Machine Installation Issues – What Goes Wrong & How to Fix It
Most of us were told that first impressions are important. The same could be said of heavy machinery installation. A machine’s life starts when it’s installed in your facility. Properly installed machines can run longer, require less maintenance, and perform better. But even minor errors during the installation process can compromise your machine’s utility and lifespan, affecting your bottom line before it’s been fired up for the first time.
Machines, new or old, require careful attention and diligent maintenance. Cornerstone Mechanical, Inc. knows how to keep your machine running so that you can keep your business running. To prevent unexpected work stoppages, expensive repair bills, or health and safety mishaps, Cornerstone Mechanical specializes in preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance.
But if your machine wasn’t installed properly the first time around, the first impression you get from it could cost you. Here are the top errors to watch out for when installing machinery.
Misalignment
Heavy machinery is, well, heavy. It’s not unusual for larger components to require on-site assembly. But while the crew delivering and installing your machine may know that machine backwards and forwards, they may not always have the expertise required to align that machine with laser precision.
Over time, misalignments can cause wobble, prematurely straining individual components or machine functionality as a whole. Parts that were intended to last 5 years may only last 2. Worse still, abrasion as a result of misalignment can even ruin a machine just when it was getting started.
At Cornerstone Mechanical, we pride ourselves on our laser alignment service. Laser alignment is the fastest and most accurate method of coupling alignment. Our technicians have performed laser alignments on a wide range of machinery from fractional motor-pump sets, to 8,000 HP motor-driven centrifugal compressors. When precision alignment is absolutely necessary, Cornerstone can help.
Imbalances
Imagine a perfectly level surface. Now, imagine your workshop floor. Try though we might, achieving absolute balance feels next to impossible. But while an imbalanced table or seesawing shelf may only be minor annoyances, improperly balanced machinery can cause injury, premature wear, work stoppages, or worse.
At Cornerstone Mechanical, we maintain the highest standards for our dynamic balancing services to restore the confidence you need in your machinery. We leave no stone unturned throughout the dynamic balancing process, searching for even the smallest imbalance that might result in vibrations and further compromise your machinery.
While a perfectly level surface may generally yield a perfectly balanced machine, our world (and our shop floors) remain sadly imperfect.
Tightening
We ask our machinery to do amazing things day in and day out, year after year. The heavier the machine, the more likely it is to up and relocate all on its own. Securing your machine for minimal movement is absolutely vital to optimal operation, but installation crews may not always tighten a machine adequately to the shop floor or, worse still, tighten certain components.
Imbalances, misalignments, and proper tightening across the board keep your machine operating as best it can. But individual components are quick to suffer errors during installation. To make sure your machine runs for the foreseeable future, Cornerstone Mechanical offers preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance.
By measuring alignment, balance, and nearly every other aspect of your machinery, Cornerstone can predict failures before they happen. We can also prevent failures by properly tuning your equipment or, finally, correct machine failures after they occur.
First Impressions
Machine installation is, in many ways, your first impression of a new, massive coworker. But human error more often than not contributes to machine error and seldom the other way around. Cornerstone Mechanical can clear your heavy machinery of both human and machine error, now and over the months and years to come.
To keep your machinery, your business, and your profitability running smoothly, call Cornerstone today to schedule maintenance, dynamic balancing, or laser alignment for your new, 20-ton coworker.
Cornerstone gets it right the first time around!
At Cornerstone, we strive to make a great first impression too. That’s why we deploy our expert technicians wherever and whenever they’re needed. To keep up to date on your machine’s operation, Cornerstone provides regularly scheduled maintenance appointments. By making time for your machine, you ensure that it won’t make time for itself later. To learn more, contact us today or call (214) 570-9498!