How Do I Identify My Centrifuge Model and Parts?

Most decanter centrifuges carry a manufacturer nameplate on the gearbox housing, main frame or bowl casing listing model designation, serial number and bowl diameter. Where a nameplate is missing, measuring bowl diameter directly and noting scroll and gearbox configuration lets Sentrimax identify the model family and quote parts or service accurately.

Why accurate identification matters more than it seems

A parts or service quote is only as good as the model information behind it. Decanter
centrifuges are sold in families that share a frame size but differ in bowl length, scroll
configuration, gearbox ratio and materials of construction, so “it’s a Sharples” or “it’s about
14 inches” is rarely enough to quote a part with confidence. Getting the nameplate details or
physical measurements right the first time avoids a round of back-and-forth before a quote can be
issued.

Where to find the nameplate

Nameplate location varies by manufacturer and machine age, but on most decanter and tricanter
centrifuges it is mounted in one of a small number of predictable places:

• On the gearbox housing, often on a flat machined face near the input shaft
• On the main frame or base, typically on a side panel near the feed end
• Stamped or riveted directly onto the bowl casing on older or smaller machines
• On a control panel or junction box for machines where the original frame plate has been
  lost or overpainted

A legible nameplate should show the manufacturer name, a model designation, a serial number,
and in many cases bowl diameter or frame size directly. Photograph the full plate, including any
stamped numbers that are hard to read in person, since a photograph can often be enlarged and
read more clearly than the plate itself under shop lighting.

Measuring bowl diameter without a nameplate

Bowl diameter is the single most useful physical measurement for narrowing down a model family,
since Sentrimax and most manufacturers organize model lines around bowl diameter classes across
the 8 to 43 inch range this equipment is built in. To measure it:

1. Isolate and lock out the machine. Bowl diameter should only be measured with
   the centrifuge fully shut down and locked out, not estimated while it is stationary but still
   connected to power.
2. Access the bowl through an inspection point or by removing the cover. Most
   frames have an inspection door or removable guard that exposes the bowl without a full teardown.
3. Measure the outside diameter of the cylindrical bowl section, not the
   conical end or the frame housing around it, using a tape measure or calipers depending on
   access.
4. Record bowl length alongside diameter if it is easy to measure, since some
   model families share a bowl diameter but differ in length.
5. Note the gearbox type visible on the machine, such as whether it is a
   planetary unit, a CYCLO-style gearbox, or a hydraulic backdrive, since this narrows the model
   family further.

How model families are named across major brands

Naming conventions differ by manufacturer, but most follow a recognizable pattern once you know
what to look for. Sharples, for example, has used designations like PM-95000 that combine a
product line prefix with a numeric size code. Alfa Laval’s decanter lines include names such as
Aldec 506 and the G2-100, where the numeric portion typically relates to frame or bowl size.
Tomoe uses designations such as TDM-50, and Bird has used frame codes like 24×60 that describe
bowl dimensions directly in the model name. GEA’s decanter equipment, including machines
originally built under the Westfalia name, and other legacy brands such as Hutchison Hayes,
SWACO’s 518 and 414 series, and the Lynx 40 and Lynx 500 lines, follow their own internal
numbering that Sentrimax can typically match from bowl diameter, frame style and gearbox
configuration even without a fully legible nameplate.

The practical takeaway is that a numeric code on a nameplate or frame casting is rarely
arbitrary. Photographing every stamped or cast number you can find on the machine, not just the
main nameplate, gives Sentrimax more to work with than a single unclear plate.

Why bowl diameter matters more than overall machine footprint

It is tempting to describe a centrifuge by its overall size — “it’s a big one” or “about the
size of a small car” — but overall footprint includes the frame, motor, gearbox and guarding, none
of which scale in direct proportion to the bowl itself. Two machines with a similar overall
footprint can have meaningfully different bowl diameters depending on frame design, and two
machines with the same bowl diameter can look quite different in overall size depending on
gearbox type and mounting. Bowl diameter is the dimension manufacturers actually use to organize
model families, which is why it is worth the extra effort to measure directly rather than
estimate from the machine’s general size.

Common identification mistakes worth avoiding

• Quoting the model from an old purchase order or maintenance log without confirming it against
  the machine currently installed — used equipment is sometimes relocated or rebuilt on a different
  frame after the paperwork was written
• Estimating bowl diameter by eye rather than measuring it, which is rarely accurate enough for a
  parts fit
• Reading only the most visible number on a nameplate and assuming it is the model designation,
  when it may be a serial number, a manufacturing date code, or a customer asset tag instead
• Sending a photograph of the nameplate that is too blurry or too far away to read the stamped
  characters clearly

What Sentrimax does with your submission

Once a nameplate photograph or set of measurements comes in, Sentrimax cross-references the
manufacturer, model designation or measured bowl diameter and gearbox type against known model
families to confirm the specific configuration before quoting. Where the details point to more
than one possible variant within a family, Sentrimax will ask for one or two additional
measurements or photographs rather than guess, since an incorrect assumption at this stage is the
most common cause of a part that does not fit on arrival.

What to send for a fast, accurate quote

Once identification is done, a useful quote request includes: a photograph of the full
nameplate, or of every stamped number found if there is no plate; the measured bowl diameter and,
if possible, bowl length; the visible gearbox type; and a description or photograph of the part
needed, or the symptom being diagnosed if the request is for service rather than parts. This is
the same information that speeds up ordering from Sentrimax’s
decanter centrifuge parts program and applies equally to the wear parts covered in
the guide to which centrifuge wear parts fail most often.

Identifying a centrifuge that has changed hands

Used centrifuges are bought, sold and relocated between plants more often than new machines,
and paperwork does not always travel with the equipment. A machine purchased secondhand may carry
a nameplate from its original owner, a rebuild tag from an intermediate repair shop, or no
identifying information at all if it was stripped for resale. In these cases, treat the physical
machine as the authoritative source, not any paperwork that came with it, and rely on measurement
and photographs of what is actually installed rather than a bill of sale description.

Recording identification once, for next time

Once a centrifuge has been identified, it is worth keeping that record on file at the plant —
model designation, bowl diameter, gearbox type and serial number — rather than repeating the
identification process from scratch at the next parts order or service call. A simple photograph
of the nameplate stored with the equipment’s maintenance file removes this step entirely for
future requests, whether they go to Sentrimax or elsewhere.

Identification and the OEM-versus-aftermarket decision

Correct identification also matters when deciding how to source a replacement part. A part
that is a close but not exact dimensional match because the model was misidentified will
under-perform regardless of whether it came from the original manufacturer or an aftermarket
supplier. See Sentrimax’s guide to aftermarket
versus OEM centrifuge parts for what to demand as evidence once the model is correctly
identified.

Identification for disc stack centrifuges

Disc stack centrifuges, which Sentrimax also services alongside decanter and tricanter
machines, use a different physical configuration than a decanter but follow the same
identification logic: a manufacturer nameplate is the fastest route to an accurate identification,
and where it is missing, physical measurements of the bowl and disc stack assembly combined with
photographs of the drive configuration let Sentrimax narrow down the model. The same guidance
above about avoiding assumptions from paperwork alone applies equally here.

Why this step pays off beyond the current order

Time spent identifying a centrifuge accurately is not just for the immediate parts or service
request. Once the model is confirmed, that information applies to every future order for the same
machine, which is why keeping the record on file, as noted above, compounds in usefulness over the
life of the equipment rather than being a one-time task.

Send a nameplate photo for identification

If you are not confident about a manual read of the nameplate or measurements, send a
photograph and Sentrimax will confirm the model family before you order.