By installing Endpoint MP2s, the GreaseBoss system immediately identified a critical issue with the lube system pump, preventing a catastrophic failure of over $10,000,000. This installation has successfully ensured proper lubrication and provided visibility to maintenance teams over the automatic lubricator system.
$10,000,000
In catastrophic failures prevented
4 days
From Greaseboss installation to pump issue alerted
4/4
Grease pumps were found to be faulty
400 psi
Grease delivered to h-link pins over 4 minutes
The Challenge
The customer, operating a fleet of Komatsu PC 7000 excavators, faced repeated premature failures of hoist cylinders and bucket pins. The maintenance team suspected these failures may be due to insufficient greasing but had no way to determine how much grease was being applied to each point.
The maintenance team was uncertain about the amount of grease being delivered to the bucket pins, leading them to double their injectors within the H Link. Despite these efforts, concerns remained about the quantity and reliability of grease delivery.
CUSTOMER HAD ZERO VISIBILITY OVER GREASE VOLUMES DELIVERED TO EACH POINT.
The Solution
critical point monitoring
To provide the customer with visibility and certainty, Endpoint MP2s were installed within the snake pit and the H Link to monitor the hoist cylinders and bucket pins.
The HME Gateway was installed in the electrical cabinet and uses a 4G SIM to provide connectivity to the GreaseBoss Cloud.
This installation, using high-strength magnets and silicon has provided a quick and easy setup and has proven very successful in providing accurate monitoring and rapid ROI and proof of concept to the customer
1
endpoint mp2 in the snake pit
Two units monitoring the four hoist cylinder points.
2
Endpoint MP2s in the H-Link
Grease volume flow and system pressure at the bucket pins, left and right hand side.
Key findings
Detected all four injectors to be undergreased
Four days after installation, the data immediately highlighted a critical issue with the lube system pump feeding the hoist cylinders. The two Endpoint MP2’s monitoring the four hoist cylinder points revealed that all four points exhibited the same pattern: intermittent pump activity followed by long periods with no grease flow.
This indicated a pump issue, which was confirmed when the customer discovered a faulty cable harness providing electrical signals to the pump.
All four points on the pump system showed identical sporadic grease flow, indicating a pump failure. Flow returned to a consistent pattern across all four points once the pump was repaired.
All four points on the pump system showed identical sporadic grease flow, indicating a pump failure. Flow returned to a consistent pattern across all four points once the pump was repaired.
All four points on the pump system showed identical sporadic grease flow, indicating a pump failure. Flow returned to a consistent pattern across all four points once the pump was repaired.
All four points on the pump system showed identical sporadic grease flow, indicating a pump failure. Flow returned to a consistent pattern across all four points once the pump was repaired.
Raw data analysis enables full visibility. Every bar shows the volume of grease delivered over a 60 second period. The data shows that the current injector setup delivers grease to pins over a 4 minute period at approximately 400 psi.
The Result
The data from the GreaseBoss system provided and instant ROI for the customer, highlighting the presence of a major pump system failure (a failing cable harness providing electrical signals to the grease pump) that was not otherwise detected in the OEM grease pump monitoring system.
If this failure had not been detected, the result would have been a catastrophic failure and/or accelerated wear of multiple, high value components all fed from the same grease pump (ie. boom foot, hoist cylinder, slew ring and swing box).
The maintenance team on site now have the certainty and visibility over the grease volume application at critical grease points on the bucket pins and H-link. This provides ongoing monitoring and alerting to ensure these points are correctly greased and provides key data for the maintenance team as they conduct Root Cause Analysis (RCA’s) to investigate any future equipment failures.
outcome 1
Reveal root cause of greasing issue
Immediately detected a critical pump issue, preventing catastrophic equipment failure
outcome 2
near real-time visibility
Provided visibility and certainty to maintenance teams over grease volume application
outcome 3
$10,000,000
Prevented catastrophic equipment failure