Proper alignment is a core requirement for industrial processing equipment. In this blog series, we are learning to speak the "language" of machine geometry to bridge the communication gap between machinists and metrologists. By representing components as geometric entities, we clarify the alignment requirements and define which instrument is best suited for the task.
In our previous post, we introduced machine geometry as a common "language" for machinists and metrologists to discuss precision alignment challenges. Defining machine components in terms of geometry allows each party to use terms and concepts everyone can understand.
The view of parallel rolls is a beautiful thing - and not just the rolls that often accompany your favorite pasta dish! We're talking about industrial rolls. When they're precisely parallel, they produce faster throughput, higher quality, and more uptime.
Rolls that are not precisely parallel might result in problems like:
We're often asked how to make rolls (or other components) parallel. One way to approach the job would be like this:
Over the last 18 months, quite a few sawmills have invited Brunson’s service group to perform a line-up and/or have purchased our Sawmill Kit and training. One timber manufacturer purchased Sawmill Kits for 12 mills, and will be installing even more kits in the future. Eight of the top twelve lumber producers in North America have asked us to perform line-ups in their mills using our optical alignment technology.
What are we hearing from these customers? The mills which are implementing the Sawmill Kit solution into their regular preventative maintenance programs have been the most successful. Some of the results we have seen include a reduction in board deviation by over 50% - and improvements in recovery up to 2.6%. A couple of customers have shared that these results delivered annualized savings of $500,000 to $1,000,000.
Over the last couple of years, we have worked closely with respected sawmill industry consultant and alignment specialists, looking at the challenges of common machine center alignments in sawmills. This includes aligning chip-n-saw lines, gang & board edgers, overhead endoggers, sharp chains, head rigs, track and rails, band mills, sash gangs, horizontal resaws, planers, trimmers and others, in primary and secondary breakdowns.
My grandfather was obsessed with several things during his lifetime. One obsession was any wild game whose habitat included the land, sea, or air. Another was the quality of his products. He told me one time that if I cheapened the instruments after he was gone, he would come back to haunt me. Another of his obsessions, and not the least, was ensuring the success of his customers. He truly was less concerned about selling products than he was about making sure people knew how to use them after they were purchased. It is somewhat sad that today’s culture, which is oversaturated with hyperbole, will probably cause people to doubt what I am saying. But I kid you not, that’s how he was.
While traveling into sawmills in the United States and Canada over the past few years, we at Brunson Instrument Company saw an unfulfilled need in the area of machine center alignment. Most sawmills whether small or large, producing anywhere from 25 mbf (25 thousand board feet annually) to 125 mbf and greater were still practicing old mechanical methods of lining up key machine centers. Using piano wire, dial indicators, feeler gauges and mechanical levels was more common than utilizing a highly accurate, repeatable instrument for important measurements.
