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Current Topics
Top Tips for Leveling Your CNC Machine
Leveling your CNC machine is a very important function that you can perform on it. A level machine is critical to optimizing its capability and essential to producing the highest quality of machined parts for a myriad of applications. If you work with CNC machines, you undoubtedly know the importance of keeping your machine level–it […]
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The Importance of Mechanical Skills in the Data Center: HVAC
Knowledge of HVAC systems is essential for data center workers since heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are so integral to the data center. A good HVAC technician will be familiar with a wide range of HVAC systems, controls, and installation methods. The skills needed for a thorough knowledge of HVAC include: Knowledge of refrigeration Knowledge […]
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Balancing How To #4 – Calculating a Trial Weight Mathematically
In our last Balancing How-To, I stated that an initial trial weight is sometimes a guess. Sometimes based on experience, and sometimes on common sense. But if you prefer to be a little more scientific about it, there are ways to calculate a good trial weight. There are a few requirements to calculate a trial […]
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What You Need to Know about Different Bearing Types
As anyone who works with rotating machinery knows, bearings are essential to machine functions. One of the first things to know about bearings is that there are two main types. We will go over these two main types and more in this installment of our Condition Monitoring Basics series of blog posts. The two main […]
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How Long Will a CNC Machine Stay in Alignment?
This is not an easy question to answer. We all know that machines can move and don’t stay level forever. Do you ever have a crash on your machine that could throw off the alignment? While we hope this doesn’t happen often, the reality is, crashes and wrecks do happen. However, there are some things […]
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What You Need to Know about Cost Per Part
Knowing your cost per part is critical to ensuring your machine shop is operating efficiently. But how do you calculate this? Here is a simple equation to calculate cost per part: Total fixed costs + Total variable costs ÷ Total units produced Fixed costs include things like building rent, insurance for employees, and other overhead […]
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Finding Unbalance and Misalignment on a Spectrum
Unbalance and misalignment are problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible, but before you can begin to fix them, first you need to know how to find them on a spectrum. We will go over this below. For example, with a fan, unbalance appears on the spectrum as a higher than […]
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Safety First: Life-saving Tips for Machine Tool Operators
You can’t overestimate the importance of safety in the workplace. Especially with recent tragic stories of workplace accidents like the one in a steel processing plant in California or at a silicone plant in Illinois, the need for safety in the workplace is more important than ever. In this post we will focus particularly […]
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RESOURCES
I read that Albert Einstein once said, “I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know where to find it when I need it.” If one did some research, that may not necessarily be true. However, if a question comes up, it’s always helpful to have resources to refer to. When it comes […]
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The Importance of Mechanical Skills in the Data Center: Bearing Replacement
A key purpose of vibration analysis is to detect bearing problems before bearings fail and damage is done. This, of course, means that bearings will need to be replaced. Proper bearing extraction and installation is important to extending the life of bearings as well. First, it is important to know when you need to replace […]
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Machine Info You Need to Know Prior to Measurement
Before you can implement a condition monitoring program, it is important to document certain information on your machines. This post will hopefully help you organize your routes and efficiently implement a predictive maintenance plan. Even better, you can download our free Machine Data Sheet which will give you fields to fill in all the important […]
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Why You Should Always Document Alignment Data
Documenting and saving alignment data is critical to being able to achieve repeatable shaft alignments. It also helps you maintain an effective predictive maintenance plan that will ensure your plant runs smoothly. When a machine is experiencing a problem, it will save a lot of time if you can look back on recorded data from […]
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The Importance of Mechanical Skills in the Data Center: Pump Maintenance and Overhaul
Are you prioritizing a regular, predictive maintenance routine for pumps in your facility? Implementing a PdM plan is important for any piece of equipment in your facility. It is essential for sustained function and efficiency of pumps, especially since it is estimated that they account for 25 percent of total motor system energy in the […]
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The Importance of Mechanical Skills in the Data Center: Belt installation, Tensioning, and Sheave Alignment
Proper belt installation and tensioning and sheave alignment are essential in order for a facility to function at optimum efficiency. A key thing to understand when it comes to belts is proper sizing. Whether you are using a correctly-sized belt for your machine will have a significant impact on the machine’s ability to function at […]
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Proper RPM Set Up with the OneProd Falcon
One key bit of data required when collecting data or analyzing it is accurately pinpointing the RPM. When we set up schematics in the Machine Set Up module we tell the software what the RPM is here. When setting up a machine in the Nest you can choose either fixed speed, variable speed with keyboard, […]
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