With Training funds being difficult to obtain these days it is critical that we do everything possible to have a satisfactory and productive training experience. This includes evaluating whether it would be more cost-effective to attend a training class off-site (such as at a vendor’s facility) or have the course conducted at your facility. There …
How to have a Successful Condition Monitoring Training Experience Read More »
Smith Pump Company recently was called to a pump station to solve a problem with high vibration on three 350HP vertical turbine pumps. The pump station was fairly new and had only been in operation for a year or two. Two of the three pumps were operated on a variable frequency drive (VFD). The first …
Case Study: Eliminating High Vibration Due to Natural Frequency Read More »
In order to heat a bearing for proper bearing installation, you can use multiple methods. In this case I will compare using a hot plate to using an Induction Heater. Hot plates come in different shapes and sizes but in essence it is a plate that will heat up, and onto which a bearing will …
Comparing Hot Plate to Induction Heating for Proper Bearing Installation Read More »
We know that unforeseen failures can leave machines unavailable for use. Defects attributed to premature component wear and failure due to over/under lubrication, poor installation practices such as improper bearing heating can also cause inventory depletion and other forms of waste…How else can we think about the costly effects of downtime? This useful acronym spells …
Adjustable chocks have been around for years and are a useful way to accomplish parts of machine mounting and alignment. In some circles, they have either a great or bad reputation. A lot of that reputation may depend on the application and how the chocks were installed. Adjustable Chocks vs. Shims First, let’s discuss why …
Adjustable Chocks for Equipment Mounting: Friend or Foe? Read More »
Machinery Lubrication • September 2022 Photo courtesy of JetTech Mechanical LLC Imagine buying a new car and not taking it for a test drive first. That might not be so bad, given the built-in protections covering the auto buyer these days. But what about buying industrial equipment? Purchasing a new machine and finding unexpected problems …
To Do or Not to Do…That is the Question – Vibration Acceptance Testing Read More »
Once you understand how grease actually works to lubricate a bearing, it becomes obvious why over-greasing causes so much trauma to both bearings and the grease itself. Remember, all we want from our lubricant is to provide a little separation in the war zone. Nothing more… nothing less. If you’re reading the term “war zone” …
Video courtesy of Mobius Institute. Unbalance can be caused by many possibilities such as listed below but not limited to just this list. Possible sources could be many more than those listed. Generally, if the rotor is dirty, clean it, as this alone may correct any unbalance. If it has damage fix it; if it’s …
Do you use accurate alarm values for your vibration analysis program or other Condition Monitoring technologies? Setting accurate alarm values will help you identify equipment, however, the benefits go beyond this. Missing alarms or inaccurate alarms may force your analyst to review every machine each time data is collected, which wastes a lot of time …
Precision Maintenance can be used as a process improvement strategy. A strategy that will pay dividends. This process is easy to implement. In fact, you do most of the work already. The beauty of it all is that there is not a lot of cost involved and if you are smart, you can implement the …
5 Things You Need To Implement A Precision Maintenance Program Read More »