Tags: Valve Automation
Beyond providing a wide variety of components, The Macomb Group’s Valve Automation Division offers its customers custom-designed solutions aimed at solving some of the most difficult manufacturing challenges.
Recently, the company’s Charlotte, NC, Valve Automation Assembly Site was contacted by a Mechanical Contractor at a pharmaceutical manufacturer to solve a problem involving a critical piece of filtration equipment being readied for testing and full operation.
The handwheel on a valve gearbox of one of the butterfly valves on its equipment was found to be inaccessible in its current configuration. David Stone, a member of the division’s Technical Support Team, was consulted for ideas on how to fix the problem.
“We tried a number of things,” Stone said. “Rotating the gearbox 90 degrees appeared to work but then there was no way to indicate whether the valve was open or closed, so the indicator did not match.”
The challenge, Stone said, was to position the handwheel to make it easy to reach and to ensure the valve open/closed indicators were correct.
The solution: build an extension piece that brings the handwheel past the obstruction “so you can access it, and will no longer be a knuckle buster or pose a danger to the person trying to use it,” Stone explained.
Working with a local machining shop, the new extension hardware was fabricated, installed and is now working easily and accurately.
“The customer was very pleased with the solution we were able to put together,” Stone noted. “We came out looking very good on that project.”
With more than 30 years of experience, The Macomb Group Valve Automation Division has the knowledge and commitment to customer service that’s necessary to make your next valve project a success. To learn more, contact us at [email protected]
