To keep your gearbox functioning at it best and for a longer time, here are some key maintenance tips to consider.
Keep Your Gearbox Lubricated At All Times
All machinery producing friction and heat require lubrication. Ensuring your gearbox is well lubricated reduces the chances of wear and tear, therefore, increasing its operation life. Ensure you regularly check to ensure that the oil levels of your gearbox all high as required at all times.
In case the oil level is low, refill it. Always stick to the recommended lubricant from the manufacturer. When the gearbox goes for long periods without an oil change, next time before you refill the oil, drain the old one. The old oil may be dirty, and this causes the gearbox to not function properly.
Check whether there are any leakages. Maybe the reason your gearbox is always low on oil is that it is leaking. Fix all the leaking points and refill the oil with the required amount. You can run tests to determine whether your gearbox has oil problems. This is usually evident when the teeth of the gear are starting to wear off quickly. Ensure that your industrial gearbox parts are lubricated at all times.
Always Keep Your Gearbox Clean
Gears have breathers. Ensure these breathers are strategically placed to avoid dirt from getting into the gearbox. Things such as dirt, water, and other debris that enter the gearbox can damage it. Most of the time the gearbox is used in areas where getting dirty is unavoidable. It is your job to prevent your gearbox from getting dirty. Try to always keep your workplace free from dirt and debris.
Protect the breathers as much as possible. The best way to maintain it is to avoid debris getting in. Have filters installed to keep dirt out of your gearbox. In case dirt, water or debris enters your gear, make sure you clean it properly. A dirty gearbox cannot perform perfectly. Dirt also damages the oil causing more problems to your machine.
Ensure Proper Cooling Of Your Gearbox
Obviously, the machine produces a lot of heat as it operates. Without proper cooling, this can be harmful. The major cause of overheating is not lubricating the machine properly. Using the wrong lubricant can also be the cause.
Examine your machine to see signs of overheating. Determine whether the oil you are using is properly lubricating your industrial gearbox parts. Using the wrong oil cannot prevent friction properly. This may be the cause of the excess heat. Find oil of good quality that is recommended for the type of gearbox you have.
Keep An Eye On Gear Teeth For Damage
The main reason some gears break is due to being used for a harder task than they were made for. Avoid putting your gearbox under too much pressure. Buy a gear that matches the amount of work you want to be performed.
In case you note some teeth that are broken or looking weak, fix them immediately. A gearbox breaks down slowly. You may never notice until one day it cracks open and everything falls apart. That is why it is important to fix those small teeth that are broken before they cause more damages.
Analyze The vibrations of your gearbox
One of the most effective industrial gearbox maintenance task to perform is to check its vibrations. Switch on your gearbox in a place where there is no noise and monitor how it vibrates.
By doing so, you can see its movements. You can tell what the damages are by the way it vibrates by itself. Having a professional around, he can determine whether the cause of the machine fault is an imbalance, general looseness or wear, bearing defects, misalignment, gear defects or some other unforeseen problem.
A damaged gearbox also makes some weird noises which you can tell are not normal. If the gear teeth are damaged, you can see a notable change in its movement or misalignment of the gears. Conduct this test regularly and record the results to compare them in the future. If you note any changes, then your gearbox might be damaged. Fix the problems before they grow.
Have a general Industrial Gearbox Maintenance program
It is always important to set aside some time to do general maintenance for your gearbox. Don’t always wait until you see a problem. A maintenance program requires you to hire professionals to evaluate your machine after a specific time.
Without a qualified technician, you may not be able to interpret the data from your machine properly. Every organization using gearboxes need to have qualified professionals to do the job.
Hire professionals versed in gearbox failure causes. The maintenance program should consist of vibration tests, oil checks, to ensure the machine is working at its best. Troubleshooting is the major task conducted by these professionals during this program. They should come up with a fully documented report on the health of your gearbox and offer tips to keep your machine operating properly.
The documented report is used for future purposes. Future preventive maintenance measure use information from the previous evaluation. Using the information you can prevent future problems that may occur. This program may be costly and time-consuming, but it is worth it. Your machines will never break down unexpectedly. If they do break, the contractor should fix them for free depending on the warranty they gave you.
The most important thing to do is to always keep an eye on strange activities on your gearbox. Strange noises, oil leaks, unusual vibrations are a sign that your gearbox may need repair. Maintenance is cheaper that repair.
