Case Studies

Application Note
F r o m t h e F l u k e D i g i t a l L i b r a r y @ w w w . f l u k e . c o m / l i b r a r y
readings and send the data to
Annapolis. Annapolis would com-
pile tons of data bouncing off of
different frequencies and give us
a call back to tell us whether it
was good or bad,” Toburen said.
“We would rewind and rebuild
the motor and retest it, just to
make sure what we sent out to
the fleet was a good piece of
equipment.”
Pumps, motors,
gearboxes and more
In his five years at Alpenrose,
Toburen has taken charge of
the hundreds of pumps, motors,
gearboxes, compressors and other
equipment required to operate a
midsize dairy plant.
“We’ve got equipment here
that if it goes down, processing
stops,” he said. “If the bad part is
a high-dollar item we don’t have
Operator: Alpenrose Dairy,
Portland Oregon
Measurements: Vibration diagnostics
on specific motor components
Tools: 810 Vibration Tester
Fluke 810 Vibration
Tester keeps the
good stuff flowing
This isn’t your average dairy.
Family owned and operated since
1916, Alpenrose Dairy, Inc. has
evolved over time into a com-
munity entertainment center
that includes Alpenrose Stadium,
Dairyville (a replica of a western
frontier town), a 600-seat opera
house, a Quarter Midget racing
arena and an Olympic-style
bicycle track.
The hub of this high-profile
enterprise is the production
plant, churning out dairy prod-
ucts that get to market the day
they leave the farm. Mainte-
nance manager Eric Trummel
and maintenance technician
and electric motor expert Todd
Toburen keep their fingers on
the pulse of the plant.
In the US Navy, Toburen
learned vibration analysis to
find and diagnose electric motor
problems. “We would take our
Testing Functions
Case Study
At Alpenrose Dairy in Portland, Oregon, operators pro-
cess raw milk into a dozen varieties of milk, six cultured
products (cottage cheese and sour cream) and 31 fla-
vors of ice cream. It’s a challenge to keep the complex
Alpenrose production facility, with its hundreds of motors,
pumps and gearboxes, running butter-smooth. But
thanks to the new Fluke 810 Vibration Tester, it’s easier
today to maintain Alpenrose as the cream of the crop.
Vibration in industrial equipment can be both a
sign and a source of trouble. Other times, vibra-
tion just “goes with the territory” as a normal part
of machine operation, and should not cause undue
concern. But how can the plant maintenance
professional tell the difference between accept-
able, normal vibration, and the kind of vibration
that requires immediate attention to service or
replacement of trouble equipment?
Machines that should not vibrate as part of
normal operation are electric motors, rotary pumps
and compressors, and fans and blowers. In these
devices smoother operation is generally better, and
a machine running with zero vibration is the ideal.
When is vibration
a problem?