3 expert tips for winter industrial maintenance and repair.
Winters can be a very busy time of year for Canadian manufacturers. Busy production schedules leading up to this season can create operational challenges that can fester and impact your throughput during the rest of the year.
It’s important to conduct winter industrial maintenance and repair activities to stay ahead of these issues. Preventive maintenance helps keep your plant optimised for the next peak cycle, while reducing the potential for small issues to disrupt your operations.
However, the winter months can make it especially challenging to perform preventative industrial maintenance and repairs on facilities and equipment. Even if you do have time to stop and address them, the cold winter temperatures can impact your ability to complete your tasks smoothly.
To make the best use of your time and help keep things running smoothly, here are three products I recommend to help you complete your top winter industrial maintenance and repair needs.
Three essential products for winter industrial maintenance, repair and operations activities.
- Sealing: Sealing seams and performing repairs at cold temperatures can be difficult as commonly used tape adhesive formulations get hardened and lose their tackiness when exposed to cold temperatures. 3M™ Venture Tape Aluminum Foil Tape 1520CW is specifically designed to perform in these conditions.
This high strength soft aluminum foil tape is coated with a cold-weather acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive, allowing it to bond and seal at temperatures as low as -10°F (-23°C). While it is relatively thick - 3.2 mil with a 1.8 mil aluminum backing - it conforms well to curved and irregular surfaces. It can be hand teared, making it ideal for when you need flexibility.
Expert tip: This tape also excels at high heat and humidity applications.
- Corrosion prevention: Production managers are often concerned about protecting tools and equipment from rust and corrosion. 3M™ Silicone Lubricant (Dry Type) is designed to do just that by sealing out moisture.
This high solid, high viscosity lubricant helps prevent glue, wax, ink and paint buildup. It is generally used for lubricating machinery, moving parts and eliminating squeaks caused by friction. As a result, it helps prolong the life of your machines and tools.
- Outdoor protection: In an industrial facility, costly tools, equipment and parts can get left outdoors. As a result, they need extra protection from harsh external elements. The 3M™ Performance Plus Duct Tape 8979 is uniquely constructed to help with outdoor applications.
This tape is removable with little or no adhesive residue from most opaque surfaces up to six months after application. 3M™ Performance Plus Duct Tape 8979 is also resistant to delamination and deterioration when exposed to UV outdoors for up to one year. It is tested in accordance with UL 723 / ASTM E84.
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