Speed reducers should just work, right? Set it and forget it is not the way to think about proper speed reducer preventive maintenance. There are proactive steps you should take to ensure your production line stays operating at full capacity.
The top 10 things you can do to prevent downtime caused by speed reducers:
1. Change oil in gear reducers every 2000 operating hours.
2. When lubricating motors make sure you are not pumping grease into the winding area of the motor.
3. Run the speed reducer when disconnected to the load. Many applications are cyclical and the reducer ends up starting and stopping at the same place on the gears. By running the unit disconnected from the drive train you should end up finding a fresh spot for stopping and starting the drive cycle on the reducer.
4. Look to use synthetic oils in your speed reducers. Synthetic oils improve thermal capacity and provide longer intervals between oil changes.
5. Confirm that safety overload devices are sized and installed properly.
6. Replace worn chain and sprockets. Worn sprockets and stretched chain will actually start binding, creating extra loads on the drive system, possibly damaging an expensive speed reducer.
7. Don’t over-tighten speed reducer belt drives. Overhung load is bad for motors and gear reducers.
8. Determine mission-critical equipment and check replacement availability. A $10 part should never shut your line down.
9. Keep your speed reducer equipment clean. Dirt and grease act as insulation reducing the heat dissipation of the equipment.
10. An Infrared thermography survey of your sped reducer will identify poor wiring and overloaded circuits as well as possible issues in the mechanical units. Infrared cameras have come way down in price or we can perform the survey for you.
If you need a speed reducer distributor that has expertise, answers, inventory and the services to keep your plant running efficiently check out B&H Machine.
B&H stocks over 150,000 sq/ft of power transmission components and the largest selection of speed reducers in the world. Combined with our full-service machine center and repair facility - one call puts everything you need at your finger tips.
