The Shaking Truth: Understanding the Impact of Vibration on Industrial Equipment 

Your lines are running smoothly, and you’ve been pumping out products for a record time, but you’ve noticed a machine has started to shake. What begins as an occasional vibration becomes consistent, and you wonder if there’s a matter of concern or if it’s the norm for aging equipment. 

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but vibration, even at seemingly low levels, can wreak havoc on industrial equipment. The shakes can often cause premature wear and tear of imperative components, such as bearings and seals, and over time, the stress a machine undergoes from such movements can cause failure. Failures increase downtime and impact profitability, not just from the lack of operations but also from the maintenance costs needed for replacements and repairs.  

If you’re lucky enough that vibration hasn’t killed off your machine just yet, it can often still decrease the efficiency of production and increase energy consumption. Product quality can deteriorate if your operations rely on precision processes, and loose connections and structural damage caused by vibration can create safety hazards for personnel.  

Identifying the source of vibration is the first step: Oftentimes, components can become unbalanced due to manufacturing imperfections, wear, or the accumulation of debris. Misalignment between coupled components can induce significant vibrations, and loose bolts exacerbate existing problems.

If you feel you’ve adequately identified the source of the vibration, you can do a few things to rectify the situation. Balancing rotating components and aligning coupled components can minimize stress. Ensuring all crucial parts are tightened prevents loose components from contributing to shaking, and routine maintenance, including lubrication and inspection, can help avoid vibration-related problems. 

Instead of relying on reactive maintenance, vibration analysis allows for predictive maintenance, which can give you a high chance of extending your equipment’s lifespan by 20-40%, and depending on your company’s size or scale, predictive maintenance can save an estimated $22,000 per minute during downtime. It also can reduce the risk of safety hazards related to vibration.  

Businesses can protect their assets and maximize productivity by understanding the causes and effects of vibration. But if you feel unequipped to handle a broken piece of equipment or need reassurance of the issues at hand, call us, the experts, today!