IntermediateTopic 41 of 102Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems
Maintenance engineering
Preventive, predictive and corrective strategies.
In depth
Strategies: breakdown/corrective, preventive (time-based), predictive/condition-based (vibration, oil analysis, thermography), reliability-centred maintenance and total productive maintenance (TPM). Measures: MTBF, MTTR, availability A=MTBF/(MTBF+MTTR), OEE. CMMS manages work orders and spares.
Key points
- Planned vs unplanned downtime
- Criticality analysis
- Spare parts optimisation
ExampleVibration sensors on pumps schedule bearing replacement before failure.
What is Maintenance engineering?
Preventive, predictive and corrective strategies.
Why is it important to understand maintenance engineering?
Maintenance keeps equipment available and safe, and the chosen strategy determines cost, downtime and risk.
What is preventive maintenance?
Servicing equipment at fixed intervals or after a set amount of use, to prevent failures before they occur.
What is predictive maintenance?
Using condition monitoring, such as vibration or temperature, to predict when maintenance is needed, so work is done only when required.
How is Maintenance engineering used in practice?
Typical applications include scheduling oil changes and bearing checks on a fleet of pumps, monitoring vibration on a motor to predict failure and replacing a worn belt before it breaks during production.
What should I learn before Maintenance engineering?
Study "Supply chain and logistics" first (topic 40 of 102 in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Maintenance engineering?
Planned vs unplanned downtime. Criticality analysis. Spare parts optimisation.
Can you give an example of Maintenance engineering?
Vibration sensors on pumps schedule bearing replacement before failure.
What comes after Maintenance engineering?
The next topic is "Reliability engineering", which builds directly on this one.
How difficult is Maintenance engineering?
It is classed as Intermediate in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems (topic 41 of 102). It is an intermediate topic. Work through the beginner topics in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems first.