Blog

The Negative Consequences of Not Taking the Proper Care of your Paxton Products Blower

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:44:00 GMT

Paxton blowers are precision engineered to last for years and years. In fact, we frequently hear from customers whose blowers are 20 or even 30 years old, and still operational. However, blower failures do occur, and the causes of failure are explained herein. For each of these conditions, there may be several installations or operational issues contributing to the condition.

Bearing Failure: Bearing failure is a condition which can be considered routine maintenance. The bearings used in Paxton Blowers are ABEC-7 ball bearings using high temperature grease. Over several years of operation, there will be a routine requirement to overhaul the blower head due to common wear of the bearings. However, premature failure of bearings can be caused by over-temperature operating conditions:

The high temperature grease used in the bearings may liquefy and run out through the shields if extreme temperatures are encountered.
Drying up of the grease due to high temperature operation may cause carbon build up and failure.

Once lubrication is lost in the bearings, failure will result. Unfortunately, if bearing failure is not discovered in the early stages, the blower will eventually fail catastrophically resulting in down time.

Ingestion of Foreign Matter: The number one cause of failure of a well lubricated bearing is contamination getting into the races of the bearing. This condition results from poor or lack of filtration at the intake of the blower. An air intake filter is always required. Although some fine dust may pass through the blower without damage, a gradual buildup of dust or materials in the blower can result in a coating on the impeller and housing. This will affect the balance of the impeller and rotating assembly and will eventually cause the bearings to overheat, shortening the service life of the blower. The filter that is included with your Paxton blower will normally remove particles to 5 microns in size and will usually eliminate the possibility of ingestion of damaging foreign matter. It is imperative that the user check for inlet filter restriction and ensure filters are maintained in a clean condition. Replacement every three months is usually advised. A pressure differential gauge and/or switch at the blower inlet is beneficial in alerting the user to these conditions before they become critical, and these pressure gauges are included with every PX-series blower.

In addition to particulate and dust contamination, it is important to note that the blower must be protected from ingesting liquid any chemical vapors that could compromise bearing lubrication. If this foreign matter is small enough to get past the seals, can lead to contamination of the bearings causing bearing failures.

Incompatible Environments: When considering a blower for an application, it is also important to consider the environment that the blower will be in. While most industrial environments are acceptable you need to consider the site temperature, air quality (steam / chemicals in the air, airborne debris). Paxton blowers should not be operated in areas having high levels of ozone, as ozone will cause premature belt failure. If high levels of oils, cutting fluids, or syrup are in the operating area, the Paxton blower should be moved to a cleaner area; and the inlet piped to a clean air. Contact Paxton for recommendations.

Operation Outside of the Performance Limits: When considering a blower for an application, the requirements for the application must be within the blower’s design performance capabilities. If the blower is operated at excessive pressures with insufficient air flow passing through it, higher operating temperatures will result. These higher operating temperatures may result in premature bearing failure. The Paxton blower should also be operated with the recommended number of air knives or nozzles attached. The creation of excessive air flow beyond the design parameters such as with the addition of extra air delivery devices or by providing air bleed-off without a throttling valve (i.e. running the system wide open without sufficient air flow resistance), then the motor will over amp and overheat. More air flow comes with a need for more power from the motor.

Another issue is having too much system resistance beyond the design parameters, such as an excessive number of elbows, excessive length of pipe, pipe size with too small of a diameter, and undersized air delivery devices etc. will cause the blower head to overheat, leading to bearing failure, due to excessive churning of the air inside the blower housing with insufficient cooling air flow. Please consult our Engineering Bulletin for piping recommendations.

Paxton Engineers have more than 75 years of combined experience to ensure that they select the most appropriate blower for the application to ensure that you get the maximum life from your Paxton system. Be sure to discuss any environmental conditions with them, as they are specifying the right blower for your application.

What Does a Responsible Restart Look Like for Manufacturing Companies?

Wed, 19 May 2021 20:23:00 GMT

The government has started easing lockdown restrictions, with more people now encouraged to start returning to work. Even though companies are eager to open their doors and allow workers to come in, it is imperative that they follow all the new rules and regulations put in place. If your company is looking for best practices for opening your doors, the warehouse education and research council (WERC) has issued best practices to address the health and safety of your employees and business risk management for COVID-19.

Another important concern for companies is the health and safety of their equipment. Most companies were not expecting to have their equipment idle for a month or longer, so in order to ensure the machines are running at peak performance, a routine check is mandatory before restarting.

Paxton Products’ Engineers have supplied some tips on how to responsibly restart your equipment.

Inspect your equipment before you start it.
Inspect the condition of the filters, belts, idlers, electrical cords, etc.
Replace any components that are worn, frayed or dirty
Perform any backlogged preventative maintenance
Review safe operating procedures

If you have a Paxton blower that has been idled during the pandemic, and you are now ready to restart your processes, Paxton Products recommends the following restart procedures:

1. Disconnect the power to the blower

2. Grease the motor bearings, as per the motor manufacturers’ recommendations.

3. Remove the blower belt guard and inspect the belt and tensioner.

a. Check for belt wear: missing ribs or cracks. Ensure that the rotational arrow on the belt matches the rotational arrow on the blower. Best practice is to replace the belt.

b. The center of the tensioner should be aligned with the arrow on the plate. If this requires adjustment, please see the service manual.

c. The tensioner spring should be stiff and taunt and not disfigured. Check the idler bushing for integrity. Replace any worn components. If bushing replacement is required, grease the new bushings with a light coating of white lithium grease prior to installation.

4. Inspect the filter and silencer for wear. Best practice is to replace the filter.

5. Check the connections to the pressure gauges and ensure all are tight.

6. Check the connections to the air flow. Ensure clamps are tight.

7. Inspect the air delivery devices, and make sure that flow is unrestricted.

8. With the motor disconnected from its power source make sure that the blower and motor spin freely.

9. Reinstall the belt guard and reconnect the power.

10. After restarting your blower, you can check to ensure that it is operating at the recommended pressure using the blower pressure gauge attached to the blower outlet. The recommended pressure would have been specified on the original QC report sent with the blower, or, in the case of the PX-series, in the item number.

a. For example, PX-2000-1200-60 should be operating at or near 60” of water column.

Once you complete these steps, you are ready to start up your Paxton blower. Happy blowing!

How to Properly Maintain a Paxton Tensioner

Mon, 04 May 2020 12:46:29 GMT

Paxton Products wants customers to get the highest efficiency from their blowers. In order to make sure the blowers are always working at their highest capacity, they need to be well maintained. Paxton Products has a preventative maintenance schedule that should be followed in order to make sure your blower system operates at peak efficiency and minimizes downtime.

Paxton blowers are high speed, precision balanced rotating equipment and it is imperative that they are properly sustained. If the blowers are not taken care of, they will not run properly which will cause defects and rejects of your products. In order to prevent any damages to your blower, let’s evaluate the consequences of using a worn tensioner instead of using a well-managed tensioner.

Worn Tensioner

- Belts will deteriorate causing high vibration throughout the blower

- The blower's lifespan will shorten

- Extended Downtime

Well-Managed Tensioner

- Idler keeps the blower well balanced

- Maintains tensioner for optimum belt life and blower performance

Paxton’s engineers request you follow these guidelines in order to make sure your tensioner is always in good condition.

If blower is operating 1 or 2 shift/day, replace tensioner every 24 months
For blowers operating 3 shifts/day operation, replace every 12 months or 8,000 hours
The tensioner springs should be replaced at least every 12 months

Paxton Products insists on customers following this maintenance protocol in order to be covered by our industry-leading 3-Year Warranty. Paxton’s preventative maintenance is very easy to complete.

How to Properly Maintain a Paxton Belt

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 20:11:00 GMT

Paxton Products wants customers to get the highest efficiency from their Paxton centrifugal blowers. In order to make sure the blowers are always working at their highest efficiency, the blower needs to be well maintained. Paxton Products has a preventative maintenance schedule that should be followed in order to minimize downtime and make sure your blower system operates at peak efficiency.

Paxton blowers are high speed, precision-balanced rotating equipment and it is imperative that they are properly maintained. If the blowers are not taken care of, they will not run properly which will cause defects in or rejects of your products. In order to prevent any damage to your blower, let’s evaluate the consequences of using a worn belt instead of using a well-managed belt.

Belt Deterioration

Deterioration such as cracks in the ribs, or splits will cause high vibration throughout the blower
The vibration in turn damages the blower bearings, decreasing the blower’s useful lifespan. Bearing failure may result in extended downtime

Well-Managed Belt

Low vibration
No adjustment needed
Increase the blower’s lifespan

Paxton’s engineers request you follow these guidelines in order to make sure your belt is always in good condition.

If your blower is operating for 1 or 2 shifts/day operation, replace the belt every 12 months
If your blower is operating for 3 shifts/day operation, replace the belt every 6 months or 4000 hours

Paxton Products insist on customers’ following this maintenance protocol in order to be covered by Paxton's 3-Year Warranty. Paxton’s preventative maintenance is very easy to complete.

Service & Maintenance Manual

Tips from the Paxton Service Technician on the Negative Effects of Improper Filtration and Environment on your Paxton Blower Head

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:07:00 GMT

During Bruce’s nearly 40 years at Paxton Products, he has seen all types of causes for premature failure of blowers. The two most common include improper filtration and improper environment. Both manifest in blower head failure due to build-up of contaminants inside the head. When the head gets “gunked up,” air flow is reduced, the build-up results in imbalance, the impeller may not spin freely, and ultimately, the vibration of the blower increases and bearing failure results. Let’s examine these two causes of failure.

Improper Filtration: Your Paxton blower is equipped with a two stage inlet filter. The first phase is foam mesh and traps large particles. The second phase is a 5 micron pleated synthetic filter, which traps dust, dirt and particulates and prevents them from entering the blower. This two-stage inlet filtration is critical to blower performance, and it is important to ensure that the filter is changed frequently, as a dirty filter will not only let dirt and particulates enter the blower head, but the pressure drop across the filter increases, resulting in reduced blower performance. Bruce recommends that the filter be checked at least quarterly, and if operating three shifts per day, replaced quarterly. Semi-annual filter replacement is usually adequate for one or two shift per day operation.

Improper environment: Paxton’s two stage filtration protects the blower from airborne dust and dirt, however, it will not protect the blower from fine droplets of airborne oils, cutting fluids and syrups, such as are found in industrial machining operation or soda production facilities, respectively. If atomized liquids are present, it is critical to remove the blower from the environment, and place it in a different room, or high above the operations (if the airborne contaminant is heavier than air), or alternatively pipe the inlet to a clean area.

Either improper filtration or improper environment can cause the blower head to become “gunked up” inside the head causing:

Dirt, oils or syrups create a layer within the blower head
Because the contaminants don’t build up uniformly, the blower head becomes imbalanced, causing vibration
With heavy build up, the impeller may not spin freely
Both situations result in higher stress on the bearings and higher temperatures
Ultimately, the bearings will fail

Paxton recommends that you check your filter frequently, and if you do suspect atomized liquids in the air, contact Paxton Products for further recommendations.