How do balancing machines work

Besides the fact that a soft-bearing balancing machine is a portable one, it provides the added advantages of having a higher sensitivity than the hard-bearing machines at lower balancing speeds; the hard-bearing machines measure force which typically requires a higher balancing speed. An additional benefit is that our soft-bearing machines measure and display the actual movement or displacement of the rotor while it is spinning which provides a built-in means of validating the fact that the machine is responding properly and the rotor is balanced correctly.

The major advantage of soft-bearing machines is that they tend to be more versatile. They can handle a wide range of rotor weights on one size of a machine.

No special foundation is required for insulation and the machine can be moved without having to obtain a re-calibration from a specialist. Soft-bearing balancing machines, like hard bearing machines, can balance most horizontally oriented rotors. However, balancing of an overhung rotor requires the use of a negative load hold-down attachment piece. Notice that the orientation of the bearing system allows for the pendulum to swing back and forth with the rotor.

The displacement is recorded by the vibration sensor and later used to calculate the unbalance present. Hard-bearing balancing machines have stiff work supports and rely on sophisticated electronics to interpret the vibrations.

This requires a massive, stiff foundation where they must be permanently set and calibrated in place by the manufacturer. The theory behind this balancing system is that the rotor is fully constrained and the forces that the rotor puts on the supports are measured.

Background vibration from adjacent machines or activity on the work floor can affect balancing results. Commonly, hard-bearing machines are used in manufacturing production operations where a fast cycle time is required. The major advantage to hard-bearing machines is that they tend to provide a quick unbalance readout, which is useful in high speed production balancing. A limiting factor of hard-bearing machines is the required balancing speed of the rotor during testing. Because the machine measures unbalance force of the rotating rotor, the rotor must be spun at a high speed to generate enough force to be detected by the stiff suspensions.

Regardless of which horizontal balancing machine used, analysis of whip may be necessary when balancing long, thin rolls, or other flexible rotors. Whip is a measurement of the deformation or bending of a flexible rotor. If you suspect that you may need to measure whip, check with our technical support and we will determine whether or not a whip indicator is necessary for your application. A long time ago, it was essential for a balancing technician to be able to perform all of the balancing calculations, and human error was a potential contributing factor in all balancing situations.

Now, everything is automated. This steps are as follows:. Our Balancing Instruments are set up to handle the 9 different rotor configurations. Once you choose the rotor configuration, you are instructed to spin the rotor and take a measurement reading, then stop the rotor.

The Balancing Instrument will then instruct the user to add a known weight to the first correcting location on the left hand side, enter the illustrated required dimensions, spin up the rotor and take a measurement, stop the rotor, then remove the left hand weight and place it in the right hand correction plane and repeat. Stop the rotor and remove the known weight. The instrument then uses these measurements to calibrate itself.

The Balancing Instrument now displays both the left and right hand correction amounts and the angular location of the correction weights for the addition or subtraction user specified of material. That's it! Advancements in technology have turned balancing into a fairly easy task, making it applicable and necessary in every machine shop! The video below is a demonstration of the Model Balancing Instrument. Note, this is the same video as the one of the homepage. Many rotors can often be balanced in place, running at their own operating speed, with minimum disassembly.

To balance in place, of course, a basic requirement is that the rotor has to be accessible to make corrections. Machines such as fans and blowers are good candidates. Common applications for dynamic machine balancing are engine crankshafts and automobile tires. As well as balancing services for drive shafts and flywheels. These are examples from the automotive industry. Other examples include dynamic balancing of impellers, industrial fan balancing, flail rotor balancing and machine rotor balancing.

We can literally perform dynamic balance analysis on any machine and its components. The primary goal of any equipment is to possess an operation that is free from vibration. However, vibration will always be part of any machine that rotates, and some vibration levels can be acceptable. Instead of trying to get rid of all vibration in the machinery, it is necessary to search for machinery balance as far as possible.

This process minimises the vibration until there are fewer levels of noise. In addition to this, reduced vibration can extend the lifespan of your machinery. Many of our new customers say that they did not realise just how beneficial dynamic balance services were on boosting their operational performance. An example of balancing is static balancing. No matter what time of day it is, one of our trusted engineers will always be on hand to take you call and talk to your about your balancing needs.

We have decades worth of valuable experience from working within the diesel generator and motor repair industry, and have balanced a diverse range of rotating items in this time, including rotors, impellers, shafts and fans. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

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What is Dynamic Balancing? Our dynamic balancing machine and procedures. Bellwood Rewinds are leaders in dynamic balancing. Get in touch for dynamic balancing. Contact Us. Balancing your parts. Reasons you might require dynamic balancing.

Portable balancing machines can be used during routine maintenance or when making repairs and adjustments. When choosing a balancing machine, aircraft mechanics should ensure the supports can be adjusted to be able to run several rotor types without having to switch machines. They should also consider the software that is used with the machine — the easier the software is to use, the easier the machine is going to be to use.

And they should always make sure the amount and place of the imbalance in the part is clearly displayed and can be corrected as needed.