There has never been a more critical time for small and mid-sized manufacturers to maximize the productivity of their labor force and production equipment. This goes beyond purchasing high-dollar equipment that can run at faster cycle times, hiring more people, or adding shifts in a tight labor market. Oftentimes, the first best step is simply improving the uptime of your existing equipment. One option to improve uptime is implementing a preventative maintenance (PM) program to make your process more predictable.
At the CIRAS Digital Manufacturing Lab (DML) powered by Alliant Energy, we have a variety of technologies that could support a robust PM program. Many of these technologies have low barriers to use, and CIRAS can demonstrate them to help you de-risk technology adoption. CIRAS holds regular DML tours where attendees can learn more about these technology options and how they could be utilized in your specific applications.
These technologies include a variety of sensors (temperature, vibration, ambient temperature/humidity, amperage, tank level, and many more) to monitor equipment health and support your PM program. CIRAS can help you understand the benefits and limitations of these technologies to your organization and applications. These options usually include the ability for alerts via email or texting to keep tabs on the health of your equipment when critical thresholds are hit.
The DML tours give you a chance to learn more about the technology in a neutral and pressure-free environment. In addition, CIRAS routinely does application projects with companies where the sensors can be piloted on your equipment, with your processes, at your facility for one to two weeks at a minimal cost so you and your team can get first-hand experience with the hardware, software, and data.
A recent project was completed with Prairie Farms in Dubuque. Upon concluding the project, Maintenance Manager Leonardo Avila said, “We are so thankful for all the help we got from CIRAS; they helped us see the potential benefits for our machines and provided us with visionary knowledge.” Most of these systems can be implemented for a few thousand dollars to get started and scaled as needed. Leveraging these simple, low-cost, and easy-to-learn technologies can be a first step to optimizing your equipment uptime and combatting workforce challenges.
Sign up for an upcoming DML tour here.
For more information, contact Kirk Haaland at khaaland@iastate.edu or 515-520-7623.