Mechanical Technology November 2015

⎪ Proactive maintenance, lubrication and contamination management ⎪

Reliability innovations from the knowledge engineers SKF, a leading global supplier of bearings; seals; mechatronics; lubrication systems; and services that include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training, has recently released a number of new reliability innovations. These include an intuitive App- powered shaft alignment tool and a wireless machine condition sensor for use in hazardous environments.

A s a highlight of Hannover Fair 2015, knowledge engineering company, SKF, presented the TKSA 51 shaft alignment tool, the first instrument designed for intui- tive shaft alignments using tablets and smartphones. Key to the development is the use of an App to make it quick and easy to set up motors, drives, fans, gearboxes, pulleys and couplings, even by operators who using the instrument for the first time. The new TKSA 51 comprises two compact and lightweight laser measur- ing units, designed to suit almost any application. Using the versatile shaft brackets, the instrument can be mounted on small machines with limited space, whilst extension chains, rods and mag- netic holders are supplied for mounting the tool on larger machines. Connected wirelessly, the App uses real time data to provide a live 3D view of the measuring units. This gives operators the ability to rotate the virtual machine at their convenience in all directions, mak- ing the alignment as intuitive as possible. Measurements are made using a simple touch of a button or through the hands- free automatic measurement function, which only needs the shaft to be rotated to the next measurement position. Jens Kammann, product manager at SKF Maintenance Products, says: “Shaft misalignment is one of the main causes of machine failure. It creates additional forces and vibration that can damage machine components such as bearings, seals and couplings, adding considerably to operating and maintenance costs. “Often, we find shafts not being aligned correctly because the applied method or instrument is time consuming and difficult to use, leading to mistakes and incorrect alignments,” he continues.

“The TKSA 51 eliminates these problems, making it the ideal companion for

every alignment task. As a result, engineers can significantly increase uptime, with the confidence that machines are correctly setup for efficient and cost- effective operation,” he says.

Improved measure- ment flexibility is just one of the core features of the systems, allowing alignments to be successfully completed in confined spac- es. Measurements can start at any angle and only require a total shaft rotation of 40°. Further alignment adjustments are possible with alignment targets that, for example, can be set to compensate for thermal expansion of the machinery. After each alignment check or correc- tion, a comprehensive report is created that can be customised, emailed or uploaded to a cloud service for future ref- erence. To aid the user, notification and helpful guidance menus are displayed if a problem occurs during set up, such as the detector being off centre or the laser beam being too close to the edge of the detector. The TKSA 51 is supplied by SKF as a comprehensive system for all alignment tasks. The associated App can easily be downloaded and offers a fully functional demonstration to allow customers to try the TKSA 51 before committing to the technology. The wireless condition sensor Specifically designed to suit hazardous environments, the superior quality of the

versatile SKF Wireless Machine Condi- tion Sensor provides seamless condition monitoring for large plants in hard-to- reach locations. The wireless sensors communicate with each other via a wireless gateway to create a mesh network. This type of network and communication protocol is ideal for providing dynamic vibration and temperature data for condition monitor- ing and machinery diagnostic applica- tions for rotating machinery throughout large plants, including in hard-to-reach locations or in areas where traditional WiFi communications do not work. Using the WirelessHart communica- tion protocol, the Wireless Machine Condition Sensor offers monitoring capa- bilities that may be impossible with wired systems or hand-held devices. Ultimately, its use leads to reduced condition moni- toring costs as well as to a safer approach to machine monitoring. Communication capabilities include relaying data from one node to another, relaying data back to the gateway, and

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Mechanical Technology — November 2015