Machine Installation - Part 1 - Free-Standing anti vibration mounts
There are several ways of installing a machine. When you take a closer look, a task that appears obvious at the first glance turns out to hide requirements not every engineer is aware of immediately.
A machine is usually equipped with rigid support points that are provided by the machine manufacturer. To achieve a high precision, the machine should be levelled precisely. Additional height-adjustable installation components are used that are positioned between the rigid machine support points and the floor. These components are known as "wedge mounts" or, more general, as "anti vibration mounts". You may position the machine on the anti vibration mounts without any anchoring if the dynamic forces that result from the machine function are small. The weight of the machine and anti-slipping devices sufficiently prevent the wedge mounts and the machine from moving. Elastomer rubber pads that are securely glued to the top and bottom surfaces of the wedge mounts prevent from slipping. This installation method is referred to as "free-standing".
Free-standing anti vibration mounts - benefits
The benefits of free-standing anti vibration mounts are obvious: no effort to drill holes in the floor or in the machine foundation, less anchoring material and reduced installation time, and a high flexibility for relocating the machine in the future. The elastomer anti vibration pads can be specifically adjusted to vibration insulation require-ments, which is an additional advantage. These would then have a larger thickness that contribute to vibration damping and isolation. In particular for the adjustment to lower frequencies (that means using softer vibrations isolation pads), free-standing machine installations are recommended as no bolted connections prevent the inherent movements of the machine here.
Free-standing anti vibration mounts - Application
A typical application is the passive vibration isolation. These soft low-frequency mounts are used to protect sensitive machines against external vibrations. The free-standing machine installation of machine tools, such as milling and turning machines, grinding machines, presses, and even large rotary printing presses, has been tried and tested a thousand times.
Machine installation series
- free-standing anti vibration mounts
- bolt-on anti vibration mounts
- bolt-through anti vibration mounts
- ridgid clamp anti vibration mounts