Machine failure is one of the common worries in many manufacturers’ minds. Whether minor or catastrophic, machine failure can result in huge repair-related costs, productivity loss, unplanned downtime, and safety implications for staff. So, what is machine failure? What are the main causes? How can it be prevented? This post digs deeper into machine failure to answer the three questions and help you optimize the productivity of your machines. 

What is Machine Failure?

Machine failure, also referred to as equipment failure, can be described as any event where the machines in an industry underperform. This failure can be partial, full, or a situation where the machine stops running the way it is expected. Loss of usefulness of a machine is also considered part of failure. 

The tolerance threshold for machine failure varies from one piece of equipment to another and depending on the prevailing circumstances. For example, an industrial motor for running conveyor belts that are used intensively is likely to get damaged and fail faster than another that is occasionally used. The best way to look at machine failure for your facility is to consider any type of malfunction that makes machinery underperform as machine failure. Indeed, we can classify the failure into a number of categories: 

• Sudden failure: This is what runs into the mind of many people when the term machine failure is mentioned. It means that your machine, whether it is a boiler or pump, was running well when it broke down suddenly. Snapped bands, shattered tools, and melted wires fall in this category of machine failure.
• Intermittent Failure: This is like sputtering of equipment in your facility. The machine is running well and then fails before getting back. Intermittent failure is an indication that total machine failure is about to happen.  
• Gradual Failure: These are problems that make the machine’s usefulness decline steadily. For example, you might notice low shredding of belt or residue buildup that ultimately results in blocking of crucial pipes. Gradual failure can be prevented through regular maintenance of your equipment. 

Common Causes of Machine Failure

When you see a machine failing, the problem must have started somewhere. Here are the main causes of failure, and you can use them to prepare a maintenance program and prevent equipment malfunction. 

• Machine Operator Error: Even with extensive training, people can still make errors as a result of tiredness, forgetfulness, and laziness. In other cases, abuse and misuse of machine operators can result in stress and machine failure. 
•  Poor or Lack of Maintenance: If you fail to maintain your machine correctly or do it infrequently, there is a risk of some parts developing issues and going unnoticed. Ultimately, this is likely to cause partial and then total machine failure. 
• Physical Wear and Tear: Whether you have a hydraulic press or boilers or angle grinders, among other equipment, physical wear from continued use can result in failure. Common causes of wear include metal fatigue, bearing failure, shaft misalignment, and corrosion. 

How to Prevent Machine Failure 

There are a number of methods that you can employ in your facility to prevent machine failure. 

• Reactive Maintenance: This method involves fixing the equipment when it has already failed. The main disadvantage of using reactive maintenance is that it does not prevent downtime and often result in huge costs for repairs. 
• Diagnostic Analytics: This method involves running comprehensive analytics to determine the issues affecting a machine. Then, the information is used to draw a maintenance strategy to ensure the equipment is running optimally and breakdowns are avoided. 
• Preventive Maintenance: This method involves regular inspection of machines even when they are running normally to try and identify signs of trouble. Then, the issues are addressed early enough to prevent equipment failure. 
• Predictive Maintenance: This method takes advantage of big data and modern algorithms to determine when failure is likely to happen in a machine. Some industrial facilities use programmable logic controllers and machine learning to determine when a machine is likely to fail.

As you can see, machine failure can be caused by different things, and it is important to ensure that your facility is maintained in top condition all the time. To reduce the risk of failure, preventive and predictive maintenance are considered some of the most effective solutions. Make sure that replacement parts used for maintenance are of high quality and installation is done correctly for optimal performance.