Equipment and machinery can be a hefty investment for business owners, from the initial purchase to continuous maintenance. However, costs can quickly add up if equipment breaks down and production comes to a halt. Equipment failures happen, but there are measures that can be implemented into daily procedures to prevent equipment failures from occurring.
Vibration or shock monitoring is simple solution that not only saves money, but also improves product quality and safety in the workplace. Since all equipment creates vibrations, monitoring the vibrations generated can help detect issues before they become a bigger problem.
Here are the top three equipment faults that can be identified through vibration monitoring:
- Imbalance
One spot that wears faster than another will cause an imbalance in machine components. Eventually, the imbalance will cause significant damage to the machine. Speed also plays a factor, the faster the machine operates, the greater the imbalance will become. The increased speed and pressure will reduce bearing life causing further maintenance down the line. - Misalignment
Misalignment is the shift in machine shafts that are required to run parallel. Whether caused during assembly or develop over time, vibrations due to misalignment will only add to the damage. Although time-consuming, ensuring proper alignment is critical to maintaining machine efficiency and reliability. - Rate of Wear
The wear and tear of a machine and its components is inevitable. When bearings or belts become worn the slight imbalance may create vibrations, mainly when that part is in use. An imbalance could also be to blame for an increase in the rate of wear for components, or even the machine.
The effects of exceeded vibration levels can send a ripple throughout the entire production process. Vibration can accelerate the wear of a machine, consume extra power, and take a machine out of service. The results are costly between repairs, a jump in utilities, and lost production time.
By monitoring and maintaining machine vibration, businesses can log and analyze vibration levels then use that data to implement preventative maintenance procedures. MadgeTech offers data loggers designed to measure and record vibration and shock levels in dynamic environments. This critical data will help detect and anticipate problems before they happen, saving time and money.
To learn more about how MadgeTech data loggers can benefit your production process, call us at (603) 456-2011 or email info@madgetech.com.