Understanding Equipment Failure
It’s important to understand why equipment failure happens in an industrial environment.
Equipment failure is when a piece of industrial equipment underperforms or stops functioning in the way it was intended to. This can lead to unexpected downtimes, increased repair and replacement costs, lack of safety and disrupted business operations.
Understanding, managing and preventing equipment failure can also be a great way to reduce the need for support and achieve supply chain sustainability.
Types of Equipment Failure
The main types of equipment failure range from:
- Sudden failure: This is when a piece of equipment breaks down abruptly. Examples include a shattered tool, snapped band, melted wire, etc.
- Gradual failure: This is when a piece of equipment’s efficiency declines steadily. Examples include a belt that’s slowly shredding, blades that get duller, pipes that eventually clog with residue buildup, etc.
- Intermittent failure: This is when a piece of equipment fails, restarts, and then repeats the process until it completely fails. Examples include car engines, conveyor production lines, etc.
Top Causes of Equipment Failure
The top causes of equipment failure range from:
- Improper Lubricant Selection: Poor or improper lubrication leads to 43% of mechanical failures, 54% of bearing failures, 50% of roller bearing damage and 70% of equipment failures. With lubrication being a highly technical topic, it is essential that operators have the proper technical knowledge to hand to mitigate any potential lubrication issues.
- Poor Manufacturing: In some cases, manufacturers opt for low-quality adhesives, sealants, coatings and other critical aspects of the end result, which leads to poor performance of machinery in the mid to long-term.
- Wear & Tear: Equipment that is unprotected from wear and tear typically deteriorates with time.
- Improper Maintenance: “Band-aid” fixes, too little or too much maintenance, untrained staff carrying out maintenance, etc.
- Human Error: Accidents, lack of training, tiredness, forgetfulness, misuse of equipment, etc.
Avoiding Equipment Failure with High-Quality Lubricants & Adhesives
At Antala, we provide adhesives, sealants, industrial lubricants, electronic protection and protective coatings for manufacturers across every sector; helping businesses to optimise their manufacturing, maintenance, repair and operational processes. From analysing overall manufacturing, maintenance and lubrication processes, to specifying a product for a new particular application, experienced technical support assists companies to boost operational performance, optimise maintenance processes and costs, and bring new innovations to life.
Adhesives and sealants are ideal for bonding and sealing applications, compared to traditional alternatives. Our top adhesive and silicone brands Huntsman Araldite, DuPont, and DOWSIL provide solutions suitable for a wide variety of applications across all sectors. From making rapid repairs to ensure fleet vehicles are back on the road for the next deliveries to protecting equipment from damaging contaminants on the shop floor, having the right adhesive stock and technical support to hand gives ease of mind that repair and maintenance processes are taken care of.
Industrial lubricants reduce friction between moving components and improve component lifespan. Our top lubrication brands Molykote, Krytox, JAX and KAJO provide high-quality, industry-approved lubricants that can be used for avoiding equipment failure in various sectors and applications; from oxygen-safe medical device manufacturing to food-grade machinery maintenance.
To find out more about how optimising lubrication processes and selection can extend operation periods, reduce maintenance processes and significantly lower repair costs, discover our full guide on what industrial lubricants are and get in touch with our dedicated lubricant technical team to discuss your lubrication processes.
Through the use of adhesives, sealants and lubricants, manufacturers can ensure:
- Increased equipment lifespan
- Rapid repairs & back-to-work times
- Minimal operational downtime
- Increased structural strength
- More effective load management
- Improved temperature regulation
- Resistance to corrosion
- Resistance to moisture and water
Our technical experts have successfully implemented adhesives, sealants and lubricants in many common and highly demanding applications, from optimising industrial plants’ conveyor systems lubrication processes to helping wind farms, oil and gas, and other energy operators to keep their assets up and running with efficient and effective repair and protection solutions.
Read our guide on top industrial maintenance processes to discover different types of maintenance and how to implement them.
