Building Your Dream Apartment

4 Installation Best Practices That Reduce Equipment Problems

23 January 2017

Julian Caldwell

Have you just bought machinery that you would like to install in your manufacturing plant? Read on and discover some of the best practices that plant installers can implement in order to forestall some of the problems that would have affected the efficiency and safety of your equipment.

Strong Foundation

Industrial equipment is usually very heavy. That weight must be adequately supported so that the equipment isn't damaged once it starts operating. Plant installers usually build a concrete pad or steel frame that is capable of taking the weight of the machinery. Special emphasis is taken to ensure that the foundation has sufficient stiffness and mass to avoid settling or collapsing under the weight of the equipment. This prevents any accidents that would have occurred if a weak foundation failed as the machinery were operating.

Proper Anchoring

Plant installers usually select the best way to anchor the machinery onto the foundation so that potential problems, such as excessive equipment vibration, are minimised. For example, the installers may install heavy-duty bolts as they pour the concrete pad so that those bolts are firmly entrenched once the concrete cures. Such bolts will do a better job of anchoring the equipment when compared to bolts that are driven into the cured concrete using a hydraulic machine.

Isolation

Your new equipment can become unreliable quickly if nothing is done to protect it from the energy generated from other machines within the manufacturing plant. Each machine usually generates vibrations that can be amplified by the floor. Such vibrations can have an adverse effect on nearby machines. Experienced installers make sure that all machines are isolated from one another so that cross talk (transmission of energy from one machine to another) is avoided. This can be done by ensuring that each concrete pad has some clearance from the floor around it so that energy from outside that equipment is kept away from that pad.

Optimum Leveling

Another way to forestall future machinery problems, such as excessive vibration, entails making sure that the equipment is level on the foundation. Installers use several techniques, such as using a liquid level or laser sensors, to adjust the machinery until it has attained the desired horizontal level on the foundation.

As you can see, several techniques can be used to keep avoidable equipment problems at bay during the installation process. However, you need not take it for granted that the installers will follow all the necessary best practices. Ask the plant installation company to explain what specific steps they will take to ensure that your equipment will perform reliably throughout its service life.

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