Preventative maintenance is one of the most important elements to maintain the integrity and efficiency of packaging equipment. Seth Licke, Morrison’s aftermarket sales and service manager, joins us this week to discuss what he deems the Top 10 most important elements when maintaining and servicing your equipment so you can keep your Morrison lines running more productively.
First, he says be mindful and make sure the machine is off, locked and tagged out when appropriate, then keep these steps in mind. Preventative maintenance, when performed appropriately, can help you identify which wear components are close to the end of their lifespan as well as catch any issues that come up before they have a real effect on your throughput.
1. Perform Visual Inspections Daily
Does everything appear to be functioning the way it is supposed to? This is something your operators and maintenance team should be investigating daily. By constantly staying in tune with the system, you’re more likely to catch something before it becomes an issue, and our team can help you even sooner.
Expert Tip: Making sure the set-up relationships between the timing screw and conveyor speed are correct every day is absolutely vital. If the screw is in a condition where it is operating outside of what it was designed to do, then you may get more wear on the system than if you were using it properly.
2. Perform Weekly Scheduled Greasing and Cleaning
I see this one all the time. Not enough grease on important pieces of the equipment. Make sure every week your team is going over the key parts of the machine that need grease and applying it properly. Check timing screw square drivers, bearings, and anything with a grease port, such as an enclosed hub that has bearings you can’t see.
3. Evaluate System Monthly
On a monthly schedule, we always recommend removing all the safety covers after the machine is off, locked out, and tagged out, to evaluate the condition of the parts.
4. Stock Spare Parts
Do you want to have the wear components you need on hand before they wear out or after the machine goes down because they need to be replaced? Stocking these wear items (spare parts) ahead of time allows you to quickly swap them and get back up and running without having to wait for parts to arrive to your facility.
5. Check Set Up Dimensions Routinely
Your team should be checking to make sure set-up dimensions provided are accurately used for the timing screw and conveyor speeds as well as making sure the system is level and the square drive and screw are spinning concentrically.
6. Review Morrison Documentation
At all times someone on your team, including maintenance and operating personnel, should know where the provided Morrison manual documentation is located. In this manual, you’ll see the PM schedule as well as recommended spare parts, but it also contains many chapters on how to do things like change a timing screw or change a drive belt and clutch. If you do not have this documentation, request a replacement.
7. Develop Internal Check List
The plants I see that have developed an internal checklist for PMs that is kept close to the machine are often more successful in maintaining the schedule. It can help keep everyone on the same page and working together to keep the equipment functioning safely and as intended.
8. Mark Safety and Caution Areas Clearly
This one is a no-brainer. Keep your team safe. It should be a #1 priority.
9. Dry Run System without Timing Screw
Remove the timing screw and dry run your system to make sure the shafts are spinning concentrically. When your machine is off, locked out, and tagged out, rotate the idler end by hand and make sure you can see if there is a smooth rotation or if it appears to be gritty or appears to be grinding.
10. Pre-Schedule PM’s or Machine Repairs with Morrison
If you can, it is recommended to pre-schedule PMs with Morrison during scheduled downtime annually so wear components can be caught and replaced before they go out, and at a time where you are already not scheduled to run production. After replacing these parts, it’s best to contact Morrison again to restock these items for the next round of PMs to avoid lead times or shipping times.
Included in every manual for Morrison equipment is a spare parts list and preventative maintenance schedule. If you have any questions about these items or need help navigating these items, contact our Aftermarket Service and Sales Manager for more information. We’re always happy to help our customers and fellow OEMs.
