CASE STUDY Early Vibration Detection Prevents Costly Downtime at Tobacco Facility
Tobacco Manufacturing
Reliable machinery is essential in tobacco manufacturing, where unplanned downtime can stall production and delay shipments. At a major facility, Waites' sensors detected rising vibration levels on the gearbox bearing of a Yankee Lower Drive. Without intervention, the issue could have caused a critical failure, bringing operations to a halt and driving significant financial loss.
Waites' analysts observed a sudden and significant increase in vibration acceleration on the Yankee Lower Drive non-drive-side (NDS) bearing. Peak-to-peak vibration readings clearly exceeded established warning thresholds, indicating serious bearing distress. Upon inspection, maintenance confirmed the cause: insufficient lubrication.
BEFORE
A sudden and significant increase in velocity vibration (0.7292 in/sec) along the gearbox input shaft Y-axis clearly indicates severe mechanical imbalance or internal damage.
AFTER
Following the replacement of the damaged fan impeller, vibration velocity quickly returned to normal operating levels, validating the effectiveness of the maintenance intervention.
Responding swiftly to Waites' alerts, the maintenance team immediately inspected the gearbox bearing. They discovered insufficient lubrication was causing elevated vibration levels. Lubrication was promptly applied, stabilizing the vibration and temperature metrics. Waites’ analysts remotely verified that the corrective action effectively restored bearing health and operational reliability.