Morbark recently introduced a new Vtection System option for their 3000, 3400, and 6400 series Wood Hog Horizontal Grinders. The Vtection system monitors rotor vibration to reduce damage from contact with un-shreddable objects or other causes of damaging vibration like an out-of-balance rotor, broken insert, defective bearing, or extremely hard wood.
The system features two operating modes; grinding protection mode and service and maintenance mode.
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 fine-tune 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 an un-shreddable object enters the grinding chamber while in grinding protection mode, the system will sense the spike in vibration or trip point and instantly stop and reverse the infeed conveyor. This 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.
During the service and maintenance protection mode, a user can hook up to the system software and monitor vibration levels during different engine loads (Low idle, High Idle, Clutch engage, No Clutch, etc.). Vibration specifications will vary based on the machine model. The system can be programmed to monitor and extract data.
