IVC analysts sharpen their alignment skills at our on-site training lab.
Maintaining rotating equipment can at times feel overwhelming and the issues complex. Yet too often, certain key elements don’t receive the necessary attention required to adequately pre-empt serious future problems: alignment, balancing, and conditions.
These “ABCs” of machine maintenance are simple yet essential tools to use that will help get the maximum life expectancy from your rotating equipment when employed regularly.
Alignment
Proper shaft alignment increases the operating lifespan of rotating machinery. Since the machinery components that are most likely to fail are the bearings, seals, coupling, and shafts, accurately aligned machinery will achieve the following results:
- Reduce excessive axial and radial forces on the bearings to ensure longer bearing life and rotor stability under dynamic operating conditions
- Lower vibration levels in machine casings, bearing housings, and rotors
- Minimize the amount of shaft bending from the point of power transmission in the coupling to the coupling end bearing
- Minimize the amount of wear in the coupling components
- Reduce mechanical seal failure
- Maintain proper internal rotor clearances
- Minimize the possibility of shaft failure from cyclic fatigue
Balancing
Vibration created by excessive imbalance of rotating equipment adversely affects the quality, productivity, wear, operator fatigue, and power consumption. It doesn’t discriminate. Imbalance affects all rotating components including fans, couplings, spindles, and more.
Condition
The condition of a machine of the following can be affected by the state of the following:
- Lubrication
- Too much?
- Too little?
- Is the correct type being used?
- What is the condition of it?
- Electrical Connections
- Motor control center (MCC)
- Disconnect switches
- Motor stator/rotor
- Environment
- Is the machine inside or outside?
- Is the surrounding environment hot or cold?
- Is the surrounding environment dusty? Dirty
Start with your ABCs
You can learn a lot about the condition of your machinery by starting with these basic maintenance actions. If done on regular basis, your facility can take steps to easily correct some of the most basic failure causes to their equipment. Contact us!