ShopFloorConnect is unveiling newly developed capabilities in preventive maintenance at PackExpo in Las Vegas, Sept. 27-29, that further improve machine productivity with maintenance alerts based on actual machine run times or cycles.
The new feature improves on traditional preventive maintenance software that typically send alerts for specified maintenance activities based on days. With ShopFloorConnect, the software detects when machines are running and not running and when they complete cycles, enabling preventive maintenance alerts to be scheduled based on actual use of the machine and its component parts rather than on a number of days.
“Most preventive maintenance programs are based strictly on days, so every 30 days you check the drive belts, every 90 days you check the lubricant filters and so forth,” said Jim Finnerty, product manager. “But, if the machine sees heavy use it probably needs maintenance more frequently, and if the machine is unused, you’re wasting time looking at these things. ShopFloorConnect enables manufacturers to minimize maintenance downtime by setting maintenance intervals based on the work load of the equipment.”
Set Maintenance Checkpoints for Units, Cycles or Days
The new preventive maintenance feature, currently in beta testing, enables operators to insert an unlimited number of maintenance items per machine and set a maintenance interval based on units, cycles or days.
Once a maintenance item is added to the maintenance list in ShopFloorConnect, every machine on the floor can quickly be set up with the same alerts. The preventive maintenance system also enables plugging in preset values at the time the system is installed to account for maintenance items that are partway to their checkpoint at the time of installation.
The preventive maintenance software offers a simple, visual alert system based on colors:
· Red – overdue for maintenance
· Yellow – within 10% of the maintenance interval
· Green – does not require maintenance
Alert Appropriate Personnel, Regardless of Shift
ShopFloorConnect’s preventive maintenance feature also accounts for various personnel being assigned to handle specific tasks.
“Each maintenance item can be assigned to different individuals, and our alert system also is based on the shift that you’re working, where it can be assigned to a different person on first shift than on second shift,” Finnerty said.
ShopFloorConnect can operate as a standalone product to monitor machine productivity and maintenance or augment other ERP or MES systems through an API that monitors the progress of the machinery for each maintenance item.
Contact ShopFloorConnect to improve productivity with more accurate preventive maintenance schedules.
1 Comment
Mark
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