Richard Schildwachter

Centrifuges are massive, powerful machines. While these machines operate in a simple, consistent manner, the moment a centrifuge bowl becomes unbalanced, the centrifuge quickly becomes one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment on your production floor.

While they remain stationary, centrifugal pumps are one of the most critical parts of your centrifuge. So when they stop working as they should, it’s important to swap them out as soon as possible.

Chances are you won’t know that your centrifuge pump needs repair until you have to stop your production line. Unfortunately, a pump is no small purchase, with some plants spending anywhere from $25–$60k on these pivotal pieces of equipment.

Unexpected downtime means lost revenue (and usually lost product). So knowing how to troubleshoot when your centrifuge experiences issues is critical to getting back up and running to meet your production volume goals.

Because of the nature of sanitary centrifuges, especially in the food industry, there are special considerations that must be taken into account when it comes to upkeep and maintenance. And the one thing you don’t want to do is forego regular maintenance.

At any given time, we have over 4,000 centrifuge parts in stock at our warehouse. Why? Because it helps make sure we have what you need, when you need it. After all, providing centrifuge service and repair is one of the primary components of our business — in order to do this well, we need to have the right materials on hand.

Did you know that a centrifuge generates a level of force several thousand times that of the earth’s gravity? With that kind of force, it’s no secret that a separator can quickly become the most dangerous piece of equipment in your plant.

All too often, issues with a centrifuge’s separation process aren’t related to the centrifuge itself. Instead, the culprit is often found within other areas of the production line. 

When it comes to troubleshooting and diagnosing a process problem, many technicians look to the centrifuge first — but this is a common mistake, as it’s not the most efficient or effective way to go about fixing your problem. 

Issues in your production line can lead to expensive downtime (and cause major long-term problems). While stopping an issue before it happens is the best way to protect your investments, troubleshooting your operations isn’t always easy.

Centrifuges are an essential part of every dairy plant — without them, we wouldn’t have many of the dairy products sold on shelves today.