The industrial gearbox at your worksite is one of the most critical pieces of equipment you interact with each day and can often be neglected from a maintenance standpoint. Proper maintenance and regular inspections of your gearbox can keep the wear and tear from normal use to a minimum and reduce the number of equipment failures, injuries and work stoppages caused by broken units. Much of the routine maintenance you can conduct on gearboxes includes making sure you are following manufacturer guidelines, keeping the area clean, and watching for signs of abnormal wear.
Parts, Specifications and Ratings
The first step in maintaining your gearbox is to ensure that the work it is doing meets up with the ratings and specifications of the manufacturer, which means using the correct replacement parts and attachments. Using a gearbox for work it is not rated for, can cause damage to the unit and the equipment attached to it. You want to make sure that you have the correct parts and attachments for the unit to ensure that connections are secure. When you hire a gearbox inspections Southeast company to look at your unit, they will check for these things as well as wear patterns to help you spot a problem before the equipment fails.
Housekeeping Concerns
Manufacturing is often a dirty process with dust and debris gathering on equipment. While it can be impossible to limit the amount of dirt in your working environment, it is possible to reduce what your gearbox is exposed to by routinely cleaning it and surrounding areas. Finding oil around the input and output of your gearbox means that you have a failed seal, and dark oil in the sight glass or discolored exterior paint can mean that it is overheating. Both of these signs are easier to spot when your gearbox area is kept as clean as possible.
Problem Signs
One sign of gearbox problems not easily seen is an increase in noise. Internal parts will wear out over time and cause more noise or vibrations from the unit. This will lead to further damage until the equipment stops working or catastrophically fails. Since your gearbox is probably surrounded by other noisy equipment, it can be difficult to notice a change in the noise. You can get a vibration analysis during routine inspections, however, to help spot this problem.
Industrial gearboxes help regulate the speed of manufacturing lines and other processes and regular maintenance of them can help you avoid catastrophic failures or shutdowns. Routine inspections on your gearbox can also help keep you working by spotting irregular wear patterns before you have critically damaged parts.
