Choosing between static balance and dynamic balancing? Static balance still plays a major role in today’s manufacturing plants, but is slowly being replaced with dynamic balancing.
Tower balancers have been around for years. The same principles that make it work are the same as with a static balancer. The only difference is the speed in which it operates. Dynamic balancing performs its calculations very quickly, so much so that some systems can balance an engine within 5 seconds or less compared to 30 minutes or more for a static balancer. This efficiency allows the engine manufacturer to produce more engines a day, boosting their profit margin. It also allows the manufacturer to start making engines right away without having to wait for balancing since balancing can be performed at any time during the production process
So why would anyone use a static balancer over a dynamic one? The main reason is cost. Tower balancers are far more expensive than static balancers, and they take up valuable assembly line space while they operate making them unsuitable for high volume production environments where speed of production is key. In addition, tower systems require expensive and complex software that must be regularly updated to keep up with all the changes in today’s automotive and power generation industries.
There are several factors that contribute to the dynamic balance of a rotating component. In this paper, a comparison will be made between two dynamic balancing techniques: Static Balance and Dynamic Balancing. The Basic Theory of the Static Balance method will be discussed, followed by an explanation of the Dynamic Balancing method.
Dynamic balancing is a balancing technique that uses a computer controlled motor to dynamically balance rotating components, such as engine crankshaft or turbine blades. A common practice of dynamic balancing is to mount the component on a spin table with computer controlled electronics and various measuring devices to monitor the component’s vibration during operation. The table can rotate at variable speeds from 0 rpm to thousands of rpm in order to determine the natural frequency of the component.
Static Balance is a technique for balancing rotating components where the component is mounted on a spin table and spun at high speed, up to 2000 rpm.
A static balance is what every machine manufacturer strives to achieve before they ship their products out to you. Just like you strive to achieve a static balance in your own life.
A dynamic balance is a fancy term for an off-balance condition that you can’t see with the naked eye. A dynamic imbalance is invisible and usually undetectable by the average technician unless he or she has been trained to recognize it by measuring specific parameters of imbalance with sophisticated equipment designed specifically for this purpose.
For more information on static balance and dynamic balancing guide, check this how to guide.
