The evolution of maintenance in the mining industry has come a long way in the last decade, aided by the availability of real-time data. Too many mining operations are playing defense when it comes to equipment maintenance; inspections are done on an irregular basis, and repairs occur only after an asset in the equipment fleet breaks down. Every hour that a machine is down for maintenance or repair is an hour during which it isn’t drilling, hauling or digging, and that downtime is usually longer for major failures.
The expense of preventative maintenance is a worthwhile investment and very effective when the costs of lost productivity and human injury are brought into the equation. Reliability of mining equipment translates into more value derived from that equipment over time, with fewer costs associated with it, both human and financial.
By analysing the data with the help of cost effective sensors on an entire fleet of machines or even on a machine-by-machine basis, maintenance managers can identify patterns of equipment failure and schedule inspection and repairs on a more regular basis, extending the working life of your capital investment in equipment at all levels of operation.
Solutions to consider for mining
Air leak detector
Equipped with an array of microphones for an expanded field-of-view, the handheld air leak detectors enable maintenance teams to quickly and accurately locate air, gas and vacuum leaks in compressed air systems; even during peak operations and in noisy environments.
Our recommendation: Fluke ii900 SoundSight™ Sonic Industrial Imager
Thermal cameras
The Fluke Ti480 PRO is designed to work in the toughest industries. Optimally engineered, Fluke cameras are aligned to drive efficiency through the latest in thermography technology advancements. They offer everything needed for industrial professionals to safely, quickly and easily find, assess and solve mission-critical problems before they result in downtime, become costly or even disastrous.
Our recommendation: Fluke Ti480 PRO Infrared Camera