4100 Case History on Mobile Pallet Source/Author: Product: Technology: Classification:

Kevin Steele RF Smart Sensor Vibration Basic

Packaging Line Aluminum Company Earlier this year, a major producer of aluminum products opted to install the CSI Model 4100 RF MicroAnaly er to address data collection in ha ardous areas! All the e"uipment in their product finishin# area had $een deemed unsafe to $e in close pro%imity of durin# operation! &o address this issue, the company's safety department had instructed that $arriers $e erected around all of the e"uipment (ith interloc)ed safety #ates! All personnel enterin# the area are re"uired to scan a )eycard that immediately shuts the e"uipment do(n to minimi e ha ards to employees! *o(e+er, this is not an ideal situation for the non,destructi+e test -./&0 personnel (ho must ha+e the e"uipment runnin# in order to complete their analysis! &o address this situation, ./& personnel considered t(o alternati+es1 10 install permanently mounted accelerometers and junction $o%es or 20 install the 4100 RF MicroAnaly er! ./& decided to install the 4100 RF MicroAnaly er $ecause of the "uic), easy, and lo(,cost installation process! &o date, ./& has installed appro%imately 30 RF MicroAnaly ers on 4 different machines in the finishin# area! &he in+estment in e"uipment has paid off for the Aluminum company as the RF MicroAnaly er recently detected a de+elopin# pro$lem on the pac)a#in# line (rapper #ear assem$ly! Fi#ure 1 sho(s the (rapper (hich is the final step in pac)a#in# aluminum coils for shipment to can manufacturin# customers!

Figure 1. Packaging Line Wrapper &he (rapper spins rapidly around a slo(ly rotatin# coil of aluminum, encasin# the aluminum (ith plastic (rap for shipment! ./& mounted se+eral 4100 RF MicroAnaly ers on the (rapper, includin# one on the dri+e motor located on top of the unit! &his area is not accessi$le durin# operation! &his machine is fairly ne(, ori#inally enterin# ser+ice appro%imately 1 year a#o, and has not had any si#nificant maintenance issues durin# that time period! Fi#ure 2 sho(s the (rapper durin# operation!

Figure 2. Wrapper in Operation &he unit is monitored appro%imately e+ery 2 (ee)s usin# the RF MicroAnaly er technolo#y! 5sin# this system, the ./& analyst is a$le to collect data outside the safety $arriers from a central location! In fact, data on se+eral machines in the finishin# area is collected from a central location simultaneously!

Fi#ure 3 sho(s the most recent +i$ration trend data from the 4100 unit mounted on the (rapper dri+e motor! 6ased upon the sudden rise in the trend data, a detailed analysis of the spectral data (as conducted and determined to sho( si#nificant #ear mesh fre"uencies compared (ith earlier readin#s -Fi#ure 40! .ormal procedure called for a +isual inspection of the pinion and $ull#ear (hich unco+ered a lac) of lu$rication! Se+eral factors had contri$uted to this situation $ut the primary reason (as an o+ersi#ht in the routine maintenance procedures! 7ithout the 4100 technolo#y this machine (ould ha+e $een run to failure at a si#nificant cost in terms of lost production, materials, and manpo(er!

Figure 3. Trend of Wrapper Dri e !otor "i#ration

Figure $. Compari%on of &pectral Data from Wrapper Dri e !otor