Our Plant has a practically new Kampf winder that has caused us lots of down time. It is on a fiberglass mat machine that is similar in size and operation to a paper machine. We have experienced most of the problems with the drive pulley mechanism on one side which consists of several concentric shafts one inside the other with belt driven pulleys and 2 variable frequency AC motors. This concentric shaft drive assemply has actually locked together on several different occaisions and caused both mandrels to turn when only one is supposed to be. When the unit was being repaired we noticed lots of rubs evident and loose bearing fits along with worn keyways. We also suspected misalignment. My questions are: what is the best way to set a machine like this up for monitoring, considering limited access to the inside of the cabinet? Has anyone else had experienced similar problems, especially with late model Kampf winders?

Randle,
It sounds like you have many problems with the new machinery, a few suggestions.
1. Get the supplier/manufacturer involved to assist with these faults as they should have the most knowledge of the new model.
2. To assist with monitoring of the unit try thermal imaging as well as vibration anlaysis. Install accelerometer in locations which are difficult to access. Thermal imaging may be performed at the end of a production run if access is limited during production.
3. Test your suspicions of misalignments with a machinery surveyor and/or long range laser kits.
4. Document, including photos of each failure, will greatly assist with the resolution of your problems. You may setup an Root Cause team to focus on the faults you are currently experiencing.

Hope this helps,
Tony Sovar.
Disclaimer: These opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my employer.