell says. IR can detect this two to four years in advance, before problems begin to show, and perhaps while windows are still under warranty.

IR also can be used to inspect new construction before signing off on contractor work. With an infrared camera, it’s possible to determine whether structural rebar and grouting are in place, whether windows are installed correctly, or if insulation is missing, or in place but not performing.

The technology is also useful in maintaining tanks, vessels and silos.

“Tanks are sort of the parking lots,” Snell says. “Companies need them for storage, and if they aren’t operating correctly, they’re in big trouble. For pulp, paper, plastics and etrochemicals, this is huge.”

Conclusion
As IR users become more proficient, they can often make strides in improving production processes, looking at machines in operation to see if components are overheating or if lubricants are being evenly applied. One Snell client uses IR to inspect its over-the-road trucks.

Getting people to “think thermally” is the goal, Snell says.

“We teach people to think this way on their own, and the whole world is available to them,” he says.

Kristine Babe is a freelance writer based in Wisconsin. She can be reached by e-mail at . 

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