Vibralign Blog

By Mac MacCormack on April 20, 2017

When we trainers conduct training, the first thing we want to know is what is your cause of frustration or “pain” when performing a precision shaft alignment. What we consistently hear is repeatability as the foremost cause of frustration. First the laser says add shims, then take them out, then add and so on. In […]

bearing failures| maintenance reliability| troubleshooting

By James Pekarek on April 13, 2017

Everyone knows that keeping rotating equipment clean and free of debris and dirt will prolong the operational life allowing for maximum efficiency and performance.  Bearings, seals and other components will last longer and perform better plus repairs and alignments will be faster and easier. Motors, pumps and machinery with excessive dirt build-up will fail more often […]

"precision alignment"| Alignment tolerances| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Tom Shelton on April 6, 2017

This question comes up frequently in our Shaft Alignment Best Practices training classes. The result screens below both show two different aligned machines meeting 3600 tolerances.   The question is; is one better than the other? There has been a lot of discussion about this very topic. The theories are abundant and points of view […]

coupling failures| coupling insert| Couplings| elastomer couplings| maintenance reliability

By Stan Riddle on March 30, 2017

In industry, many couplings utilize an elastomeric insert or element.  This type of coupling has many advantages, among them: Ease of replacement Ability to absorb torsional loading No need for lubrication Tolerant of slight amounts of misalignment Inexpensive It is important to remember that even though these elastomer couplings can be tolerant of misalignment, the […]

Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| soft foot| Verti-Zontal Process

By Brad Case on March 22, 2017

A recent NXA Pro training class performed an alignment check of a winch driven by an 80 HP, 1800 RPM, DC electric motor with a gear style coupling. The initial results revealed a misaligned machine, with a vertical angularity over 13 times the tolerance of 0.7mils/1” (1.0 mil = .001”), vertical offset six times tolerance […]

belt alignment| belt hog| condition monitoring| Fixturlaser EVO| ONEPROD Hawk| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Mac MacCormack on March 16, 2017

Proactive Maintenance includes a number of maintenance strategies, such as Precision Maintenance, Reliability Based Maintenance, Reliability Centered Maintenance, and Root Cause Failure Analysis. The idea is to anticipate and solve problems before they become problems. Reliability Centered maintenance would begin with a study done on a piece of equipment to gain understanding of all its […]

bearing failures| Couplings| flexible couplings| maintenance reliability| mechanical seals| Precision Maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment| seal failures

By Stan Riddle on March 8, 2017

    At VibrAlign, we are in the precision maintenance business.  Our tools, our training, and our people, are all about precision maintenance.  While teaching the field alignment portion of our shaft alignment training, at a customer site, we went out to align a particularly troublesome pump.  They didn’t think they were getting the life […]

By The VibrAlign Blog on March 3, 2017

The American Reliability Tour 2017 follows VibrAlign’s successful series of Realigning America Tours mounted over the past four years.  The original Realigning America Tours featured free seminars about shaft alignment, belt alignment and couplings.  The upcoming American Reliability Tour will provide valuable training and address attendee’s issues about condition monitoring and machinery maintenance. VibrAlign has […]

condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| ONEPROD Hawk| predictive maintenance

By Mac MacCormack on February 21, 2017

Predictive Maintenance, also known as Condition Based Maintenance or affectionately known as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” also has its own set of pro’s and con’s. The pro’s: Rotating equipment usually gives warning signs before failure. Vibration level or pattern changes, rise in temperature, wear detected via oil analysis, performance change, motor current […]

machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| maintenance reliability| ONEPROD Hawk

By James Pekarek on February 15, 2017

So you received your new OneProd HAWK Supervisor or HAWK Supervisor with Balancing.  There are some steps to follow to insure your instrument is configured correctly. Nest Set-up:  You will need to make sure you are using only Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 (or higher) for the first connection and you will need to download MS […]

"Realign America"| "shaft alignment tools"| aligning machinery| Dial Indicators| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| misalignment

By Tom Shelton on February 7, 2017

When we align equipment, we are aligning the rotational centerlines of the shafts. We have a stationary machine and a moveable machine. In most cases the stationary machine’s center of rotation is the target and reference for all measurements and corrections of the movable machine. When reading laser or dial indicator values, the terms of […]

condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| maintenance reliability| Preventive maintance| troubleshooting

By Mac MacCormack on February 1, 2017

Preventive Maintenance, also known as planned maintenance, scheduled maintenance, calendar based maintenance, historical maintenance, etc. has its own set of pro’s and con’s. The theory is machinery has a life cycle. The probability of failure increases as the machine ages so maintenance needs to be performed prior to failure to extend its life and avoid […]

aligning machinery| Extended Alignment| Fixturlaser NXA| Precision Shaft Alignment| troubleshooting

By Brad Case on January 25, 2017

When training clients to use VibrAlign’s Verti-Zontal Alignment Process we show taking the 3rd measurement at a horizontal position, typically at 3 o’clock. This is simply for expediency and is NOT a requirement as Fixturlaser Shaft Alignment Systems can take measurements at any position due to the inclinometers in M & S sensors. If possible […]

micrometer| precut shims| realigning America| shim stack| soft foot| troubleshooting

By Stan Riddle on January 18, 2017

I am going to pass along to you a gift – one that I believe could potentially cut your alignment times-maybe by more than half!  One that could lessen loosening and tightening bolts, reduce frustration, and increase your “alignment” confidence substantially!  Would you like such a gift? Well, here it is – measure your shim […]

coupling failure| coupling wear| elastomer couplings| Precision Shaft Alignment| realigning America

By James Pekarek on January 12, 2017

A common misbelief that occasionally comes up in our precision shaft alignment training classes is that, elastomer insert flexible couplings are designed to allow misalignment between rotating machinery shafts.  This is not the case.  Although this type of coupling may be more forgiving to the effects of misalignment, they are definitely not intended to be […]