The best of the best: The top 15 stories of 2017

Plant Engineering’s top stories for 2017 covered everything from maintenance to magnets and electric power to arc welding. Here’s a look at the stories most often referenced by readers around the world in the past 12 months:

1. Bring the heat to avoid six common welding errors

Avoiding six common welding mistakes such as improper gas pressure, poor material fit-up, and overlooking preventive maintenance can reduce costs, improve productivity.

2. Five tips for better electric motor maintenance

It is essential to perform preventive maintenance (PM) checks on electric motors as a part of managing facility assets because they have a massive impact on a business’ productivity and profit. Consider the five tips highlighted below.

3. The path to prescriptive maintenance

Three steps to drive reliability while preparing for IIoT.

4. Build a maintenance schedule in six steps

Manufacturers should build a weekly maintenance schedule that addresses potential conflicts and address overdue preventive maintenance (PM) tasks.

5. Understanding permanent magnet motors

A permanent magnet (PM) motor is an ac motor that uses magnets imbedded into or attached to the surface of the motor’s rotor. This article provides an elementary understanding behind the terminology, concepts, theory, and physics behind PM motors.

6. Predictive, preventive, and breakdown maintenance tips

Predictive, preventive, and breakdown maintenance are common maintenance programs that provide their own unique benefits and plant managers should know when to employ them.

7. Predictive vs. preventive: The debate—and the future

Though they have similarities, preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance (PdM) significantly differ in their execution.

8. Prepare your maintenance program for the IIoT

Companies looking to implement the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) into their maintenance program need to understand its benefits and how they can take advantage of its potential by implementing reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and condition-based maintenance (CBM).

9. Manage materials with vending programs

Vending programs can manage materials and provide workers with better access.

10. Improving power factor to reduce energy demand charges, increase capacity

Low power is not only inefficient, but can also be expensive over the life of an electrical system. Improved power factor will increase the distribution system’s efficiency and reduce energy costs associated with low power factor penalties.

11. Manufacturing’s melting pot focuses on people

Manufacturing is a land of opportunity and its greatest asset is an engaged workforce. The best companies have a culture of respect for people.

12. The two most common methods of motor testing

Regular testing of the electrical motors provides many benefits, including financial savings, energy conservation, improved safety and increased uptime.

13. Causes of arc flash and arc flash blast incidents

Arc flash incidents are common causes of injury in a facility and knowing how and why they occur is a good strategy to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

14. Eight steps to creating a continuous improvement team

Each member of a continuous improvement team should represent a function or process within the company so everyone is included.

15. Top seven 2017 NEC changes you need to know

The 2017 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC) includes many changes covering traditional and alternative sources of electrical power.

This list was compiled by Sierra Grayson, Production Coordinator, CFE Media.

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