It’s no secret that regular centrifuge maintenance minimizes production downtime, extends the life of your equipment, and saves your team a lot of headaches (and money) in the long run.
Both minor and major centrifuge services are completed at your plant. But what’s the difference between the two? And how often do you need to complete each type?
Let’s take a closer look at what's included with both.
Minor service visits are dedicated to the top end of your centrifuge (and the true VIP of your machine) — your centrifuge bowl. Minor service should be completed at least every six months. And if your equipment is being used 24/7, you'll want to consider requesting minor service more frequently.
We like to say there’s nothing “minor” about our minor centrifuge services. In fact, you need regular minor and major services to reduce downtime and keep your facility running at peak performance.
When our service techs arrive at your facility, they’ll inspect (and be prepared to replace) the following “soft goods":
Many times, these minor service visits are what help us catch issues like a crack in your bowl top, extreme pitting, and other wear and tear that could lead to bigger problems if not addressed.
For most centrifuge machines, the oil must be replaced every 1,500 hours of run time (or approximately every three months). If you skip this step, your machine will lose its lubricant, leading to wear and tear on important (and expensive) parts like your bearings, cross-shaft, and spindle.
Cracked top? Vibrations? Pitting? Don't sweat it — we've got you covered. From balancing your bowl to bringing you a rental bowl to keep your production line humming, we make bowl repair as easy as possible. We'll even arrange the logistics to ship your bowl to our shop and arrange for a technician to install your rental.
Check out our complete bowl balancing process for yourself:
Major centrifuge service should be completed once a year. These visits give us a chance to look at your frame in addition to what we inspect and replace during a minor service.
When our service technician shows up at your facility to complete a major service, they’ll complete everything included in a minor service, as well as replace:
Our service technician will also inspect the major mechanical components of your centrifuge, including the:
One of the most common reasons we see plants go dark is due to a bad centrifuge bearing.
Remember that a bearing's typical life expectancy is about two years—anything over that is living on borrowed time. Changing your bearings annually will minimize the chances of a catastrophic failure.
Hear straight from Quenton Lind, VP of Sales and Marketing, about what you should (and shouldn't) do when it comes to your centrifuge maintenance.
Centrifuge service is twofold: It's a chance to complete necessary repairs and catch emerging issues. That's why we’ll sit down with you to discuss your service report after every service visit to ensure that you know what we did (and what is on the horizon).
Our post-service reports include photos and a detailed list of repairs made, as well as any findings that will require attention in the near future. This level of detail helps with both planning for downtime and budgeting for more expensive repairs.
Can’t remember the last time someone came out to your facility to look at your centrifuge? Looking to try a different company for your centrifuge service?
Now's the time to get ahead of catastrophic failures. We know that changing your service provider can feel like a lot of change — especially if you've been working with your OEM. Check out our pre-maintenance checklist to learn how we set you up for success before every service visit.