A customer in the brick industry contacted us this month regarding a problem they had with their clay cylinder. This was essentially a large 3 metre diameter cylinder that the clay was placed into and rotated for the initial phase of the brick manufacturing process. The cylinder was supported via 2 large 3 meter diameter rings which in-turn were supported on 2 rollers. Over time, the roller fixtures were coming loose and on further inspection, our engineer noticed that this was caused by vibration from flat spots that had begun to appear on both of the rings due to wear and tear and an aggressive atmosphere.

To remove the cylinder and have the rings ground would have been very costly involving cranage, and all the associated costs of removal and carrying out the repair work off site. Following some thought, it was decided that this work could actually be carried out on site. Our solution was to manufacture a frame assembly in order to hold a portable grinder unit. This was to grind the outside of the rings as they rotated slowly. We selected a Motovario worm geared motor complete with Invertek inverter and remote keypad.  The geared motor was attached to the side of the grinder via a leadscrew. This was designed to slowly traverse the grinder across the front of the ring to get an even finish. The inverter enabled the traverse speed to be varied as necessary and the remote keypad was used for health and safety reasons as operatives were not allowed near to the cylinder while it was working.

The project proved a success with the support ring flat spots removed and the vibration issue resolved.

This was a simple and cost effective solution to a potentially very expensive problem for our customer. Again, an example of the engineering support that we can offer.