Preventing Failure and Optimizing Maintenance with Accurex AI in Continuous Galvanizing plant

Country: Spain
Application: Continuous Galvanizing, Electro Galvanizing, Slitting

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the mining industry, equipment reliability is paramount. At a Continuous Galvanizing Plant, critical defects in the Titanium Dryer bearings posed severe risks to production and safety. Within 12 hours of operation, ACOEM’s Accurex AI flagged critical bearing defects, pinpointing issues such as overtightening, shaft damage, and inadequate lubrication. Thanks to the system’s detailed diagnostics and actionable recommendations, the customer avoided unplanned downtime, optimized maintenance practices, and enhanced safety. This success highlights the power of predictive maintenance powered by AI, reinforcing trust in ACOEM as a partner for reliability excellence.

The Challenge

There are four key measurement points: 1, 2, 3, and 4. The customer was facing an urgent issue with the Titanium Dryer bearings (points 3 and 4). Within less than 12 hours of operation, the outer race of the bearings displayed critical defects, likely caused by:

Overtightening of the tapered sleeve during assembly.
Pre-existing shaft damage before bearing installation.
The lubrication process was also flawed, with over-lubrication caused by a pneumatic grease gun and an improperly aligned lubrication point. Additionally, while the belts were still operational, their condition warranted replacement soon.

These challenges posed a significant risk to equipment reliability, production continuity, and worker safety. Given the cost of halting the fan at 5,000€/hour, addressing these defects before they escalated was critical.

The Solution

The customer implemented Accurex AI, ACOEM’s advanced automatic diagnostic solution. This system provided:

Immediate fault detection: Accurex flagged the critical defect in the outer race within 12 hours of operation.
Detailed diagnostic insights: Highlighting key issues such as over-lubrication, improper assembly practices, and excessive axial preloading during the fitting of the bearings. The precision of the system identified vertical plastic deformation produced during fitting (excessive preloading) and longitudinal plastic deformation caused by overloading while the bearings rotated.
Actionable recommendations: Accurex suggested replacing the bearings, realigning the lubrication points, and addressing shaft imperfections. The precision also identified the root cause, excessive preloading during mounting, leading to long-term bearing damage.

The customer selected ACOEM due to the precision, speed, and reliability of its diagnostic technology, enabling them to avoid catastrophic failure.

The Results

By acting on the insights provided by Accurex AI, the customer achieved:

Prevention of unplanned downtime by addressing the defect before failure occurred.
Optimized maintenance practices through actionable guidance on bearing installation and lubrication.
Enhanced safety by identifying and mitigating risks early. The early detection of bearing damage, particularly from excessive preloading, was crucial in avoiding a catastrophic failure.

Additionally, the intervention included replacing the belts and refining lubrication practices, further improving equipment reliability.

The Impact

Beyond resolving the immediate issue, this success story demonstrated to the customer the importance of predictive maintenance powered by advanced AI diagnostics. The collaboration also strengthened their trust in ACOEM, opening doors for future opportunities in improving their maintenance processes and equipment reliability.