1. Iris systems Ltd
0845 0945255 info@ irissystems.co.uk www. irissystems.co.uk
Thermal Imaging Specialists
In many industries, mechanical systems serve as the
backbone of the whole business. The failure of mechanical
systems can disrupt production and cause huge loss of
revenues as a result of unplanned down time.
M
echanical systems by their very nature
will produce heat, however misaligned or
failing components can cause increased
heat due to friction. This in turn can lead to com-
plete mechanical failure or even worse – fire. Poor
lubrication of components such as bearings can
cause the failure of the component or associated
equipment – a failing bearing can put excessive
strain on a motor for example, potentially causing
the motor to fail if left unchecked. This type of
failure may be difficult to quickly identify in some
environments - Thermography addresses this
problem.
Minimising downtime
In a fast moving manufacturing environment
maintenance of equipment has to be carefully
scheduled to minimise the impact to production
processes.
By conducting a thermal imaging survey of
equipment that is working at its normal capacity
a full overview of the equipment can be taken
without any disruption to manufacturing
processes.
Any problems identified can be recorded and
reported to maintenance staff allowing them to
categorise and prioritise the fault. A scheduled
shutdown of the equipment can then be carried
out to rectify the issue, using standby systems if
appropriate to maintain production.
By storing historical thermographic data, com-
parisons can be made between accepted normal
operating conditions and any deterioration of a
period of time.
By utilising qualified thermographers
and state of the art thermal imaging
equipment whole sites are checked in
as little as one day with no disruption
to site operations. Reliance on site
staff is kept to a minimum allowing
them to carry out their normal daily
duties. Any issues that have been
identified by us and then rectified by
site staff in the past have included :-
• Misaligned or worn
bearings
• Motor brush contact wear
• Misaligned conveyor
belts/pulleys
• Faults in pipework and
insulation
Many of these faults would not have
been identified until the equipment
had failed or caught fire, resulting
in potential disruption to site
operations, stock loss, equipment/
building fire, serious injury or death.
In a fast moving
manufacturing
environment maintenance
of equipment has to be
carefully scheduled to
minimise the impact to
production processes.