Vibralign Blog

"shaft alignment"| Couplings

By VibrAlign Author on November 9, 2018

Couplings connect a driving shaft to a driven shaft. There are essentially two families of couplings: Rigid couplings Flexible couplings There are, of course, differentiations within these two types. Rigid couplings connect shafts so that the two shafts are essentially one continuous unit. Be advised that runout can be an issue when this kind of […]

By Steve Matthews on November 8, 2018

Veterans Day is Sunday, November 11.  Here at VibrAlign we currently employ eight Veterans who have served this country honorably in the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and National Guard, including two active guardsmen.  We wish to thank Mac MacCormack, Gary Madsen, JP Guerard, Jonathan Dissinger, Tim Sorensen, Doug Burdsall, Peter Eccleston and William Cooper for […]

condition monitoring| looseness| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| OneProd Falcon| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on November 2, 2018

A common vibration signature on equipment is looseness. There are two types of looseness: structural/fastener, fit between rotating components. For this discussion, we will focus on structural and fastener looseness.  Typically, it is highly directional, occurs at 1xRPM, and will look similar to this spectrum. In this case, the vibration was confined to the vertical […]

Alignment tolerances| Precision Shaft Alignment| shaft alignment tolerances| tolerances

By Tom Shelton on October 15, 2018

VibrAlign and Fixturlaser have done what we can to make the precision shaft alignment process quicker and easier for the end user of our tools. To assist maintenance personnel during an alignment a tolerance table “pops up” on the display unit screen (of our tools) when entering dimensions for the machines being aligned. The tolerances […]

"coupling gap"| compressor thrust| disc pack couplings| engine thrust| reciprocating compressors| shim pack couplings| thrust

By Brad Case on October 3, 2018

Gas engines and reciprocating compressors, used in the gas compression industry, have a certain amount of crankshaft end play or thrust (as it’s commonly called). The amount of thrust is determined by the OEMs of the machines. The crankshafts of these machines must be able to “float” axially to prevent excessive/premature bearing wear. When new […]

"compressor alignment"| Gas Compression| reciprocating compressors| rod runout| runout

By Steve Matthews on September 27, 2018

The Fixturlaser NXA Runout Probe was introduced last year as an accessory to the Fixturlaser NXA Pro and Ultimate alignment tools.  As originally envisioned, the runout probe was designed with shaft and coupling runout measurements, and direct soft foot measurements in mind. The Runout Probe provides a digital linear displacement measurement, much like a dial […]

"jacking bolts"| hold down bolts| jack bolts| Precision Maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment| push bolts

By Tom Shelton on September 20, 2018

Correct fastener torque is important for proper assembly of rotating machinery components to machine bases. Proper torque insures that the fastener will perform as designed. This will in turn help your machine to perform as designed. Hold down bolts and jacking bolts are typically manipulated while performing a precision shaft alignment. These are often the […]

"vertical shaft alignment"| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Fixturlaser NXA Ultimate| Omniview| vertical alignment

By Michael Keohane on September 14, 2018

Many modern laser alignment systems include inclinometers that aid in the alignment process. Inclinometers, however, don’t work on vertically oriented machines. These include vertical “C” faced machines as well as vertical machines with feet. This meant that vertical machines required a 180-degree swing for accurate measurements and sensors were positioned the old-fashioned way by aligning […]

eletric motor bearing failure| lubrication| lubrication tool| rotor unbalance| Smart Machine Checker| unbalance

By Stan Riddle on September 13, 2018

We recently published a blog about using the Fixturlaser SMC as a lubrication tool. https://vibralign.com/other-topics/using-the-smart-machine-checker-as-a-lubrication-tool/ Ironically, just a couple of weeks later I received some photos from a new SMC customer.  He got a report from his SMC stating that a chilled water pump was experiencing motor unbalance.  He took the motor apart to inspect […]

condition monitoring| machinery vibration| maintenance reliability| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on September 13, 2018

Accelerometers by nature are sensitive tools. This sensitivity is heavily influenced by how the sensor is mounted. Standard accelerometers are mounted several ways based on need and application. Typical route-based data collecting will be done with a rare earth magnet. The magnet can be either flat or a two-pole type. This provides good data with […]

"shaft alignment"| "thermal growth"| apps| Laser-Dials| technology

By VibrAlign Author on September 12, 2018

  Technology has made so many of our jobs easier, and this certainly includes the maintenance industry. One aspect of technology you should be taking advantage of if you are a maintenance foreman, team member, or technician is the many smartphone apps that exist to make your job easier and your plant more efficient. Below […]

"shaft alignment"| runout| unbalance

By VibrAlign Author on September 5, 2018

Unbalance and runout are two terms that we hear frequently in the predictive maintenance community. Both unbalance and runout can be serious issues and need to be addressed to prevent inefficient functioning and damage to machines. Unbalance occurs due to corrosion, erosion of the fan wheel, or if a correction weight is removed. Runout occurs […]

"shaft alignment"| backlash| looseness| soft foot

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

Achieving a perfect alignment can seem daunting at times, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right tools and if you know to look out for three common reasons for shaft alignment frustrations. Once you know these three factors, you can take the necessary steps to avoid them and/or correct them. The […]

condition monitoring| rotating machinery| unbalance

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

We often hear about how to correct unbalance in rotating machinery, but to correct unbalance, it is first necessary to accurately diagnose what type of unbalance your machine is experiencing so that you can take the proper action to correct the problem. In this post, we will go over the three types of unbalance you […]

condition monitoring| efficiency| predictive maintenance

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

As the resurgence of manufacturing and processing in America continues, the requirements on all of us to do more with less will only grow more important in order to reach the needed profitability goals. Combine this downward pressure with the diversity of today’s plants and their mechanical components, and the overwhelming gap of skilled workers […]