In support of our vibration shaker table, The Modal Shop performs complimentary training all around the world (sometimes via webinar). Often, a reliability team will bring their vibration analyzers and magnet mount accelerometers, giving us the opportunity to show the effect of mounting on the useable frequency range of the sensor. Meredith Christman of PCB Piezotronics wrote a comprehensive article on this subject in the February issue of Uptime Magazine, " Making It In A High Frequency World." Perhaps this is a headline for another newsletter, but we have found that not all magnets are created equal. Testing in our calibration lab, we found a certain company's sensor, call it "Brand C," performed better at high frequencies with a PCB Piezotronics curved surface magnet than when mounted with the equivalent "Brand C" magnet. Look out for this technical report in a future issue of this newsletter.

Garrett Wolfe, Category III Vibration Analyst with Vallourec Star, says there is no reason to wait for hydraulic piston pump leakage to let you know about an impending failure. His article in Efficient Plant Magazine, " Vibration Points to Piston Pump Failure," details the methods he used to apply vibration analysis on these machines to achieve a 100% success rate predicting failures. His method provides for far earlier warning, enough to save 60% to 65% in pump repair costs.