Datastick Announces its Handheld Vibration Analyzer with Exceptionally Low Noise Floor

    SAN JOSE, CA, October 18, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- After extensive research of its customer base, Datastick Systems, Inc., has concluded that the noise floor of its handheld VSA Vibration Spectrum Analyzers may be the lowest in the industry, according to Penny Melrose, Datastick CEO.

"The Datastick VSA's low noise floor is very important when measuring low amplitudes of vibration," said Kevin Nordenstrom, senior vibration analyst and president of Reliability Optimization, Inc. (ROI). "If the noise is too high, it is very difficult to differentiate the real vibration from the noise."

In vibration analysis this means that subtle yet significant changes in the vibration signature of a rotating or reciprocating machine such as a pump, turbine, or other motorized assembly may not be detected until it is close to failure.

"Customers and consultants have told us that they been able to see signals that were completely hidden in the noise level displayed by competing vibration analyzers - including those costing several times as much as ours. This has led us to the conclusion that our handheld vibration analyzer may provide the lowest noise floor among its competitors," said Penny Melrose, CEO.

Vibration analysis is used by reliability managers and maintenance engineers in predictive maintenance, reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), and conditions-based maintenance programs to prevent unforeseen breakdowns, and for troubleshooting problem machines.

Nordenstrom detailed some specific applications where a low noise floor is particularly important in finding small signals that may not be easily observable.

- Precision machine tools. The high degree of dampening built into these machines results in low amplitudes of vibration, since the dampening minimizes the vibration that is measurable.
- Centrifugal compressors and turbine blade passing measurement, where vibration occurs at high frequencies but at low amplitudes.
- Paper mill dryer bearings, because the amplitude of the bearing-fault frequencies is low; replacing the bearings can be time-consuming; and downtime and lost throughput are costly.

Datastick handheld vibration analyzers and portable balancers are in use in many different industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, facilities management, utilities and power generation. They are particularly valuable for mobile applications such as field service of pumps and compressors. VSAs are also used to detect structural problems caused by vibration that may cause harm to sensitive equipment in data centers, as well as to employee health.

About Datastick Systems, Inc.
Datastick Systems is a leading provider of cost-effective, innovative handheld vibration analysis and portable machine balancing systems. Companies around the world rely on our solutions to maintain the reliability and uptime of their machinery. Datastick Systems is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, phone (408) 987-3400 or visit www.datastick.com.

Contact:
Tony Lacy-Thompson
Public Relations
[email protected]
408-398-6284

Datastick is a registered trademark and VSA is a trademark of Datastick Systems, Inc.

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