Understanding and Maintaining Industrial Pumps Can Save a Company Money
The vast majority of industries usually deal with liquids at some point in the manufacturing of their products. Because fluids are difficult to control and can cause residue and other problems if not properly contained, having effective pumps that can carry these substances safely to their designated location is imperative to cost-efficient manufacturing.
A press release from PR Wire reported on a blog post from Mike Hurlbatt, the owner of Pump Solutions Australasia, on the company’s website labeled “Five Most Common Reasons for Failure in Electric Pump Motors.”
Pump Solutions Australasia is one of the foremost importers of pumps in Australia. The purpose behind Hurlbatt’s post was to assist businesses in understanding the importance of high-quality equipment, as well as routinely maintaining it correctly.
Hurlbatt explained that commercial and industrial grade pumps must be efficient and reliable because companies can lose thousands of dollars from sub-par products or unscheduled downtime for repairs. Most companies would rather spend more money on efficient pumps to increase output while also saving money on power usage and downtime.
“If you want steady, efficient results for your pumping application, the method is simple: buy high quality equipment then use it and maintain it according to manufacturer’s specifications,” said Hurlbatt.
While his reasons for failure in pumps spans from dust and moisture corroding the inside of the motor, to properly lubricating pistons according to manufacturer specifications, the main failure that all of these factors can cause, is the build up of excessive heat.
The pump industry follows a “rule of thumb” applying to motors and heat that states that every increase of 10 degrees to the winding of electric motors can cut the pump’s life in half.
With so many factors that can have negative impacts if not handled correctly, some manufacturers have been developing newer, specialized pumps to serve these purposes with less required maintenance.
According to worldpumps.com, the liquids handling specialist Pump Engineering is now offering a new piston pump meant for transferring high viscosity liquids for industries that make food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical products. These are similar to sanitary diaphragm pumps, which are designed to pump heavy, thick substances such as mud or sewage to clean machining systems.
Pump Engineering’s piston pumps are air operated and can deliver flow-rates of up to 100 liters per minute, with pressure ratios up to 20 to one.
These new centrifugal pumps use two pneumatic cylinders that force a plate on top of the product. As the pump empties the drum, the plate is drawn down, keeping the inlet of the pump full of the product. The rubber seal will then effectively wipe the side of the drum as it travels down, sealing it and wasting very little product.
They’ve also made a quick-strip version of their pump for quick cleaning. Between the new mechanisms and easy cleaning, caring for this pump requires a lot less work than standard pumps.
Buying high-quality products such as this and keeping them in good condition can overtime save a company substantial amounts of money.
