M & M Hydraulic Company offers hydraulic maintenance in Minnesota and throughout the region, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. When we attend to a repair or maintenance issue, we discover that most failures are related to system contamination. That is why monitoring and filtration is important for all your hydraulic equipment. Here are best practices for controlling contamination and improving productivity:
- Design filtration for the most sensitive component: Many shops contain centralized filtration and often do not take in account the needs of all the equipment. Basically, some items are more sensitive than others. A micron rating that works for one piece of equipment can cause another to fail. For example, if you have a servo valve in your device, that requires filtration with a lower micron rating. Proportional valves and piston motors tolerate more. To assure preservation, set tolerances to the standards of the most sensitive equipment. That way, everything works, and the worst thing that will happen is that you will keep less sensitive equipment cleaner.
- Know components and cycle requirements: A drop in pressure affects components differently. When this occurs, you need to know which parts are affected and how to cycle them from that. Sometimes, this overwhelms filters, which increases the chances of contamination. Know filter location, pressure lines and how to protect each component. This requires better knowledge of your equipment, but the effort will pay off in the long term with lower repair costs.
- Watch your filters: There are few components more important in contamination control than your filters. Rather than wait for signs of a problem, keep your filters clean as a matter of routine. This will reduce the number of factors that could go wrong and make maintenance much easier.
- Have a monitoring system: Even if you set a cleanliness level, your work is not finished. The system needs to be monitored to ensure contamination remains under control and settings do not change. You need devices that monitor cleanliness, and you should check on them periodically. These items will alert you when contamination is high and your filters can no longer wait. Even if the micron rating is only just below limits, that still indicates problems that need to be addressed. Watching the cleanliness level often means you can detect problems before they become more serious. It is easier to replace or clean filters than to call in a professional every time something goes amiss with your filtration system.
- Address problems immediately: Contamination is not a problem to leave lingering. Address it when you notice higher levels or your monitoring system indicates something is wrong. Allowing debris to build up in your filters will eventually affect the efficiency and functioning of your equipment. The last thing you need is to be working on a project close to deadline, only to have your tools stop working. The best maintenance for your equipment involves being aware.
For assistance in hydraulic maintenance in Minnesota and beyond, including making your filtration processes more efficient, contact M & M Hydraulic Company today.