[Mechanical Equipment Technology Edition] Daily Question 20170802 – Basic Knowledge of Mechanical Maintenance

Preventive disassembly and overhaul can prevent accidents and ensure the long-term stable operation of equipment. Repairing it after damage is like trying to mend a fence after the sheep have already run away; moreover, when the equipment operates abnormally for a long time before it gets damaged, this reduces its overall lifespan.

Each has its advantages; preventive maintenance does not disrupt production, whereas emergency repairs do

Major repairs definitely require shutdown; preventive disassembly and inspection is more cost-effective

It should be obvious which is better: taking precautions in advance or allowing problems to fester. Purposeful major repairs and random major repairs are not comparable

Preventive overhauls can eliminate safety hazards, ensure a high equipment integrity rate, and thereby safeguard the safe and efficient operation of production processes； I believe that carrying out inspections and repairs after the equipment is damaged is not worth it. On one hand, the equipment continues to operate despite being faulty, which poses a safety risk; on the other hand, emergency repairs after the damage can lead to unexpected shutdowns, resulting in even greater losses.

Preventive overhauls allow maintenance to be scheduled at specific times, without disrupting production and causing any loss in output. They enable potential problems to be identified and fixed in advance, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Compared to repairs after damage, preventive maintenance is definitely more cost-effective.

Today, equipment management is moving towards preventive management

Monitoring and controlling the root causes of equipment damage, delaying the occurrence of failures, reducing maintenance needs and thus minimizing downtime, is a maintenance approach that results in lower overall costs – and this is one of the key features of proactive maintenance. Equipment has a certain degree of similarity to people: just as a person who usually feels good and rarely goes to the hospital may suddenly suffer from heart disease and need to be rushed to the hospital for treatment; in such cases, they might be saved but end up with disabilities, or they might die if the treatment is unsuccessful. On devices, this is referred to as \"reactive maintenance\" – fixing things after they have already broken down. If one were to go to the hospital regularly each year to have their various health indicators checked, and seek treatment promptly if any abnormalities are found, it might cost money for those tests; in other cases, no problems may be detected, or diseases might be identified. This is referred to as preventive maintenance on equipment, or regular maintenance as well. The idea behind this approach is that when disassembling a device, some of its components may already be damaged and need to be repaired, while on the other hand everything might be fine in which case it’s better not to disassemble it – this is what’s known as unnecessary maintenance. There is also the option of regularly going to the hospital for monitoring of sensitive areas such as the heart, using methods like ECGs, ultrasounds, and CT scans. When an anomaly is detected, emergency measures should be taken promptly along with targeted treatment; this is referred to as predictive maintenance in the context of equipment. Also known as condition-based maintenance, it involves the use of various monitoring methods, with both offline and online approaches being employed, so that repairs are carried out only when necessary, and no repairs are done when they aren’t needed. Everything depends on monitoring data. If a person regularly exercises, controls their diet, maintains a regular routine, and keeps a cheerful and generous mindset, adhering to the principle that \"three parts treatment and seven parts prevention\" by focusing efforts on prevention, they are less likely to fall ill. In terms of equipment, this is known as proactive maintenance – it involves monitoring and controlling factors that could lead to failures throughout the device’s lifecycle, from its design stage until it reaches the end of its useful life. This approach helps prevent failures from occurring or progressing, thereby extending the equipment’s lifespan and significantly reducing maintenance costs. However, in reality this is often overlooked. One reason is that people’s attitudes change slowly; for example, some prefer to spend tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on life-saving treatments at the end of their lives, rather than spending a few thousand dollars each year on comprehensive health checks to detect diseases early and treat them promptly. Although proactive maintenance involves relatively lower costs, it still requires investment in time and funds; however, neglecting it will result in even greater expenses in terms of time and money. Some specialized agencies in the United States have analyzed and compared the costs associated with various repair methods for equipment hydraulic systems, concluding that proactive maintenance incurs the lowest costs

Fewer components are damaged, resulting in less loss in terms of processes and equipment

Of course, preventive overhauls and planned shutdowns are the most scientific approach.