Sandton-based distribution centre Comtest is offering electronic test tools manufacturer and distributor Fluke’s latest vibration meter, the Fluke 805, which provides quantifiable information on a bearing and the overall health of motors and other rotating equipment.

The Fluke 805 is a portable multifunction vibration screening tool that is ideal for frontline mechanical troubleshooting teams that need reliable and repeatable measurements of rotating equipment to make imperative go or no-go maintenance decisions.

“Most vibration pens and other screening devices, currently on the market, provide an overall number for vibration condition and some also provide an overall number for bearing condition,” the company notes.

Owing to inadequate design and measurement technology, the company adds that, users consider most vibration products to be unreliable and difficult to understand, with experts sometimes referring to them as ‘toys’.

In addition, Comtest notes that Fluke conducted customer research and that the findings highlighted shortcomings in other vibration screening pens and devices.

“Fluke’s design engineers then responded by producing the 805 vibration meter – certainly not a toy – but a vastly superior meter on every front,” Comtest explains.

The handheld vibration meter provides quantifiable results of bearing condition, overall vibration and temperature, assesses condition severity using text-based alerts, and exports and trends data using built-in templates.

“It is a vastly superior, more accurate, and more user-friendly tool that improves day-to-day machine checks, so that users can keep their facilities and plants up and running.”

Fluke 805 Measures

The vibration meter includes an overall vibration between 10 Hz and 1 000 Hz, thereby providing a four-level severity assessment for overall vibration and bearing condition.

The vibration meter also identifies bearing condition (Crest factor Plus, CF+) by detecting peaks in the vibration signal readings of roller bearings between 4 000 Hz and 20 000 Hz, and using a proprietary algorithm to interpret severity to determine if the bearing is going bad.

The vibration meter also measures surface temperature using an infrared sensor, which automatically measures contact temperature and displays it along with the vibration reading for a broader understanding of machine health.

“The Fluke 805 hand-held vibration meter has a unique sensor tip design that minimises measurement variations caused by device angle or contact pressure. This reduces operator error and improves the accuracy and repeatability of quick vibration screening,” Comtest explains.

The meter also provides a severity scale for both overall vibration and bearing condition readings, thereby delivering more information than comparable vibration pens.

Logged data can be easily uploaded into an Excel spreadsheet to create trending reports, the company concludes.