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Real Help with Reel Spool Maintenance
Published on February 22, 2018
Reel spools are the most highly stressed rolls in your paper mill. Large loads on heavy spools take their toll. After time, bent journals can easily break. Those breaks put not only your equipment, but also your employees at risk.
Because of the inherent dangers involved, insurance companies frequently require proof of routine reel spool balancing and inspection. It’s not hard to see why. As complianceonline.com states, “the consequences of failure can be severe and include significant physical damage to equipment and injury or death to personnel. This is due to a high level of kinetic energy reel spools have while rotating.”
Prevent a Red Level Threat
Stress on reel spools requires intervention. Understanding the material in its relation to your equipment and recognizing when that equipment isn’t running properly are key to avoiding catastrophic breakages – or worse – harm to employees.
Due to notch sensitivity, metals in fatigue are particularly prone to a stress-rising situation. Common catalysts include:
If the machinery continues to run with any of these issues, the constant handling, metal fatigue, feedback loops, brittle journals, sensitive notches and broken journals worsen over time.
Prevention is Key
Reel spools will never straighten themselves. In addition, you won’t be able to straighten the journal without exceeding the yield of the material. Most damage to journals is permanent. Even if you were to straighten it, residual stress would only bend the spool again.
Your Inspection Checklist
During inspection, make sure your equipment is balanced in the following ways:
PRG understands not only reel spools, but also, the importance of a proactive maintenance and inspection program. If you have a journal that’s over stressed and bent out of shape, we’re able to help replace it, regardless of the catalyst. In addition, we will:
If the damage is minor, we may be able to repair and regrind. In most cases, we’ll replace the damaged journal and balance your reel spools.
Don’t Take Unnecessary Risks
There’s a reason insurance companies are “bent” on reel spool inspection. The risk of damage can be catastrophic not only to your equipment, but also to the health and well-being of employees. Don’t take chances. Let the experts at PRG help prolong the life of your machinery, your mill’s production yield and of course, your bottom line.
Because of the inherent dangers involved, insurance companies frequently require proof of routine reel spool balancing and inspection. It’s not hard to see why. As complianceonline.com states, “the consequences of failure can be severe and include significant physical damage to equipment and injury or death to personnel. This is due to a high level of kinetic energy reel spools have while rotating.”
Prevent a Red Level Threat
Stress on reel spools requires intervention. Understanding the material in its relation to your equipment and recognizing when that equipment isn’t running properly are key to avoiding catastrophic breakages – or worse – harm to employees.
Due to notch sensitivity, metals in fatigue are particularly prone to a stress-rising situation. Common catalysts include:
- Punch marks
- Chisel marks
- Damage on the fillet radii
- Scored crane pickup areas where rotating spools were lifted
- Dents and scrapes from mishandling
If the machinery continues to run with any of these issues, the constant handling, metal fatigue, feedback loops, brittle journals, sensitive notches and broken journals worsen over time.
Prevention is Key
Reel spools will never straighten themselves. In addition, you won’t be able to straighten the journal without exceeding the yield of the material. Most damage to journals is permanent. Even if you were to straighten it, residual stress would only bend the spool again.
Your Inspection Checklist
During inspection, make sure your equipment is balanced in the following ways:
- To the speed of the winder
- After each journal replacement
- Whenever the spool is sent out for service
PRG understands not only reel spools, but also, the importance of a proactive maintenance and inspection program. If you have a journal that’s over stressed and bent out of shape, we’re able to help replace it, regardless of the catalyst. In addition, we will:
- Remove the bearings and housing
- Perform a Non-Destructive Test of your reel spool journals to look for any surface cracking
If the damage is minor, we may be able to repair and regrind. In most cases, we’ll replace the damaged journal and balance your reel spools.
Don’t Take Unnecessary Risks
There’s a reason insurance companies are “bent” on reel spool inspection. The risk of damage can be catastrophic not only to your equipment, but also to the health and well-being of employees. Don’t take chances. Let the experts at PRG help prolong the life of your machinery, your mill’s production yield and of course, your bottom line.