Fast, Conclusive, and Non-Invasive:
Electrical fires, equipment failures, roof leaks, insulation breakdown…What do all of these problems have in common? They can be identified with an infrared thermal imager. A True Tech scan will allow you to locate small roof leaks that can cause big problems. We can show you that a machine is near failure, that an electrical system is unsafe, and even where your insulation is insufficient. A picture is worth a thousand words. Get a professional thermal image of your assets before wasting money and time on unnecessary repairs or replacements.
The “Find it ‘For it Fails” approach:
Infrared scans find problems early in the failure cycle. Early detection allows for corrective action before failure. This minimizes damage to the component, reduces repair costs, and prevents safety hazards. Our scans allow you to learn about a problem… before it’s a problem.
Before components burn up, they heat up. This failure process can be quite fast and sometimes slow but, inevitably they lead to equipment failure. Our service exposes problems before they cause a failure or a safety hazard. The imager gives a real time view of temperature variations, which are indicative of defects. This allows time to order parts and schedule repairs on your schedule; not in a costly emergency shutdown.
Maintenance Best Practices:
Infrared Thermal scans are an essential tool for any preventive maintenance program. A 10 year study commissioned by the global insurance giant, Hartford Steam Boiler evaluated the cost/benefits of infrared. The panel determined a proper infrared predictive maintenance program produces hard cost (parts and labor) savings of $4:1 on average. 400%! And closer to 20:1 if lost productivity and time is considered.
- The NEC/NFPA 70B Recommended practice for electrical equipment maintenance recommends yearly infrared scans of all industrial and commercial buildings.
- Most commercial insurance companies require yearly infrared inspections of electrical equipment.
- “Over 72% of electrical losses could have been avoided with predictive maintenance care.” From a Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company study.
- “Power related problems cost U.S. companies $30 billion a year in lost time and revenue.” – From the Electric Power Research Institute.
Personnel Safety:
Infrared Thermography uncovers the earliest signs of trouble. Failures begin in the form of: loose connections, imbalanced circuits, defective breakers, damaged switches, faulty fuses or fuse clips, overloaded circuits, workmanship, material defects, or a host of other conditions. These adverse conditions will lead to damaged equipment and unsafe conditions. Conducting an annual Infrared inspection is the most effective way to catch these problems in their infancy. A five minute cleaning and tightening of an electrical connection, may be the difference in an Arc Flash related event at your site.
- “Your facility is more likely to burn down because of an electrical hazard than from any other cause.” – From Facilities Manager’s Alert.
- Zurich Risk Engineering reports that 25-30% of all large fire losses are caused by electrical faults.
- “Nearly two-thirds of all electrical distribution fire losses could have been avoided.” – From the National Fire Protection Association.
- According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), there is an arc flash fatality every 28 hours. That is over 300 employee deaths per year. The Electric Power Research Institute claims the direct cost to an employer is $1.3 million.
Green Cost Savings:
The bulk ROI for an Infrared Scan is reflected in: Lowered insurance premiums, safety hazard abatement, and catastrophic failure avoidance. Maintenance savings and safety enhancement are the core reasons most firms mandate an infrared thermal scan on an annual basis. However, there are lesser known savings that really add up. What is the cost for failure after hours, Emergency call out fees, overtime pay, rush order parts. What about a single loose lug on a main switch or transformer? A single problem can cost $80 in wasted kilowatts annually. Large facilities may have countless instances and especially if there has not been a scan for a few years. Energy savings, reduced call outs, and fewer emergency repairs are byproduct benefits that can add up quickly.
When critical equipment fails you may count downtime in hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars as the clock ticks by. Repairing equipment in “crisis mode” exponentially raises your cost. Down time, rush order parts, overtime, callouts; all can be avoided thru planned repairs. With a True Tech condition monitoring program, you will be able to anticipate failures and plan repairs on your time. Find it, Fix it, and avoid the Failure.
What is the cost of a bearing compared to the cost of a bearing failure? Bearing-related problems cause more than half of all motor failures.
With little to no disturbance to your daily operations, our team exposes problems in:
- Bearings
- Shafts
- Couplings
- Stator Windings
- Rotor Bars
- Foundation
- Environment
Condition monitoring includes measuring the entire vibration spectrum and performing frequency analysis. Being able to predict when failure will occur based on trend analysis improves uptime, production, and maintenance efficiency.
Need help getting your machine back within tolerances? We offer: Alignment (Laser and Optical) and Dynamic Balancing.
Mechanical
- Laser Alignment – Optical Alignment. Machinery will move out of alignment during operation. Often, equipment is installed improperly aligned. Correctly aligned and regularly controlled machines significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs and increase uptime. Vibration analysis can detect misaligned systems but not every plant is set up to correct such deficiencies. True Technical Services guarantees your rotating equipment will be aligned to meet or exceed manufacturer published specifications.
- Dynamic Balancing. When rotating equipment experiences unbalanced rotations, the welfare of the equipment and personnel are jeopardized. Crushers, mills, fans, and other equipment is susceptible to becoming unbalanced. Vibration Analysis will uncover the causes associated with your machines performance. Out of balance occurs when the rotor mass and the rotational centerlines are unbalanced in your equipment. True Technical Services will perform computerized balancing at your site to meet or exceed manufacturer published specifications.