Infrared inspection of bearings on slow-moving equipment

Bearing wear and the threat of downtime have plagued assembly lines for many years. Bearings on slow moving equipment, such as conveyors, are no exception to this problem. At the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, we are trying to find a solution to prevent these occurrences. Due to the slow moving nature of the production process, regular preventive maintenance has been the traditional method to regulate these problems. Now, with the aid of IR Thermography, we are able to find potential problems before they occur. The presentation will show visual and thermal images, before and after repairs, along with our reporting methods of any exceptions. This paper will touch on a few of our slow moving equipment finds.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.