The process of manufacturing efficient and high-performance industrial pumps involves a series of inspections and tests, both before and after assembly.
These inspections and tests are helpful to verify that the manufacturing processes are carried out in accordance to fabrication criteria and required standards.
It is important to keep in mind that industrial pumps are normally exposed to many factors during operation. Some of those factors are:
- Mechanical loads.
- Hydraulic loads.
- Thermal variations.
- Environmental factors.
Therefore, the manufacturer needs to make sure the pump is ready to deal with all those factors which arise in the worst-case scenarios to guarantee they will operate efficiently and reliably.
Non-destructive testing for industrial pumps
Non-destructive testing is a great way to verify the pumps being manufactured are ready to operate efficiently and reliably.
Some common non-destructive tests applied on pumps include:
Ultrasonic tests
Ultrasonic tests are a great way to verify the performance of different areas of the pumps. Common areas tested with ultrasound technology include:
- Material thickness
- Material hardness
- Material cracks and other discontinuities
- Corrosion
- Integrity of welds
It is clear that verifying the performance of the areas mentioned above is essential during and after the production of the pumps to guarantee proper operation.
This type of tests can be performed with tools such as:
In photo: ultrasonic thickness measurement SAMA Tools
In photo: Ultrasonic hardness tester SAMA Tools
In photo: flaw inspections SAMA Tools
Magnetic particle detection
These types of tests can be performed by measuring instruments such as our ultrasonic thickness gauges, ultrasonic hardness testers or ultrasonic flaw detectors.
As the name suggests, this type of non-destructive test uses the magnetic particle method for the detection of possible flaws on the surface or at sub-surface levels of the materials.
This test is particularly useful to verify the integrity of welded areas and cast parts, with the possibility to identify cracks and other defects before the pump goes into operation.
Tools such as our AC/DC magnetic detector and our digital gaussmeter can be of great help when performing magnetic particle tests on pumps.
In photo: AC/DC magnetic detector and our digital gaussmeter SAMA Tools
Dye penetrant test
This is a typical metallurgic test to verify the integrity of materials. It takes advantage of highly capillary liquids that are used to reveal possible defects and discontinuities on the material. This helps identify problems in welds, and other critical areas of the pumps.
Some penetrating liquids we offer include:
- Fluorescent penetrant spray
- White penetrating spray
- Red penetrating spray
These are three important non-destructive tests that are recommended to guarantee that pumps are ready to withstand the factors mentioned above, especially those related to the operation of machines, such as mechanical and hydraulic loads.
Nevertheless, there is another important aspect to verify during and fabrication, and even after certain operational time, when maintenance is required.
Read on as we explain further.
In photo: Penetrant spray SAMA Tools
Dealing with the environment
Pumps that are exposed to the environment, especially under tough conditions, require special protection to guarantee operation without failure.
A common practice is applying special coatings to protect against corrosion and other environmental effects. To achieve the required coating protection, both the surface of the materials being coated and the coating applied need to comply with certain requirements.
Some examples of these requirements are:
- Adequate surface roughness
- Proper adherence of the coating
- Correct coating thickness
- Expected coating elasticity
- Specific hardness and abrasion resistance
To verify compliance with these requirements, some tests and measurements must be carried out. Tools that are necessary include:
- Roughness measuring instruments
- Coating thickness measurement instruments
- Film mechanical performances measurement instruments
In addition, pumps must be design to very tight tolerances and require high-precision manufacturing processes to operate at the highest possible efficiency. And those tolerances must be maintained throughout their lifespan. Moreover, thermal variations from operation or from exposure to the environment in different seasons may affect the dimensions of different parts, thus drifting away from the tolerance ranges.
A good way to ensure the parts of the pump are within the tolerance range, and identify whether thermal variations are having an impact is by performing dimensional verifications.
However, for some parts, dimensional verifications may require special measuring instruments. But any manufacturer striving for excellence knows the investment is worth it. And this is the case with several of our customers in this sector.
Photo by www.canva.com
Other verifications to produce industrial pumps
There are also special measuring instruments that help the customers to guarantee the dimensions of different parts in pumps and pressure units comply with their standards.
Among the most chosen tools, there are the outside micrometers with exchangeable anvils and carbide tipped measuring faces reading 0,01mm – SAX101
With these instruments, you can measure even the biggest parts of pumps, including outside coverings while ensuring the tolerances are met to values as small as 0,01 mm.
Failure to comply with dimensional tolerances could result in reduced efficiency and/or reliability of products, which may bring different consequences such as:
- Increased customer dissatisfaction
- Reduced profitability
- Loss of reputation
Fortunately, all those consequences can be avoided by implementing the right quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) processes while using the right tools.
Photo by www.canva.com
Now that you have a complete picture of what checks are needed to produce high-performance pumps, you can count on our SAMA Tools brand for the supply of both standard measuring instruments, such as external micrometers, calipers, dial gauges, and a wide variety of non-destructive testing tools.
Because our mission is to support our customers in their quality control activities, we strive to provide them with the best solutions to cover their needs.
If you need help with measuring instruments, or would like advice on the best tool for your specific case, do not hesitate to contact our technical department.
You can call us at 0584/392342 – 0584/392453 or, alternatively, contact us by e-mail at sales@samatools.it
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