Service Advisor - July 2009

Providing quality products for your customers requires reliable equipment and knowledgable employees. In this issue we discuss maintenance and training methodologies and their impact on providing quality products.

In This Issue

Reduce Unplanned Downtime with SmartArm™

We recently announced the introduction of SmartArm to monitor shaker performance and alert you when stroke and/or speed are beginning to trend out of the norm.

With SmartArm, you can prevent unplanned downtime by identifying problems before they become critical. For instance, one customer identified a motor bearing that was going to fail but there was no indication other than the speed trending upward identified by SmartArm. Be more efficient by identifying shakers that need attention prior to planned maintenance. Identify process issues such as overloading or product build up. Extend the life of the shaker arms, frame and bed through accurate measurements that drive proper operation.

How much can SmartArm save you? Find out with our ROI calculator.

Learn More about SmartArm!

Maintenance Methodologies

Break and Fix

Failure-based maintenance (FBM): An asset is run until it fails, at which point it's repaired or replaced. Depending on the asset, this approach can be hugely economical (e.g., light bulbs), or highly expensive or even life threatening (e.g., large rotating equipment).

Periodic

Use-based maintenance (UBM): An asset is maintained on a periodic or metered basis such as every three months or 10,000 gallons of use. In many cases, this is a more economical approach than FBM, especially when the consequences or cost of running equipment to failure are higher than the cost of the UBM program.

Predictive

Condition-based maintenance (CBM): Triggers are established that correlate to impending equipment degradation or failure. When these conditions are identified through periodic inspections or monitoring, defensive actions are taken, such as repair or replacement of a part, to pre-empt the failure just in time.

Some studies indicate that maintenance costs as a percentage of final product costs can be reduced by almost 50% by moving from a failure-based to a condition-based methodology.

Product Training

Optical Sorter and Vibratory Conveyor Training

Surprisingly in this down economy, training is getting more attention than one would expect. Perhaps we are learning (pun intended) that cutting training only prolongs the return to normal production levels.

A maintenance performance metrics study, "Know the score" by Plantservices.com, from 2003 indicated "Knowledgeable and skilled staff" as the number one "factor for improving uptime." More recent surveys by trade magazines indicate training is a priority to help address production line issues and food safety.

At Key Technology we promote a blended or integrated training program. An integrated program is one in which multiple methods are used to train. There is the traditional job shadowing in which knowledge is transferred from one employee to another. This is great for helping new employees come up to speed but knowledge can be lost in the transfer.

Instructor led is typically the method provided by equipment manufacturers. Again a solid way to train since the "expert" is providing the knowledge. The knowledge from a 3-5 day class however, can be lost if it is not used soon after the training.

This is where online training fills the gap. It is accessible anytime, anywhere and on demand. Our program breaks the training down into 20 minute "modules" so one can quickly train up on a topic and apply it as needed. Contact us to learn more. Download our white paper on blended learning.

UpTime Tips

Quick, simple procedures you can perform on your Key Technology sorters and vibratory conveyors to maximize performance and minimize the risk of downtime.

Maintaining Your Conveyor

Bed Maintenance

Shaker beds should be inspected for damage. Failure would be fractures that occur and may show as fine lines or major separations.
Areas of failure may be in the corners of the screen pockets or attachments. This failure can occur if the shaker is operated with loose screens. Simple repair methods will include re-welding and backing or re-enforcing the welded area. Loose screens may cause the screen support to wear. Repair would be re-welding or building up the worn areas to original specifications.
Cross tubes or supports may fail. This failure may occur if the shaker is allowed to bounce violently or for long periods of time. During the out of tune condition the bed may rack or twist and cause stress at the areas around the welded areas or in the welds themselves.
Gates that are loose or out of adjustment may cause failure in the attachments to the bed. Gates that close against stops may be damaged if the gate is allowed to be loose and rattle or close violently.
Welding on stainless should be by qualified stainless welding personnel. Remember that the area around the weldments is affected by the welding process.
Large areas of failure may require section or area replacement.

Frame Maintenance

Shaker frames should be inspected for failure. If the frame is allowed to become violent or operate out of tune for a period of time the frame should be inspected.
Bouncing frames may allow the frame to rack or twist during operation. Bouncing or twisting frames may cause frame failure.
Failure may include fine cracks developing at the attachment of cross members to the side plate. Small repairs may be made without much risk.
Larger areas may require the addition of strong backs or fish-plates. If a major failure occurs, the bed alignment should be reviewed or reset.

Ensuring Quality Products

Segmentation

Segmentation allows you to assign colors to represent the different categories used for sorting bad from good, i.e. define the color set. This allows the computer to show us which colors have been taught when we view pictures taken by the cameras.

How to segment colors on G6

Manta® Optical Sorter with Raptor Laser Technology

When the small gray box next to the Segmentation button is touched a menu will pop up showing you the segmentation color categories. Colors can be assigned by touching a category and selecting a color from the available ones in the menu. Categories are determined by the KeyWare® for the product you are sorting.

Once you have defined the color sets, you can fine tune or adjust the colors shifting colors from one color set to another. Following this procedure can impact the sorting of your products significantly. Adjust the colors slowly until your sort is optimized. Remember, you can use the undo button to reverse the last change you make.

Start with a picture of your product with segmentation turned on so you see the highlight colors.
In the "See More" column, select the name of the feature for which you wish to add colors. The second column of feature names (the Instead Of column) then becomes active.
In the "Instead Of" column, select the name of the feature from which you wish to subtract colors.
In the "Strength" column, select one of the three "+" buttons. The strength defines how many colors move from one color set to the other. Start with the lighter strength, check the results, and undo or repeat the process, if necessary

For example, shadows of the product may appear as good product and should be defined as background. So you would choose Background for the see more and the Good Product for the instead of column and then slowly add the shadow colors to the Background from the Good Product. After each change, check the results and continue or undo if necessary.

Free Webinar Training Session

Join Us August 20th at 11:00 am.m PST

Identifying good product from rot, peel, stems, leaves, foreign material and other defects is critical to producing a quality product. In this webcast you will learn how to define and adjust a color set on a sorter with the G6 Vision Platform (includes most sorters built or upgraded since 2005). Register today!