A paper machine gearbox is an intricate system. Its performance depends on proper alignment of its gears, motor pump shafts and other equipment – misalignments of these parts may lead to higher maintenance, repair costs and downtime costs.
An iconic Spanish cardboard manufacturer experiences four unplanned shutdowns each year, leading to significant financial losses. To reduce this issue, they have implemented condition monitoring solutions provided by Schaeffler Iberia.
Paper Machine Gearbox Repairs
Proper maintenance of an industrial gearbox is key to prolonging its service life and saving money in repair costs and downtime. By replacing parts that have reached their useful lives and making necessary repairs or replacements as soon as they become worn-out, proper care can extend its usefulness for years longer than otherwise possible.
As part of the reconditioning process, all parts of a gearbox are carefully disassembled and examined for potential sources of failure. This allows repairpersons to identify specific causes of issues before they worsen further and make necessary repairs as soon as possible.
Reconditioned gearboxes cost much less than their new counterparts and still work effectively, saving the company thousands of dollars in maintenance expenses and production loss. Furthermore, keeping a detailed log of maintenance cycles will allow companies to avoid future failures.
Paper Machine Gearbox Services
An unexpected differential drive failure has serious repercussions that often exceed its replacement cost. An effective PMP can mitigate these losses by informing personnel about early warning signs for differential drive issues and conducting annual or biannual drives inspections by trained technicians.
One renowned cardboard manufacturer was experiencing four unplanned press downtimes annually in their wet end, so they turned to Schaeffler Iberia’s ProLink CMS online system for assistance in monitoring their equipment. With this monitoring tool they were able to identify rotor dynamics issues which caused excessive bearing and gear wear – the cause of press downtimes.
Paper Machine Gearbox Rebuild
Rebuilding your paper machine can help eliminate production bottlenecks, decrease operating costs and enhance quality. Furthermore, it can assist with meeting strategic business goals like increasing capacity or producing different grades.
Use of an online condition monitoring system allows for unscheduled shutdowns to be avoided and plant availability to increase, thus mitigating expensive losses. One customer in Northern Spain faced four unscheduled downtimes per year due to unexpected bearing damage in its wet section press press press press press press press press press press press press press press press press press press section press
Modern electrical direct drives in pulp and paper mills eliminate gearboxes found in traditional induction motors, saving space while improving control, energy efficiency, maintenance costs and downtime. A company which converted its line shaft machines to these modern drives saw over $1 Million saved within two years!
Paper Machine Gearbox Refurbishment
Rebuilds can improve gearbox performance to exceed original equipment, removing production bottlenecks, lowering operating costs, improving safety standards and conserving energy consumption. They may also help companies meet strategic business goals like adding new grades or expanding market share.
An effective paper machine rebuild requires following a comprehensive procedure to ensure all its components are working together seamlessly. Repair processes involve disassembling and analyzing each gearbox component, so service providers can determine what caused its failure and prevent it from recurring in future; this approach is particularly helpful if the failure stemmed from wear-prone parts that could lead to future downtime and reduce productivity. Furthermore, an efficient spare parts program will further minimize downtime and increase productivity.
Paper Machine Gearbox Overhaul
At each stage of a gearbox overhaul, all components are disassembled and inspected, failure analysis performed to ascertain what caused its failure, and all repairs completed before reassembly and testing to ensure that your new gearbox will be ready to install.
An effective spare parts program reduces unscheduled downtime and increases plant availability while controlling operating costs by minimizing maintenance and repair expenses.
Overhauling equipment can often be the better option than replacing it, with professional overhaul procedures often saving up to 40-50% over the cost of purchasing a new unit and being less disruptive than its replacement project. Furthermore, oil particle content monitoring can detect potential issues months or even years in advance.