Industrial Machines Installation Procedures
Machines installation is an activity that takes place every day both in the industries and houses.
Some diesel generators in duplexes, banks, and cooperate offices are installed in the proper position since they are not mobile like most petrol or fuel generators which are always smaller in size.
Installation of these heavy machines has similar principles and procedures with just a few differences in their steps.
The normal silent diesel generators used for large buildings have almost similar installation procedures to an electric motor used in the turning of centrifugal pumps in the oil and gas industries.
During the installation your major aim is to ensure the proper position of the machine, isn’t it?
You want the machine to remain in position while functioning, isn’t it?
You also need maximum output from the machine, and have its noise at a minimum, isn’t it?
Well, your expectations are not far provided you understand what installation is all about and the principles behind it.
Things to Understand When Planning For Industrial Machine Installations
When planning for installation understand the following points clearing:
Results of Proper Industrial Machines Installation Procedures
The ability to execute a proper installation of the machine will lead to;
- Long durability of the machine
- Reduced vibration from the machine
- Maximum power output
- The long life span of bearings
- Belts slipping off from pulleys are minimized
- It helps to avoid damage to the surrounding parts
- It creates more efficiency, especially in an automated system
Results of Improper Industrial Machines Installation Procedures
The improper installation of the machine will lead to;
- Broken Foundation and loose anchor bolts
- Jerking of the machine
- Quick parts damage
- Reduced engine life span
- Frequent belt slip from pulleys
- Vibrations
- Sometimes noise is an evidence
- The machine easily deviates from a fixed position
- It leads to errors in an automated system.
So with the above points, you can see how necessary it is to ensure the proper installation of your machines,
The basic procures for installing machines are;
FOUNDATION PREPARATION
During the foundation preparation, you are required to map out enough space according to the width and breadth sizes of the machine to be installed and according to the weight of the machine.
Then add some additional feet around the obtained width and breadth of the machine and use it for the foundation preparation.
The depth of the foundation depends on the size of the anchor bolts used, the type with smaller diameters needs deep holes while some with big diameters need shallow holes.
Also according to the weight of the machine, most of them may require deep holes despite the big size of their anchor bolts diameter.
ANCHOR BOLTS SETTINGS
The next procedure is to set the anchor bolts according to the gaps at the holes located at the base of the machine meant for anchor bolts and nuts installation.
Taking an accurate measurement of these gaps will ensure no stress when mounting the machine.
Meanwhile, any wrong measurement could render the whole process useless and the entire installation process could be repeated over again.
So in ensuring no such occurrence, it is necessary to use an accurate measuring device and do re-check the measurements periodically after each procedure until the concrete is poured
Even after the setting of the concrete re-check the anchor bolts so that any minor deviation could be corrected by gently tapping on the affected bolt using a soft hammer.
During this period a welded jig may be used to anchor the bolts in the required position before other works are carried out on the foundation.
WOODEN BOARD MAKING
Before the pouring of concrete, there is a need to form a wooden board around the area that makes up the foundation.
This area will be formed by the wood to ensure the foundation height and accurate sites were obtained, before pouring concrete into the area created by the wooden board.
Note that without this step it will not be possible for the foundation to be formed with concrete.
CONCRETE FILLING AND SETTING
The concrete is mixed with a higher concentration of cement and binders for the purpose of obtaining rigidity and strength.
The mixture is then poured into the area formed by the wood without having so much flowability property, the concrete is then tapped on the surface to obtain smoothness and remove obstacles around the anchor bolts.
After that, the entire foundation is left for 24hours to set and in some cases, water can be poured on the foundation during the pre-solidification stages to ensure proper closure of internal holes and help in the crack reduction of the foundation when it is put to use.
MOUNTING THE MACHINE
When the foundation is set and the anchor bolts’ positions are verified to be in order, the next action is to remove the jig used in fixing the anchor bolts in position and then start the mounting of the machine.
The mounting of the machine can be carried out with either crane, chain blocks, movable jacks, or manual lifting all of these techniques entirely depend on the size of the machine and the experience of the personnel involved.
When this process is successful, the next thing is to check for any external object or projected part at the machine base, if none then the machine is set for alignment.
ALIGNMENT SEQUENCE
During the alignment, the specified axis of the machine is cross-checked, while adjustable bolts will be attached at the locations needed for the purpose of lifting and lowering the machine and clockwise and anticlockwise positioning of the machine.
There are different techniques in machine alignment, and they can be a topic for another day.
When the alignment had been completed and the required tolerance had been obtained, the next procedure is to proceed with the machine commissioning.
THEN, THE COMMISSIONING OF THE MACHINE
Commissioning of the machine is simply the process that takes you off the contract by handing over the machine back to your client.
It is accompanied by the sequential testing and running of the machine and obtaining all the records in regard to the machine performance and comparing them to the manufacturers’ specifications.
When the whole record is according to your client’s expectations, then it is time to hand over the property to the owner, and that brings the contract of installation to an end.
There may be other minor machine installation procedures not specified in this post but for the basics, the above procedures are what you need to know.
I’m glad you underlined how crucial it is to deploy machines correctly. This can lead to lengthy durability and maximum power output, as you mentioned. My cousin has said that they would be installing new computers for work, so I will make sure to let him know about this and remind him of it. I’ll look for experts that can assist him with it as well.