What activities should be scheduled for preventive maintenance (e.g., lubrication, vibration analysis, probe integrity, parts replacement, etc.) Much of these activities will depend on the complexity of the measurement system, device or apparatus. Simpler gages may require only an inspection at regular intervals, whereas more complex systems may require ongoing detailed statistical analyses and a team of engineers to maintain in a predictive fashion.
Planning preventive maintenance activities should coincide with the initiation of the measurement process planning. Many activities, such as draining air filters daily, lubricating bearings after the designated number of operating hours, etc., can be planned before the measurement system is completely built, developed and implemented. In fact this is preferable and improves advanced measurement planning and costs. Data collection methods and maintenance recommendations related to these activities can be obtained from the original manufacturer, or developed by plant engineering, manufacturing and quality personnel. After the measurement process is implemented and in use, data pertaining to the function of the measurement process need to be collected and plotted over time. Simple analytical methods (run charts, trend analysis) can be conducted to determine the stability of the system. Eventually, as the judgment of system stability dictates, preventive maintenance routines can be scheduled accordingly. Conducting preventive maintenance on a stable system, based on time series information, will be less wasteful than conducting preventive maintenance on a system with traditional techniques.
specifications
Specifications serve as guidelines for both the customer and supplier in the design and build process. These guidelines serve to communicate acceptable standards. Acceptable standards may be considered in two categories:
Design Standards
Build Standards
Format of the design standards may be different depending on who is paying for the project. Cost issues may affect the format. Generally, it is a good idea to have sufficient documented design detail that the design may be built or repaired to original intent by any qualified builder however, this decision may be driven by cost and criticality. The required format of the final design may be some form of computer assisted design (CAD) or hardcopy engineering drawings. It may involve engineering standards chosen from those of the OEM, SAE, ASTM, or other organization, and the gage supplier must have access to the latest level and understand these standards. The OEM may require the use of particular standards at either the design or build phase and may even require formal approvals before the measurementsystem may be released for use.
Build standards will cover the tolerances to which the measurement system must be built. Build tolerance should be based on a combination of the capabilities of the process used to produce the gage or gage component, and the criticality of the intended measurement. Build tolerance should not be a mere given percent of product tolerance alone.
source : Analysis of measurement systems
