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CASE STUDY Early Vibration Detection Prevents Mixer Motor Failure at Building Materials Facility

Building Materials Motor Sensor-1
INDUSTRY

Building Materials Manufacturing

EQUIPMENT TYPE
Motors
FAILURE MODE
Lubrication
IMPACT
$240K saved 
24 hours of downtime avoided 
1 day from initial alert to verified resolution
THE CHALLENGE

Mixers are essential to product consistency in building materials manufacturing. When a mixer goes down, so does throughput. At a major building materials plant, Waites' sensors detected rising vibration levels on a mixer motor's inboard bearing. Left unchecked, bearing failure could have halted production, delayed customer orders, and led to substantial financial loss.

PROBLEM IDENTIFIED

Waites' analysts identified significant spikes in acceleration and peak-to-peak (pk-pk) vibration data, clearly indicating severe bearing distress. The rapid increase in vibration pointed specifically to inadequate lubrication or an early bearing defect. Waites recommended immediate inspection and targeted lubrication to mitigate further damage.

Building Materials Motor Before Chart 1a

A sharp acceleration spike of 5.6942 g indicated severe bearing distress due to inadequate lubrication.

Building Materials Motor Before Chart 1b

Peak-to-peak vibration reached 41.1104 g, reinforcing the urgency of immediate bearing inspection and lubrication.

Building Materials Motor After Chart 2

Following lubrication, vibration levels promptly returned to a stable level of 0.3772 g, confirming the effectiveness of the intervention.

QUICK RESOLUTION

The on-site maintenance team responded immediately. Bearings were lubricated, and sensor data showed rapid normalization. Waites analysts reviewed the updated readings, verified the improvement, and recalibrated vibration baselines.

$ 240,000
COST SAVINGS
24 Hours
DOWNTIME AVOIDED
1 Day
ALERT TO RESOLUTION

RAPID RESULTS

Predictive vibration analysis and timely lubrication guided by Waites helped the facility avoid 24 hours of downtime, preventing bearing failure and maintaining critical production schedules. This proactive intervention directly saved approximately $240,000 in potential operational losses.

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