Morbark, Winn, Michigan, recently introduced a new patent-pending Vtection System option for its 3000, 3400 and 6400 series Wood Hog Horizontal Grinders. The Vtection System monitors rotor vibration to reduce damage from contact with contaminants or other causes of damaging vibration like an out-of-balance rotor, broken insert, defective bearing or extremely hard wood input. When coupled with Morbark's Break-Away Torque Limiter, these devices provide customers with comprehensive hammermill protection, according to the company.
To use the Vtection System, the operator sets an acceptable operating vibration level through the electronic controller. Since different feedstocks produce different vibration levels, the operator can quickly finetune the trip point to match the grinding application. Adjusting the trip point based on the feedstock can help avoid unnecessary stopping of the infeed from normal operating vibration.
If a contaminant enters the grinding chamber while in grinding protection mode, the Vtection System will sense the spike in vibration or trip point and instantly stop and reverse the infeed conveyor. By reversing the infeed conveyor, the Vtection System lowers the rotor's chance of repeatedly striking the foreign object.
Once the Vtection System is triggered, Morbark's Integrated Control System (MICS) initiates several actions to remove the tramp material out of the rotor area. The sequence of these actions includes: reversing and stopping the infeed, bringing the engine speed to idle, disengaging the clutch, and activating a warning message to be displayed on the MICS screen. At this time, the operator can inspect the grinder and remove the object that caused the trip point before resuming operation.
According to the company, ship-out kits are available for in-field installations on preexisting 3000X, 3400X and 6400X horizontal grinders.