3 Tips for Keeping Your Texture Analyzer in Tip Top Condition

Our instruments are truly workhorses. In fact, we do not offer a preventative maintenance contract for them because they typically stay in excellent operating condition for well over twenty years!  However, despite their longevity, they still benefit from some occasional little preventative care. Here are a few tips for keeping your texture analyzer operating in tip top condition:

1. Keep your instrument’s crossarm fully lubricated with this quick tip. If your instrument’s crossarm is not frequently used to its full up and full down range - then try this trick to redistribute the lubricating grease on the crossarm:  Simply run the crossarm all the way up and all the way down just once or twice every year. That movement will be sufficient to re-distribute the high-melting point lithium grease which is on the central screw.
2. Do an annual internal “dusting.” If your texture analyzer is operating in a bakery or any other environment which is extremely dusty we recommend that you periodically blow out and remove the dust which may have built up on the inside of the electronics in the base.  Our texture analyzers pull air into their bases to cool their internal electronics. In doing so, it’s inevitable that some dust can build up which can keep electronic components running hotter than ideal conditions. To clean up any accumulated dust, unplug the power to the instrument, lay the texture analyzer on its side, remove the rubber feet, unscrew the base plate and then lay the base plate flat on the bench.  You should then use either a can of compressed air or a gentle vacuum designed for electronic cleaning to slowly blow away or vacuum any dust off of the internal electronics and air intake slits on the case.  This process is not necessary in most instances and is only recommended in those environments in which a great deal of dust is present.
3. Make sure it’s not too humid. Our texture analyzers are designed to work in a very wide range of conditions. However, there are certain conditions that just aren’t good for most electronics. If your texture analyzer is operating in a high humidity location, we encourage you to find a less humid location for your instrument to keep it running it ideal working order.  if the exposure to humidity has been for a very short period of time then you should keep the instrument powered on for a while so that the fan can continue to circulate new air across the electronics and diminish any localized humidity.  You can also use chambers which manage humidity or use a desiccating system to manage the availability of humidity to the electronics.

Questions about maintenance for your texture analyzer? Our team is happy to help. Contact your Regional Manager for any assistance!

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