Phase-type distribution models for performance evaluation of condition-based maintenance

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is gaining attention due to sensor and cloud-based analytics advancements, but research on its impact on system-level performance is limited. Insufficient understanding during CBM implementation can lead to confidence issues and failures. This study introduces a class of models using phase-type distribution to assess three maintenance strategises: run-to-failure (RTF), time-based preventive maintenance (TBM), and CBM. Employing machine health-index, the framework characterizes production performance by estimating effective process times. The model demonstrates how adjusting CBM thresholds influences process time variations and assesses the impact of changing maintenance frequency for TBM. Applied to a smart cellular manufacturing system, the model shows CBM’s early-stage implementation. Findings indicate CBM with optimized thresholds boosts maximum throughput by 6.77%. Further, CBM achieves an additional 6.84% increase assuming corrective maintenance time can be reduced by 20%. This approach can help manufacturing become smarter through smarter maintenance in the Industry 4.0 era and beyond.