Vibralign Blog

condition monitoring| RPM| stroboscopes| tachometers

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

Determining the RPM (revolutions per minute) of your machine is an important part of conscientious condition monitoring. Significant loss of time and productivity can occur if your machinery is not operating at the correct RPM. That’s why it is imperative to be able to quickly and accurately determine the RPM. In this post we will […]

By VibrAlign Author on July 31, 2018

One of the basics of condition monitoring is establishing routes so that you can efficiently check the diagnostics of all your machines in an orderly, structured way which does not disrupt the daily tasks of other workers in your plant. Routes help to guide the mechanic to the next machine in a logical order rather […]

Alignment tolerances| dial indicator alignment| dial vs laser| rim and face| shaft alignment tolerances| TIR| tolerances

By Steve Gordon on July 30, 2018

Fixturlaser Shaft Alignment Tools come pre-programmed with generally accepted industry tolerances for electric motor driven machinery.  These tolerances are based on the motor RPM and will give you an “endpoint” in the alignment process (based on the measured offset and angular misalignment at the center point of the coupling in both the vertical and horizontal […]

aligning machinery| equipment reliability| pipe Strain| Pipe Stress

By Mac MacCormack on July 18, 2018

Not only do we write blog articles at VibrAlign, we also read them. Nearly every training session I conduct, pipe strain as a source of alignment frustration, comes up. I recently came across an excellent blog written by Ricky Smith CRL CMRP CMRT that I would like to share. There is some really good information […]

Bearing Defect detection| Bearing Defect Factor| bearing defects| Greasing bearings| lubrication| lubrication tool

By Stan Riddle on July 10, 2018

The Fixturlaser Smart Machine Checker (SMC) is a great mechanic’s tool, for evaluating the overall health of rotating machinery.  But did you know it’s also a lubrication tool for greasing bearings?  Let me explain. One of the vibration measurements in the SMC is called Bearing Defect Factor.  The Bearing Defect Factor is a measurement of […]

"torque wrench"| aligning machinery| bolt torque| hold down bolts| maintenance reliability| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Tom Shelton on June 27, 2018

One of the most under-rated procedures of the precision shaft alignment process is the TIGHTENING SEQUENCE of the hold down bolts on the movable machine. Also, tightening the bolts to proper torque specifications is many times considered unnecessary and is just not typically done. Tightening sequence and proper bolt torque are critical to the performance […]

condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| ONEPROD| OneProd Eagle| OneProd MVX| SMC| Vibration Analysis| vibration sensor

By Chris Troutt on June 20, 2018

At the wrap up of a recent Hawk/SMC class the discussion was around what rotating assets to collect vibration data on going forward. The conversation quickly turned to a few keys assets that had the ability to impact large percentages of the downstream processes. The area technicians said that even though the machine was very […]

"alignment training"| "bolt bound"| Alignment tolerances| base-bound/bolt-bound solutions| coupling failures| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Verti-Zontal Process

By Mac MacCormack on June 13, 2018

  Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I personally have heard this over the years. I am sure many of you have as well. The issue is, scheduled downtime seems to be put on the back burner so to speak, to meet production goals. And as it has become all too familiar, […]

"thermal growth targets"| "thermal growth"| "thermal offset"| "thermal targets"| cold alignment targets| Reverse Dial| Reverse Dial Indicator| rim and face

By Brad Case on June 7, 2018

Even though laser shaft alignment systems have been in use for over 3 decades some industries have alignment tolerances and cold alignment targets in dial indicator terms or language. Take for instance the gas compression and processing industry. Many OEM’s, packagers, end users, and service companies use laser alignment systems, however their cold alignment targets […]

Documentation| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Fixturlaser NXA Ultimate| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Stan Riddle on May 23, 2018

When a machine is checked, and found to be out of alignment, the “as found” alignment data can be saved.  Soft foot checks and corrections can also be saved. Continue with the alignment, and when in tolerance save the “as left” alignment. Exit to the Main Menu of the NXA, then press the File Cabinet […]

"shaft alignment"| Alignment tolerances| Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| soft foot| troubleshooting

By Mac MacCormack on May 15, 2018

One of the many things I love about my job is the numerous challenges we face during the field alignment portion of our Precision Shaft Alignment Training. Prior to the training, there were some repeatability issues when attempting to perform a precision alignment on this piece of equipment. One of the main causes of non-repeatability […]

"jacking bolts"| "shaft alignment tools"| "shaft alignment"| Alignment tolerances| Laser Alignment tools| Laser Shaft Alignment| soft foot| troubleshooting

By Stan Riddle on May 11, 2018

Alan Garbers with Johnson Controls International contacted me regarding an alignment problem, and asked for my advice.  Here is a condensed version of his email. A client rents portable chillers, and related equipment. They built a 125HP portable pump skid with a Bell & Gossett pump on a VFD. I was there to commission the […]

Machinery Installation| Machinery Installation and Best Practices| Machinery maintenance| Precision Maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment| precut shims| shims

By Tom Shelton on May 3, 2018

The difference between luck and success is this; Luck is when you achieve a desired result despite mistakes made along the way. Success is when you follow a known process to achieve the expected result. When attempting a precision shaft alignment, precise practices must be followed. One thing for certain in precision alignment is the […]

"cooling tower alignment"| Alignment tolerances| Cooling Towers| offset and angularity| Precision Shaft Alignment| spacer shaft| spacer shaft alignment

By Michael Keohane on April 25, 2018

The majority of precision shaft alignments are relatively close coupled where there are only a couple of inches between the shaft ends of the driver and driven elements. Close coupled alignment quality is traditionally displayed as angle (driver to driven) and offset (at the center of the coupling). The question is what do you do […]

bar sag| dial indicator alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| Repeatability| rim and face| rod sag

By Steve Gordon on April 17, 2018

And it just may be a lot more than you would think. While visiting a customer site to do an alignment check using the EVO laser alignment tool on a 1750 HP Electric Motor / Boiler Feed Water Pump / 3574 rpm, measurements were taken several times (x3) to make sure the values were repeatable.  […]