Home > Blog > How to Utilize Compressed Air to Avoid Unplanned Downtime

How to Utilize Compressed Air to Avoid Unplanned Downtime

25/10/2021
All manufacturing facilities have downtime, the time when a machine or production line is not creating any output.  The goal is to minimize the unplanned downtime, while maximizing the efficiency of the planned downtime.  Let’s take a look at each type of downtime. 

Planned Downtime

As the name states, planned downtime is the time in which a machine or production line is purposefully shut down and not creating any output. Planned downtime allows time for planned preventative and predictive maintenance, as well as repairs, upgrades and testing of machines. While planned downtime will cost lost production and lost revenue, preventative maintenance is important to keep machines operating efficiently to avoid longer, and more costly, unplanned downtime in the future. 

Unplanned Downtime

When preventative maintenance is not done properly, a common result is costly unplanned downtime, the amount of time a machine is not running due to unexpected circumstances. Unplanned downtime can cost companies thousands of dollars per minute depending on the industry. Check out this case study about an ice cream manufacturing plant who estimated that for every hour of downtime, they lost $10,000 in revenue. One of the best ways to avoid unplanned downtime is to schedule preventative maintenance and be prepared for common issues that may arise. Compressed air technologies are an effective way to avoid some common culprits of unplanned downtime or slowed production.

Versatile Spot Cooling

Utilizing compressed air technology for spot cooling can help manufacturers avoid costly unplanned downtime and even shorten planned downtime in production. Vortec Cold Air Guns can cool parts or tools quickly, enabling the production line to continue operating at normal speeds by avoiding costly waiting times for parts to progress to the next assembly step, or preventing overheating of tooling. Common uses are to cool drill bits or grinding wheels to prevent loading which results in longer tool life and less downtime to replace parts. Check out this case study from a paper manufacturer on how the Cold Air Gun improved their production rates.

Additionally, by using air cooling in machining instead of liquid cooling, manufacturers can eliminate the mess and avoid secondary parts cleaning. By eliminating this unnecessary step, it results in less unproductive downtime.

Keeping Electrical Cabinets Operating Efficiently

Many times, production issues can be traced back to electrical, electronic or control system problems. In today’s small, compact multi-function electronic controls, variable speed drives, servos and programmable logic controllers are extremely sensitive to heat and contamination. Smaller electrical cabinet sizes make temperature control difficult and the components in the cabinet prone to premature failures. Excessive heat will cause digital displays to misread, controls to drift, and breakers to trip below rated loads. The result is productivity lost due to machine or line shutdowns. Therefore, it is important to prioritize preventative maintenance on these cabinets in addition to machinery maintenance. Some common preventative maintenance elements for control panels are:
  • Maintaining a reasonable temperature for the electronics
  • Monitoring the status of different electrical components
  • Keeping dust and contaminants out of the enclosure
By using compressed air Enclosure Coolers, many of these common issues can be avoided. Enclosure Coolers reduce the temperature of compressed air to keep electronic enclosures cool, clean and protected. These enclosure coolers also keep the cabinet at a slight pressurization which keeps dust and contaminants out of the enclosure. Vortex A/C Enclosure Coolers are made of no moving parts which make them extremely reliable and require no maintenance. By utilizing a Vortex A/C Enclosure Cooler, manufacturers can rest easy knowing these common downtime culprits won’t be a problem for their enclosures.

When creating preventative maintenance plans, it is important to understand all the solutions available to you. With these types of compressed air technologies, manufacturers can reduce their unplanned downtime levels and in turn have higher levels of productivity. So when it comes time to audit current maintenance procedures, keep compressed air solutions in mind to save time and money in the future.
Home > Blog > How to Utilize Compressed Air to Avoid Unplanned Downtime

How to Utilize Compressed Air to Avoid Unplanned Downtime

25/10/2021
All manufacturing facilities have downtime, the time when a machine or production line is not creating any output.  The goal is to minimize the unplanned downtime, while maximizing the efficiency of the planned downtime.  Let’s take a look at each type of downtime. 

Planned Downtime

As the name states, planned downtime is the time in which a machine or production line is purposefully shut down and not creating any output. Planned downtime allows time for planned preventative and predictive maintenance, as well as repairs, upgrades and testing of machines. While planned downtime will cost lost production and lost revenue, preventative maintenance is important to keep machines operating efficiently to avoid longer, and more costly, unplanned downtime in the future. 

Unplanned Downtime

When preventative maintenance is not done properly, a common result is costly unplanned downtime, the amount of time a machine is not running due to unexpected circumstances. Unplanned downtime can cost companies thousands of dollars per minute depending on the industry. Check out this case study about an ice cream manufacturing plant who estimated that for every hour of downtime, they lost $10,000 in revenue. One of the best ways to avoid unplanned downtime is to schedule preventative maintenance and be prepared for common issues that may arise. Compressed air technologies are an effective way to avoid some common culprits of unplanned downtime or slowed production.

Versatile Spot Cooling

Utilizing compressed air technology for spot cooling can help manufacturers avoid costly unplanned downtime and even shorten planned downtime in production. Vortec Cold Air Guns can cool parts or tools quickly, enabling the production line to continue operating at normal speeds by avoiding costly waiting times for parts to progress to the next assembly step, or preventing overheating of tooling. Common uses are to cool drill bits or grinding wheels to prevent loading which results in longer tool life and less downtime to replace parts. Check out this case study from a paper manufacturer on how the Cold Air Gun improved their production rates.

Additionally, by using air cooling in machining instead of liquid cooling, manufacturers can eliminate the mess and avoid secondary parts cleaning. By eliminating this unnecessary step, it results in less unproductive downtime.

Keeping Electrical Cabinets Operating Efficiently

Many times, production issues can be traced back to electrical, electronic or control system problems. In today’s small, compact multi-function electronic controls, variable speed drives, servos and programmable logic controllers are extremely sensitive to heat and contamination. Smaller electrical cabinet sizes make temperature control difficult and the components in the cabinet prone to premature failures. Excessive heat will cause digital displays to misread, controls to drift, and breakers to trip below rated loads. The result is productivity lost due to machine or line shutdowns. Therefore, it is important to prioritize preventative maintenance on these cabinets in addition to machinery maintenance. Some common preventative maintenance elements for control panels are:
  • Maintaining a reasonable temperature for the electronics
  • Monitoring the status of different electrical components
  • Keeping dust and contaminants out of the enclosure
By using compressed air Enclosure Coolers, many of these common issues can be avoided. Enclosure Coolers reduce the temperature of compressed air to keep electronic enclosures cool, clean and protected. These enclosure coolers also keep the cabinet at a slight pressurization which keeps dust and contaminants out of the enclosure. Vortex A/C Enclosure Coolers are made of no moving parts which make them extremely reliable and require no maintenance. By utilizing a Vortex A/C Enclosure Cooler, manufacturers can rest easy knowing these common downtime culprits won’t be a problem for their enclosures.

When creating preventative maintenance plans, it is important to understand all the solutions available to you. With these types of compressed air technologies, manufacturers can reduce their unplanned downtime levels and in turn have higher levels of productivity. So when it comes time to audit current maintenance procedures, keep compressed air solutions in mind to save time and money in the future.