Condition Based Maintenance
Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy which uses information on machine condition to direct maintenance activities. It is also defined as the combination of Proactive Maintenance and Predictive Maintenance. Its goal is to effectively and efficiently target maintenance activities where they are needed most and will have the greatest impact. If implemented correctly it results in increased reliability and reduced maintenance cost.
Information on machine condition can come from a number of condition monitoring techniques, such as:
- Oil Analysis
- Vibration Monitoring
- Acoustic Emissions
- Thermography
- Visual Inspections
- Operational Parameter Monitoring
- Other methods
Various condition monitoring techniques can compliment one another as each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some require significant capital investment, some require the use of external experts, some are easily scaled up, others aren’t. Staff requirements, response time and ongoing costs also vary.
One thing is certain, however. Intelligent use of Condition Monitoring and CBM can produce significant improvements in reliability and sizeable savings.