Pimento Portable Analyzer Used to Quickly Trace Bearing Performance in Electric Motors
SKF is the world’s number one in designing and manufacturing high-quality bearing and seal technology. Among its worldwide customer base are electric motor manufacturers, which provide motors to a variety of highly competitive markets, such as household appliances and ground transportation. SKF supports these companies in reaching higher quality, comfort and reliability standards by providing quality bearings and assisting in analyzing Noise and Vibration (N&V) performance issues.
LMS Pimento enables SKF to conduct onsite N&V troubleshooting to prove that the reported bearing problems are not due to bearing malfunction. SKF engineers draw such conclusions on the basis of LMS Pimento data acquisition and analysis capabilities, including FFT analysis, order tracking, sound intensity and modal test and analysis, to determine the true cause of motor problems, such as unbalance, misalignment or problems with the rotor, fan or collector.
Bearings represent essential components of electric motors, as they keep the rotating shaft in the right position, while reducing mechanical friction to a minimum. Quiet and reliable operation is only guaranteed when bearings are of the correct type and have the right characteristics. Ideally, electric motor manufacturers select suitable bearings that fulfill their specific needs, preferably on the basis of well-founded expertise, before finalizing the motor design. However, SKF is regularly confronted with manufacturers of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, window wiper systems, belt tension units, etc. that complain about N&V issues with their newly designed motors. They call for help, assuming SKF bearings are the main cause of the problem. Paolo Audagnotto, N&V Expert at SKF’s Electrical Division, clarifies, “When investigating bearing complaints, our Customer Support engineers often come to a different conclusion. With LMS Pimento, we are able to quickly run a reliable test-and-analysis sequence at the customer’s site. Most of the time, such visits prove that the N&V problem is caused rather by motor unbalance or misalignment, magnetic noise, broken rotor, a fan problem, dust issues or a damaged collector. The problem may also relate to a broken bearing, which generally turns out to be incorrectly mounted, unsuitably dimensioned or of the wrong type.”
For Customer Support at SKF, LMS Pimento is much more than a flexible and user-friendly measurement and analysis solution. Paolo Audagnotto concludes, “For our activities, LMS Pimento makes a huge difference, not just in terms of time spent, but also for increased customer credibility resulting from the offered N&V consultancy. In addition, LMS Pimento as a portable analyzer saves us the cost and time of shipping motors back and forth between customers all over the world and our N&V laboratory in Turin, Italy. During the last 2-3 years that we have used LMS Pimento, we know it is state-of-the-art equipment for N&V, with a track record of delivering trustable results. Furthermore, LMS and its distributor BPS provide prompt and well-directed support services, which for us are as important as the equipment itself.”
