Three-step inventory of the ageing your machinery

Before you can make a decision regarding the correct maintenance method and possible replacement or revision, it is important that you know to what degree your machinery is ageing and that you map it.

Step 1: Know what you have

Every inventory starts with a proper registration of your machinery. What devices do you have and what is their theoretical life span? The theoretical life span gives an indication of the technical ageing of the machine over the years. You can usually ask the manufacturer for this information.

Step 2: Know the actual condition of your machines

Do you have insight into the actual condition of the machine as opposed to the expected life span? It may not always be possible to carry out a proper condition assessment, but you may be able to make a trend analysis of the history of failures over the years. This gives you information about the failures that have occurred, and it will allow you to make a rough estimate of the condition of a machine on the basis of its age.

Step 3: Compare theoretical life span with estimated condition

Comparing the theoretical life span with the estimated condition tells you about which phase of ageing the machine is in. This will also give some information about the expected life span. On the basis of this, you can coordinate life-span extending activities such as maintenance, revision or replacement considering the machine’s criticality for production.

Now that you know the measure in which your machinery is ageing and have mapped the ageing, it’s time for the next step: choosing the right maintenance method and possible replacement or revision.