You have a standard DC brush motor on a DC speed control driving a production conveyor. One day, the operator tells you, "The motor is running at full speed and I can't turn it down." What's the most likely single cause and how could it have been prevented? Drop your answer in the comments before scrolling.  Answer: Brush dust buildup shorting the negative brush to ground. Carbon brush dust is conductive. As it accumulates on a brush grommet, it can create a short to ground. 

Suppose you look at weekly passdowns, and one of your plastic articulated conveyors has broken the chain multiple times in the last week. You have lots of these conveyors, but this one is breaking and getting repaired repeatedly. They're all about the same age. This one isn't all that different from the others. It does start and stop under load, but they all do. You go look at it and everything you can see while it's running seems fine. No jumping or bad mechanical components

In the world of asset management, deferred maintenance seems like a quick win, a way to cut costs today and free up budget for other priorities. Maintenance costs are deferred for several reasons. It could be because the organization cannot find the time for shutdown, doesn't plan well enough to get the work done, or just won't spend the money. But here's the harsh reality, what looks like savings upfront inevitably spirals into massive financial losses down the line. It's a

Is the classic CIL (Clean, Inspect, Lubricate) model of preventive maintenance missing a crucial piece? Yes, and it's a critical piece that the maintenance industry never discusses but we need to. Don't get me wrong, CIL is foundational in making components last longer. But without efficiently fixing identified issues before they spiral, the damaged and worn items on your machine will accelerate failures no matter how much grease you apply. Deferred maintenance leaves your as

For some years, I believed that the fastest and easiest way to turn-around a plant is from the maintenance manager seat. I no longer believe that to be true. However, there are some VERY important lessons I can share here that are useful to the turnaround leader. Reactive Maintenance - What to expect if this is what you have So, first, let's define how reactive maintenance works. In a reactive environment, typically there is not a clear line of execution from finding a proble