Comprehensive Service Schedule

Comprehensive servicing is vital to extending the life of the SADE Weight Sorter and keeping unexpected bills to a minimum. It is a triennial or biennial comprehensive service, which includes calibration and routine preventive servicing. Some key aspects of this program include:

Visual and safety inspection
Functional and performance testing
Balance head inspection and calibration
Component performance testing
Worn parts replacement
Periodic sub-assembly rebuilds
Operator training

Warn Part Replacements

Bowl Driver Rebuild Kit

The Bowl Driver contains 4 rubber Waisted Bobbins that hold the upper assembly to the lower mass and 3 Bobbin Mounts connected to the underside of the lower mass that hold the entire assembly to the chassis. The fast-twisting action of the rubber Bobbins during use is what allows the forward action of product on the Bowl. The Bowl Driver assembly is fitted with an Accelerometer which reports the ‘achieved’ motion back to the software and therefore forms the feedback loop that allows the ‘Auto-amp’ feature to work.

The Auto-amp control feature is an autonomous control algorithm that constantly monitors and adjusts the frequency of the Bowl Driver to best match (for efficacy and damage limitation) the amplitude (Bowl speed) that has been selected by the user. If a user selects an amplitude of 60% then the Bowl will vibrate and the frequency will be changed to best suit this selection and the algorithm will rely on the Accelerometer to deliver this information so it can adjust accordingly.

Problems start to occur in this feedback loop when the rubber Bobbins stiffen up due to natural vulcanization and stress brought about by time, environmental exposure and normal use within the Bowl Driver assembly. When the Bobbins become stiff, the Bowl Driver is also stiffened and the Auto-amp algorithm is unable to achieve the desired amplitude.

Festo 3-Port Accept / Reject Valves

Festo valves are high quality components that rarely fail. However, we have seen on multiple occasions that the valves can let air by even in the closed state. For many applications this is not a problem, however because these are used on CI equipment to push air through a high precision jet towards the Weigh Pan of a high precision Weight Sorter, any through flow of air when shut will cause a positive offset in the weighing which will not be detected by the machine. As we are in the business of quality assurance, these 2 valves should be replaced periodically to minimize this risk.

Gear Actuator Assembly

The Gate Actuator has a service life of 2-3 years to maintain proper function. Due to the design of the SP Weight Sorter, it is possible and probable that dust will accumulate around the shaft seal, degrading it over time. This causes the gate to slow down which can cause sensor issues as well as reduced throughput of product. It has been observed that equipment owners have tried to address these issues by applying oil or grease to the assembly. This is a poor alternative to replacing the unit because an engineering lubricant will inevitably be used that can cause product contamination and improper action of the unit.

CPU Back-up Battery

The Back-up battery is used not only to maintain the Real Time Clock, but also to maintain the SRAM memory. When a battery fails, it causes software to be re-flashed on a regular basis that usually ends up corrupting the flash memory. The Titan Controller Card is now obsolete so great care should be taken to maintain it. The service life of these batteries is 2-3 years.