More and more industries deploy automated systems and require specific skills to maintain drives, controllers, circuit breakers, assembly lines, CNC systems and many more. It is becoming common for maintenance electricians to work in automation applications and frequently troubleshoot diverse systems. The maintenance of an automated system has always been related to additional workforce and expenses. But given the right tools, the required interventions can be surprisingly easy and reap major benefits.
Scanning the QR Code And Make an Accurate Diagnosis
Here are several methods that when combined with your Mobility Work CMMS data can help you better manage automated system troubleshooting.
- Get the most information from the production operator to better understand the entire environment related to the outage. The more information you collect (what works or does not work), the more it will help you in accurately diagnosing troubleshooting.
- Consult all machine information from your CMMS software (technical documentation of the machine, intervention history, troubleshooting procedure, documentation on the adjustment of the machine, functional analyses as Grafcet and GEMMA, etc.). To facilitate access to all this information, a large number of companies are implementing the CMMS Mobility Work and integrating the dedicated QR code on their machines. Like this, technicians can access all the asset’s information by scanning the QR code only with a smartphone.
Make Assumptions
- With all the information retrieved in the previous step, you can begin to list by relevance all the causes that may have led to the failure of the automated system.
Locate Your Work Area
- Record all items before any operation. The list of elements can also be presented in your CMMS software Mobility Work via several videos accessible from your smartphone.
- Check all previous hypothesis starting with the one which cause seems most likely and those which control is easier to perform.
Restore Equipment
Once the fault has been located, a technician should restore all installations. There are 2 possibilities:
- Provisional machine operation. The intervention is then called troubleshooting and a maintenance technician will have to intervene later to finish the operation.
- Proper operation of your machine. The intervention is finished and can then be defined as a repair and not a troubleshooting operation.
Control the Start and Stop Modes of Your Equipment
- Using different tools such as the GEMMA (Guide for Start and Stop Modes), you can control all the equipment and manage the start and stop of it.
Establish Operation Reports
- One of the most important steps for monitoring operations and improving future troubleshooting of your automated system is entering the interventions into your Mobility Work CMMS. This includes the encountered symptoms of failure, the involved maintenance technicians, the date of the intervention, the operation type (preventive, electrical, corrective or automated) and finally the operation performed to restore the asset. Mobility Work offers its users a mobile application which improves the user-friendliness and capture of maintenance operations but also integrates multimedia documents such as photos and videos. All this information will help you and your maintenance team if a similar failure occurs on the same automated equipment.
All news related to ongoing interventions are available from Mobility Work mobile application’s newsfeed, available on iOS and Android.
Troubleshooting Procedure On An Automated System
When an automated system failure occurs and troubleshooting is required, it is of critical importance to adequately approach the issue. Asking the right questions will help you reach the root cause of the problem and solve it.
Here are some examples:
- Does the system start?
If the answer is no, then you have to check if an energy flow is present and complies with the requirements of the asset.
- Is the command part initialized?
If the answer is no, then you must initialize it by unit or manually.
- Is the operative part initialized?
If the answer is no, then you have to return the operative part in the initial conditions.
- Are the initial conditions present at the control part?
If the answer is no, then you have to check the command part: connections, sensors and PLC inputs. If they are all ok, then the PLC part should be considered and PLC outputs and actuators controlled.
- Does the Cycle Run Normally?
If not, then the moment when the cycle stops should be checked and analyzed in details.
- Do all actions function normally?
If the answer is no, then it is worth it to check the operative part and the connections between the actuators. If they function properly, then the receptivity associated with this step should be controlled.
All news related to ongoing interventions are available from Mobility Work’s newsfeed.
Simply Connect to the 1st Maintenance Social Network
In case, the automated system failure remains challenging, Mobility Work offers you a social media platform, where you can exchange knowledge with thousands of maintenance professionals. The 1st maintenance social network allows you to directly connect with all these technicians and engage in a dialogue about your problem. Some of them might have already experienced the same problem as you and recorded it in their CMMS report.
Mobility Work is an all-around CMMS, facilitating your daily maintenance tasks but also helping you to collaborate with your colleagues or technicians from other areas only through your smartphone. This is a versatile and dynamic solution inspired by latest digital trends, industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing.
