Medical Device Link.

Originally Published PMPN October 2003

THERMAL IMAGING

Caught between increased performance expectations and shrinking maintenance budgets, packaging decision makers are turning to cost-effective technologies to maintain equipment.

Fernando Lisboa, Thermal Imaging Product Manager, Portable Products Div., Raytek Inc.

A thermal imager from Raytek Inc. detects hot spots quickly and easily on an electrical motor.

The failure of both new and existing packaging equipment can result in increased costs, reduced productivity and quality, the shutdown of critical production lines, and a loss of profitability. These negative outcomes have led to an increased emphasis on maintenance in many sectors of the packaging industry. Getting the most from new and existing equipment means recommitting in-house resources to optimize the maintenance function. This is especially important as maintenance plays an ever-increasing role in validating machinery, materials, and methods employed in the manufacture of pharmaceutical packaging.

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

Predictive maintenance (PdM) uses direct monitoring of packaging equipment operating conditions, efficiency, and heat distribution to determine the likelihood of failure or loss of efficiency for all critical systems. Many maintenance decision makers have adopted a comprehensive PdM program using infrared imaging (thermography) and other inspection technologies. These methods significantly mitigate, and even prevent, costly and potentially catastrophic production-critical equipment failures. An effective, well-managed, and strategically implemented PdM program can help overcome dysfunctional carton/sleeve feeding systems and poorly performing overwrapping machinery, and protect automated palletizers from breakdowns that threaten to delay product shipment.

PdM programs monitor and record the actual operating condition of multiple packaging lines so that all maintenance is scheduled on an as-needed basis. According to R. Keith Mobley, author of An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance, eliminating unscheduled repairs and scheduled-but-unnecessary repairs means manufacturers can reduce the need for corrective maintenance by as much as 90 percent over five years. Mobley asserts that a successful PdM program will reduce the life cycle cost and extend the useful life of critical systems by up to 60 percent and increase manpower utilization by as much as 85 percent. When fully implemented, a PdM program can generate a return on investment well above 100:1, or $100 for every dollar invested.

THERMAL IMAGERS

Heat is often an early indication of damage or malfunction that can lead to failure, product contamination, or safety problems. As a result, it is a major performance value monitored in a PdM program. Infrared energy is light not visible to the human eye that people detect as heat. Even cold objects emit infrared heat that can be "seen" and recorded as thermal images by infrared imagers that work much like a regular camera.

Portable, handheld, noncontact thermal imagers scan and permanently record the temperature and infrared thermal image of crucial packaging equipment in normal operation. Data and images are downloaded to a PC. Through comparison of the results of thermographic images over time, changes in the temperature of equipment can be analyzed to determine if failure is likely. Once problem areas are identified, shutdown and repair of critical equipment can be planned before failures occur.

Infrared techniques can be used to detect problems in a variety of systems and equipment, including orbital stretch wrappers, shrink wrappers, and tray wrappers. Unlike analysis of vibration, lubricating oil, or wear particles, thermography is well suited to monitor all types of packaging equipment because of its noninvasive nature. High-performance, low-cost thermal imagers are now priced below $10,000, making them affordable enough for maintenance crews to use on a daily, rather than a once- or twice-yearly, contracted basis.

The availability of low-cost, high-performance thermal imagers can immediately help valuable packaging equipment monitoring, data acquisition, and many maintenance efficiencies. As a good first step, thermal imaging will obtain initial results in the shortest time at the lowest cost. It will also position maintenance decision-makers for the future establishment or expansion of a predictive maintenance program.

Fernando Lisboa, who holds an MBA and an electronics engineering degree, has more than 20 years experience in the design and marketing of infrared monitoring and inspection devices, temperature and pressure transmitters, pressure gauges, and calibration equipment. His email address is fernandol@raytek.com.

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