Glass and ceramic production equipment, melting furnaces, IS forming machines, lehrs, and tile presses.
Glass container plants run IS machines that have to coordinate mechanisms within milliseconds. A mechanism that is slow or out of sync shows up as a defect in the container. On the furnace side, refractory life measures in years, but a wrong move in a reline can cost a campaign. Timing and thermal control are the two things that matter most.
Plunger, invert, takeout, and blow-head timing all have to be within tight windows. When timing drifts, container defects follow (wrinkles, necks, distribution issues, handling drops). The cause is usually mechanism wear or a sticking linkage, not the controls. Start at the mechanism.
A glass furnace runs for years between major rebuilds. The maintenance happens on a schedule that spans campaigns. Refractory wear at throat and sidewall flux lines is monitored with visual inspection and pyrometer readings. When you see hot spots on the shell, it is already late. Plan rebuilds with the operating cycle, not around them.
Improper annealing leaves residual stress in containers that causes breakage downstream.
IS machines depend on clean, dry, high-pressure air for every mechanism. Moisture or oil in the air supply causes mechanisms to stick, which causes defects. The air treatment system is as important as the IS machine itself. Dryers, filters, and receiver sizing matter. A starved IS machine will never run right.
Sorg
Glass Tank Furnace for Glass production
Bucher Emhart Glass
IS (Individual Section) Machine for Glass production
Pennekamp
Annealing Lehr for Glass production
Pilkington (NSG)
Float Glass Tin Bath for Glass production
Sacmi
Tile Press for Glass production
Sacmi
Roller Kiln (Ceramics) for Glass production
Deeper explainers and background reading for technicians working in glass & ceramics.
Preventive maintenance replaces the 'run it until it breaks' approach with scheduled inspections and part replacements. Plants that run a solid PM program see 25-30% fewer emergency work orders within the first year. Here is how to build one that sticks.
80% of hydraulic failures come from just 3 causes: contaminated fluid, overheating, or internal leaks. Stop guessing, use this step-by-step diagnostic sequence to find the root cause in minutes, not hours.
Compressed air is the most expensive utility in most plants, and leaks waste 20-30% of compressor output. An ultrasonic leak survey typically finds $10,000-50,000 in annual savings. This guide covers detection methods, repair prioritization, and how to keep leaks from coming back.
The essential maintenance KPIs with formulas, benchmarks, and improvement strategies. OEE, MTTR, MTBF, PM compliance, schedule compliance, and more.
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