| | | | | Electrical Contractor for Manufacturing Plant | | Rowe Electric's manufacturing customer was having a lot of success with the thermography an outside company performed for them. So Rowe decided to purchase their own Fluke thermal imager to test the electrical equipment they install. Jeff Sack reports that with the thermal imager "we have found loose connections for conditioning blowers that are vital for the proper manufacturing of products. Once spotted, they were easily corrected during a planned outage. It is impossible for me to guess the time and money we've saved, as the plant runs 24 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week, but what we were able to fix in 2-3 hours in a controlled manner would easily have been doubled if it had failed during the middle of the night." Read the full testimony »
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| | | | | | Electrical Contractor | | "I have saved the company I work for at least $100,000 in equipment failure that never happened because we were able to be proactive and solve the problems before they shut the plant or production down. Without the Fluke Ti32 this would have not been possible. The cost for the unit was well worth it." — Mark Whyte of Valley Electrical Contractors Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Reliability-Centered Maintenance Contractor | | Before Kenny Sullivan of Advantage Reliability Services bought a Fluke thermal imager, he owned another brand. He says the Fluke model saves him about 4 hours per maintenance survey: he used to need a "digital camera, separate imager, and a notebook" to do his surveys, but now he needs only the Fluke thermal imager. He reports that "the increased resolution over my old imager is much crisper and has improved the image quality and temperature accuracy in my reports. My customers are very happy!" Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Maintenance Contractor | | "The Fluke Ti40 thermal imager actually helped me to start my own company in October 2010, and business has increased by 55% due to the services I can provide by using it. On several occasions the imager has helped me discover significant anomalies within electrical distribution systems as well as motors and pumps. These discoveries prevented catastrophic failures from occurring, saving my clients more than $650,000 and significant unscheduled equipment downtime." — Rick Steinback of TherMotion Engineering Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | CNC Machine Contractor | | When Blaine Handzus of CNC Machine Solutions, LLC, bought a Fluke thermal imager and began to offer IR predictive maintenance services, he saw his business grow by 25%. He saved one of his customers $11,000 in repairs on a machine that was about to go out of warranty but still seemed to be working properly. With the thermal images Handzus took, the customer was able to prove the bearings were about to fail, and the manufacturer covered the repair. Read the full testimony »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Renewable Energy Company | | Ted Kitchen, a high voltage specialist for the largest renewable energy company in the world, reports that since his company began to use a Fluke thermal imager to scan systems such as high voltage connections, motor control centers, load distribution panels, and station service transformers in certain areas of the facility, trouble callouts in these areas have decreased by 20%. Read the full testimony »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Electrical Systems at a BP Natural Gas Plant | | Alltech Instrumentation & Electrical Service contracts for a BP natural gas plant, performing onsite electrical installation and service work. After Alltech purchased a Fluke thermal imager, they were able to provide an efficient all-in-one service to the plant that has resulted in enormous savings. For example, the imager saved a $100,000 project at risk due to faulty pump seals, when the vendor engineers could not solve the problem. Thermal imaging revealed that the seal failure stemmed from overheating caused by insufficient flow and cooling—not from a faulty unit. If the pump seal had simply been replaced and the real problem left uncorrected, the failure would have led to a spill. Read the full case study »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Propane Pipeline Company | | The company M.G. works for runs a pipeline that "is responsible for moving propane across the southern U.S." If the pipeline goes down, not only does it cost the company money, but it makes propane unavailable for people who use it to heat their homes and barbeque their food. On one occasion, M.G. used a Fluke thermal imager to save his company approximately 300 man hours and $500,000 to $550,000 in equipment after a lightning strike. With the thermal imager, he was able to pinpoint the "buss tie hot spots and worn fuse clips," that needed repair, making it possible to "schedule a controlled shutdown." Read the full testimony »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Grocery Wholesaler | | Electrician Dale Garrett had been experiencing switch failures that were costing his company, Unified Grocers, too much money and production time. He suggested they purchase a Fluke thermal imager. He reports, "Since we received our Ti32 imager, we have been able to avoid serious equipment failures, both electrical and mechanical, by identifying problem areas before failures occur. We have benefitted from repair cost savings that greatly exceed the cost of the Fluke Ti32. The Ti32 has, in a very short time, become one of the most vital pieces of test equipment that we have in our department. I recommend to anyone, if you don't have a Fluke thermal imaging camera, you need to obtain one. They are very user friendly and can and will aid you in avoiding costly and dangerous equipment failures before catastrophe strikes." Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Snack Food Manufacturer | | James Johnston, a Maintenance and Controls Technician, uses a Fluke thermal imager to help keep his company's 200 motors running. He is also concerned about the crane system, which, he says, "is critical in that a failure there will shut the entire plant down, costing 10's of thousands [of] dollars an hour." With the thermal imager, he scans the crane system and "easily [identifies] loose connections or high torque reducers wearing out." Read the full testimony »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Brewing Company | | "The Fluke Ti32 thermal imager has saved us tremendous amounts of downtime and more than $100,000 by finding problems with bearings, heat exchangers and too many other things to mention. The Ti32 has increased productivity and reduced downtime since we have purchased it. Thanks Fluke." — Jeffery Massey, Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) analyst Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Paper Mill | | Bill Gray, a maintenance reliability specialist, works at a paper mill that had previously hired an outside contractor to perform a yearly inspection of the switchgear, but after plant technicians performed a fix, it would have been cost prohibitive to call the consultants back to verify that each repair was successful. After his company bought a Fluke thermal imager, Gray discovered that about 30 percent of the repairs done in response to the findings of outside thermographers were either unsuccessful or had made things worse. Read the full case study »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | High Pressure Compressor Manufacturer | | "I am very pleased with the Ti32, which makes our inspections go so much faster while providing the same accuracy as our traditional method, using thermocouples. For example, we decided to test one of our compressor systems in [the same] high ambient temperature conditions that it would encounter in the field. With the Ti32, we were able to complete comprehensive surface temperature tests on the compressor in one-tenth of the time it would previously have taken using traditional methods." — Lyle Bagley, Bauer Compressors Inc. Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | IT Datacenter | | "Fluke's equipment saved us from a potential disaster of losing power to a Power Distribution Unit (PDU). We could see with the Ti32 imager that the main 225 amp sub feed breaker was getting internal heat damage, and [we were] able to plan for an outage of our Data Center Servers that are fed from that PDU. Without this tool we would have had a total power failure, which would have resulted in thousands of dollars in fines from our customers. It only takes one outage to realize the saving this tool has given us." — Ron Grice, datacenter facility maintenance Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Hospital | | "I use the Fluke Ti125 thermal imager to check every electrical switchgear, panelboard, transfer switch and disconnect in our facility, as well as motors and variable frequency drives. I also use it to find leaks and faulty steam traps. I work in a hospital, and outages could cost lives. The Fluke thermal imager has saved many outages. One time we found a 100 amp disconnect with a 316 degree F rise and were able to immediately shut it down and replace it, saving a certain outage in our pharmacy. We have been able to cut our faults down from about 30 the first year to 4 this year. We used to contract our thermal imaging out, but now the hospital owns its own. Even with the cost of the imager and training two people, the imager has saved us thousands of dollars." — John Keefer, licensed electrician and thermographer for one of the nation's top healthcare service providers Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Liability and Property Insurance Company | | David McLaughlin of Grenville Mutual Insurance Company in Spencerville, Ontario uses a Fluke thermal imager to inspect the electric circuits of the agricultural properties his company insures. He says, "All you need to do is find one problem that could cause a fire and you have saved a potential $1 million payout—not to mention the risk to the property owner and their livestock." Read the full case study »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Machine and Air Compressor Sales and Service | | Darryl Vickery and his coworkers at Cascade Machinery and Electric had just purchased a Fluke thermal imager and were learning how to use it. They decided to try it out on an electrical panel and found a loose connection that was overheating. On that one repair, the company saved productivity that could have added up to thousands of dollars. They have since used their thermal imager to troubleshoot motors, bearings, and air compressors. Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Refrigeration Installation Company | | "As a refrigeration installation company we always had to pay someone else to come in and do the Thermography report that the government requires. After purchasing our Ti10 and attending Snell Groups' Thermography training, now I can travel to all of our jobsites and do it myself, saving my company thousands of dollars on each contract!" — Jeff Garrett of Nelson Refrigeration Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Road Maintenance | | The Canadian provincial governments spend billions of dollars each year to repair roads damaged from freezing temperatures, salt, and high traffic volumes. One challenge in road repair is to apply the asphalt at the right temperature, as Claude Boudrault of ITM Instruments (a contractor for the Quebec Ministry of Transport) explains, "Technically asphalt is supposed to last a certain number of years. However, if there are segregation problems from asphalt temperatures that are too hot or cold, then those years could be cut in half—and repairs are required much earlier in the cycle." Since the road pavers began using Fluke thermal imagers to monitor the asphalt temperatures, they are able to fix temperature discrepancies on the spot, which should result in longer life for the asphalt and "tremendous cost savings for the government over the long term," as engineer Martin Lovoie reports. Read the full case study »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Ferry | | Mark Nitchman, a staff chief engineer with Washington State Ferries, used a Fluke thermal imager to investigate a problem with the voltage regulators for the big generators that provide the electricity that runs the ship. "The voltage regulator for that system kept failing," he says, "but it was an intermittent problem with no forewarning, and it's been very hard to troubleshoot." They'd tried sending the $1,500/each "failed" regulators back, but the manufacturer couldn't find any problems. Faced with the ongoing unreliability, the engineers were forced to run a third engine during every landing, at significant operating expense. With the help of the thermal imager, Nitchman determined that the problem was simply that the ambient temperature was too high for the voltage regulator. Read the full case study »
Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Electrical Contractor for Manufacturing Plant [full testimony] | | "Our customer was using an outside firm to conduct thermal studies for them. The results were so beneficial for them we decided to buy a Fluke Ti10 Thermal Imager so we could conduct our own troubleshooting tests in several of their manufacturing plants. Having the Ti10 gives us the opportunity to go back over equipment that we have just installed and check to see if all of our connections and calculations are accurate without having to wait for an outage. We have found loose connections for conditioning blowers that are vital for the proper manufacturing of products. Once spotted, they were easily corrected during a planned outage. It is impossible for me to guess the time and money we've saved, as the plant runs 24 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week, but what we were able to fix in 2-3 hours in a controlled manner would easily have been doubled if it had failed during the middle of the night. The Ti10 has also helped us spot numerous starters and breakers that we have been able to take care of in a planned manner." — Jeff Sack of Rowe Electric Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI »
| | | | | | CNC Machine Contractor [full testimony] | | "The Fluke TiS thermal imager has become an integral part of our business, helping it grow by 25% by offering IR predictive maintenance services. We are also able to offer higher quality circuit board repair by being able to find thermal-related failures, as well as trouble spots that could later turn into a warranty issue for us, saving us from rework and loss of customer confidence. For example, we had a customer with a high speed machine that was close to the end of its warranty. While there was no indication of imminent failure from noise or performance, the concern was the machine would fail shortly after the warranty expired, which would cost our customer $11,000 for a spindle job. With the Fluke TiS, I was able to conduct an IR inspection of the machine and print the thermal image showing bearings that were on the verge of failure. The customer was able to pursue a warranty repair without questions due to the thermal inspection. We also use the Fluke TiS for circuit board repairs. Prior to using the thermal imager, we would conduct conventional troubleshooting, which would take dozens of hours. Now with the TiS we can compare the thermal image of a good board to the board in question and be led right to the problem in a matter of minutes. For example, we decided to change a particular group of capacitors for higher temperature rated capacitors because we could see from the TiS that they were operating at a higher temperature than the originals were rated at. If they failed, they would have taken out much more costly — and soon to be obsolete and unobtainable — devices. On changing the capacitors, we could see that almost all were leaking acid due to the heat. This wasn't visible with them still in place. With the Fluke TiS, we have greater success with repairs in the short term and we expect to save a great deal in the long run as our end product will last longer." — Blaine Handzus of CNC Machine Solutions, LLC Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI »
| | | | | | Solar Energy Contractor [full testimony] | | "Fluke's Ti100 camera helps me immensely, and increased my business by 20%! I make more money, and help my customers identify future problem areas that include bad connections on main feeders, solar panels with 210+ degree hotspots on a utility grade solar farm and transformer issues. Without the camera I could have experienced fire, tripped breakers and [spent] hours of research and troubleshooting. The Ti100 is a job saver, and perhaps an integrity saver as well." — Joshua Smith of JT Smith Electric Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI »
| | | | | | Renewable Energy Company [full testimony] | | "We use the Fluke Ti25 to perform predictive maintenance, and we have located multiple trouble spots, which has allowed us to take the problem circuits and make repairs before losing the circuit unplanned. We have seen a 20% decrease in trouble callouts in the substation department in the areas that we are using the imager. We use the imager to inspect all of the high voltage connections in our substations, motor control centers for contactor and fuse connections, [and] our load distribution panels and station service transformers. We also use it to monitor gearbox bearings and generator bearings. We come up with something new all the time to inspect with it.
Prior to using the imager we would look for visual signs of heat, (discolored metal, signs of arcing and loose fittings) which was hit and miss, and most of the time we found the problem at the time of failure. The Ti25 is a great tool!" — Ted Kitchen, regional high voltage specialist for the largest renewable energy company in the world Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI »
| | | | | | Propane Pipeline Company [full testimony] | | "On the pipeline, our equipment runs around the clock in remote locations across the southern U.S. Being able to identify hot spots is crucial to the proper scheduling of down time for repair. On the pipeline, we have several remote pumping stations. This past fall, a lightning strike took out one of the ceramic insulators on our 2300v feed. While scheduling shut down time, I used the Fluke TI32 thermal imager to look for other damage caused by the strike and found numerous buss tie hot spots and worn fuse clips. The clarity of the images helped us pinpoint and schedule a total rebuild of our 2300v switch rack. Time is very valuable to the pipeline; we must stay running. The time we saved using the Fluke Ti32 was roughly 300 man hours because we were able to schedule a controlled shutdown. The cost savings for the equipment was $500,000 - $550,000, but it is hard to estimate total savings properly — our pipeline is responsible for moving propane across the southern U.S., and if we don't run properly and efficiently the terminals don't receive propane to fill trucks and bottles. More importantly, consumers don't have propane to use in their homes for heating and cooking or with their BBQ grills (and in the South this is a very important facet of life). So the functionality of our equipment is not only important from a business aspect, but for our consumers' way of life and comfort. In the spring of 2011, three of us were sent to training and certified as level 1 thermographers. We have since implemented a six month predictive maintenance/inspection program, which has been a big improvement in our predictive maintenance program." — M.G., senior electronics/control systems technician for a southeastern pipeline company Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI »
| | | | | | Chemical and Food Ingredients Manufacturer [full testimony] | | "Checking our electric elements for bad connections so we can fix or replace before we experience a failure that will stop production is the primary reason we purchased a Fluke Ti27. We also use it for preventative maintenance, checking breakers, fuse disconnects and other power distribution equipment, and we plan to implement a program for checking bearings soon. Before we had the Ti27 we didn't know we had a problem until the equipment either tripped a safety device or just wasn't performing as well as needed. We anticipate the imager will save us around $50k per hour of down time prevented not including hardware replacement. So far we really like it, so I am sure we will [find] other uses for it." — James Wiley of Organic Technologies Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | | | | | | Snack Food Manufacturer [full testimony] | | "With over 200 motors running a mile of conveyor belt continuously, thermal imaging made the most sense for predictive maintenance. We can now tell when a motor or gearbox is wearing out and without the data logging of ultrasonic testing. We also use the Fluke Ti125 to test our crane system, easily identifying loose connections or high torque reducers wearing out. Our crane system is critical in that a failure there will shut the entire plant down, costing 10's of thousands [of] dollars an hour. We believe thermal imaging is the easiest, fastest way to create an effective predictive maintenance program." — James Johnston, maintenance/controls technician for a large manufacturer of snack foods Complete the ROI calculator and determine your company's potential ROI » | |