Vibralign Blog

Fixturlaser NXA Ultimate| compressor frame flatness| Repeatability| reciprocating compressors| Ariel ER82

By Brad Case on September 24, 2019

When performing the Ariel ER-82 Top Plane Compressor Frame Measurement, surrounding reciprocating compressors in operation may cause repeatability issues due to excessive vibration. To compensate for high/excessive vibration the Sampling Time (measurement time at each measurement location) in the Fixturlaser NXA Ultimate can be lengthened as needed. The NXA has a built in Repeatability Test […]

Vibration Analysis| unbalance| looseness| spectrum

By Chris Troutt on September 20, 2019

  What is the difference between looseness and unbalance? They have very similar spectrums with different influencers. One can even impact the other in some situations. That similarity can impact your ability to balance a machine expeditiously in the field. For clarity of this discussion we will limit it to Type A and B mechanical […]

alignment| efficiency| CNC| measurements

By VibrAlign Author on September 20, 2019

  What is your facility’s standard method for taking measurements of your CNC machines? What tools do you utilize to complete these measurements? In order for your machine shop or plant to run efficiency, it is important to take regular measurements of your machines. These measurements include: Levelness Squareness Spindle alignment Coaxility Spindle parallelism Taking […]

bearings| fluting

By VibrAlign Author on September 3, 2019

  Fluting can be an issue on bearings if you don’t know how to look for the signs. In this post we will cover what fluting is and how to fix it when it occurs.  First, what is fluting? Fluting is damage caused to a bearing due to an electrical current induced on the shaft […]

bearings| maintenance| bearing health

By VibrAlign Author on August 29, 2019

Bearings are essential to all rotating machinery. They are small but mighty–if bearings aren’t healthy, a machine will not function at optimum levels. In this post we provide you with some information and best practices for bearing installation and maintenance. Let’s start with the very basics–what are bearings? A bearing is a machine component that: […]

VFD| RPM| spectrum

By VibrAlign Author on August 27, 2019

How do you calculate the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)? This is what we will go over in this post. A Variable Frequency Drive, which is most often abbreviated as VFD, is a type of mechanical drive system used to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input […]

bearings| lubrication| oil| grease

By VibrAlign Author on August 20, 2019

  Proper lubrication of bearings is essential if you want to maintain your machines at optimum levels.  Did you know it is estimated that 40-50 percent of bearing failures are the result of improper greasing/lubrication? That’s a significantly high percentage! So what can you do to ensure you are properly lubricating your bearings? Two things […]

bearings| RPM| F-MAX| frequencies

By VibrAlign Author on August 14, 2019

Do you know how to calculate F-MAX or even what F-MAX is? Knowing how to calculate F-MAX is an important part of vibration analysis because many different types of faults can be shown at multiples of the running speed, which is otherwise known as 1x.  But first, what is F-MAX? F-MAX means “Frequency Max.” This […]

SMC| Falcon| reports

By Chris Troutt on August 12, 2019

  One of the features of our SMC (Smart Machine Checker) and also of the Falcon is their ability to generate a report of the diagnosis directly from the unit with no PC needed. This can be accomplished by pressing the Diagnosis button on the right side of the screen after collecting all pertinent vibration […]

Laser Shaft Alignment| roughing in| Long Span Shaft Alignment| Leveling

By Steve Matthews on August 7, 2019

Recently, VibrAlign was called to consult with a customer to recommend a procedure and alignment tools for a very long-distance vertical pump alignment.  First, we will describe the machine and then how we aligned it.  This large raw sewage pump machine train begins at the driver level.  In this plant, floor levels are described by […]

cnc machines| machining| history

By VibrAlign Author on August 6, 2019

Machine tools and the machining industry have come a long way. Today, we see the industry beginning to utilize new technologies such as 3D Printing and IoT. Did you know, though, that the first CNC machines were developed back in the 1940s and ‘50s?  The technology utilized by these original CNC machines was known as […]

machine shops| cnc machines| cutting tools

By VibrAlign Author on August 6, 2019

Do you work in the machine tool industry? What kind of tools do you use on a daily basis? There are a lot of industry-specific terms and tools that it can seem daunting to be familiar with all the necessary tools and their functions. That’s why in this blog we wanted to lay out for […]

machine tools| CNC| cost per part| measurements

By VibrAlign Author on August 6, 2019

  The machine tool world can be overwhelming if you are new to it. You may hear terms like tolerances, CNC, CPK, surface finish, uptime, and cost per part thrown around, and it may seem like a foreign language if you are just starting out in this industry. We know that many people are just […]

runout| machine tools| measurement| cnc machines| coaxiality

By VibrAlign Author on August 5, 2019

If you’ve worked with machine tools before, you’ve likely heard the terms coaxiality, runout, cylindricity, roundness, and total runout, but do you know what each means? In this post we will lay out each of these terms so that you know what each means and so you are able to grasp the difference between them, […]

alignment| machine tools| measurement| MEAX| CNC

By VibrAlign Author on August 2, 2019

Are you having trouble holding tolerances on your precision machined customer parts? There can be many causes for this, but one reason could be that your machine may not be in alignment. How often do you verify that you turning center or multi-axis milling machine is within factory standards? A number of variables can cause […]