WAUWATOSA, Wis. - eTradeWire -- The lifespan of an industrial oven, furnace, or washer can depend on several factors such as the quality of the equipment, the frequency and quality of maintenance, and the level of usage. If properly maintained, an industrial oven or furnace can have a lifespan of 30 years or even longer.

Regular maintenance, including cleaning and replacing parts is essential for ensuring the longevity of industrial ovens, furnaces, and washers. The frequency of maintenance depends on the manufacturer's recommendations and equipment application. It is important to follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule to prevent breakdowns, increase efficiency, and extend the equipment's lifespan.

In addition to regular maintenance, scheduled audits, performed by trained professionals, are critical in identifying and preventing potential issues that could cause the equipment to fail prematurely.

A machine audit provides several benefits, including:

• Increased efficiency: Machine audit can help identify areas of inefficiency in machine operations, allowing for improvements to be made and increasing overall efficiency.
• Improved accuracy: By detecting and correcting errors, machine audits can improve the accuracy of machine operations, reducing the risk of costly mistakes.
• Enhanced safety: Machine audits can identify potential safety hazards and risks, enabling proactive measures to be taken to prevent accidents or injuries.
• Cost savings: By identifying inefficiencies and errors, machine audits can lead to cost savings through improved productivity, reduced downtime, and lower maintenance costs.
• Regulatory compliance: Machine audits can help ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards, reducing the risk of legal and financial penalties.
• Better decision-making: Machine audit can provide valuable data and insights that can inform better decision-making and improve overall business performance.

Following are the procedures a professional machine auditor should go through when conducting a furnace, oven, or washer system audit/survey.

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Fan and Bearing Inspection:

• Fans guarding removed and sheave alignments checked
• Measurement & recording of RPM's of running fans
• Bearings, belts, and sheaves inspected for wear
• Recorded fan and motor metrics compared to previous year's metrics.

Electrical Checks:

• Horsepower, full load amps and RPM recording
• Main control panel incoming power review
• Analysis of system wiring
• Motor Amp draws measurement and recording
• SCR controlled units gain and bias conditions measurement
• VFD setup review
• Inspection of process temperature and high limit controllers
• Create spreadsheet of parameters for the controllers
• Control cabinet inspection for wiring issues
• Inspection of junction boxes and disconnect switches
• Voltage, Amperage, Motor Data, RPMs recorded to compare against previous year's data
• Analysis of electric heating systems
• VFD's data recorded for future use
• Controllers proper parameters and control analyzed

Safety checks include:

• Air flow switches
• High / Low gas pressure switches
• Gas and vent valves inspected for leakage
• Thermocouple verified

Burner checks on gas unit completed:

• Air and gas differential
• Igniter, flame rod or UV Scanner
• Flame module
• Internal components- burner blower wheel, perforated sheet
• Safeties- air flow switches, gas pressure switches, proof of closure switches, over temperature devices and flame supervision device
• Cleaning burner, flame, spark rod and operation of the UV scanner
• Burner set up to factory specifications

Additional items to check during an audit:

• Inspection of the fan wheel clearances on each fan
• Check pump systems
• Checking and balancing the airflow of the oven
• Lubricating the bearings and looking for any signs of wear
• Inspection of conveyor
• Checking gear boxes and gear oil
• If a PLC is in the system, a current copy of the program will be downloaded for telephone support records and any necessary changes requested by customer may be made
• Training customer's maintenance personnel and operators on systems operation and maintenance

Additional system checks:

• Fan wheel inspection
• Pump inspection for excessive heat and vibration
• Bearing lubrication
• Revised maintenance schedule if necessary
• Gear boxes inspection
• Inspection of the part transport systems- mats, chains, sprockets, shafts, rollers and slide beds.
• Download the current PLC and HMI program from the machine to help support the customer via the telephone
• Comprehensive training for operation and maintenance

As you can see, this is a comprehensive audit. A detailed report, parameter sheets and all settings should be well documented with a copy supplied to the customer.

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If you are looking to increase the lifespan of your industrial oven, furnace or washer through proper maintenance, regular audits, reduce replacement costs, increase productivity, and reduce downtime--- contact International Thermal Systems Customer Services: 414-902-5300.

About International Thermal Systems Audit and Support

The ITS Customer Support Services team offers equipment audits, preventative maintenance, repairs and replacement parts. We also service our equipment and the machines of our competitors.

ITS audit starts off with a complete inspection of the machine and creates a list of needed service to maintain peak performance.

Our technicians travel the globe and all are factory trained. Our team has been together many years and we continually train new team members to provide the exceptional service that is expected from ITS.

ITS worry-free maintenance plans are also available. Our techs will inspect your industrial oven, furnace, and washer annually and replace any needed parts. With the plan, we will contact you to set up the audit so no worries of forgetting. ITS also provides 24-hour service for all customers from our Emergency Response Team.

Our parts department will create complete parts kits for our customers. Order the kit with your Audit/Preventative Maintenance trip and we will have the parts onsite for the technician to replace at that time.

Ready to schedule your equipment audit? Contact the Customer Support Services team today. Reach them at 414-902-5300 or css@itsllcusa.com.