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Accessibility, Inspectability, Disassembly and Maintenance on Machine or Product Design
Every product or machine has their own Critical Point(s) where “failure“ is predictable during the machine life cycle. These points need to be constantly checked to prevent unscheduled downtime. During the Design stage it is extremely important that designers configure machine components, subassemblies, and fully assembled machines in order that the critical points established during the functional design process are accessible and inspectable.
Also, every maintenance and service requirements should be carefully examined by the designer in the early stages of the design to assure minimal downtime and maximal functionality during the life cycle.
As the design advances, the responsible over the design should make a list of critical points, categorized and prioritized them as well.
Depending on the type of project it is important for a designer to have knowledge, or the support of the maintenance department, of nondestructive evaluation techniques and equipment that might be used to implement the inspection process.
Life Cycle maintenance and service requirements should also be examined by the designer with the objective of configuring components, subassemblies, and the overall assembly so that the maintenance and service are easy as is practical. That being said, it is important at this stage to identify and correct potential problems such as assembly and disassembly interference, insufficient clearance for wrenches, pullers, or presses. Predict the use of special tools and assure that the expendable or recyclable maintenance parts such as filters, wear plates, belts, and bearings are easily replaceable.
Here are some guidelines in designing for more efficient maintenance:
- Make available for use access ports and inspection plates
- Equip the machine with accessible gripping sites, jacking sites and all types of clearances that could help the assembly and disassembly process.
- Use integral fasteners, such as studs or tabs, in order to replace loose parts that are easily lost.
- Avoid using permanent or semi-permanent fastening methods such as staking, welding, adhesive bonding or irreversible snap-fits
At this stage the design for resource conservation and minimization of adverse environmental impact are important. Design for recycling, reprocessing and remanufacturing should be taken in consideration. It is the designer obligation not only optimize the design regarding functionality, performance and maintenance requirements but also the conservation of resources and preservation of earth’s environment.
References :
Mechanical Design of Machine Elements: A Failure Prevention, Jack A. Collins, Henry R. Busby, Gearge H. Staab, Nov 2009, 2nd Edition, Wiley
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