Vibralign Blog

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

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| history| machining

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 […]

cnc machines| cutting tools| machine shops

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 […]

CNC| cost per part| machine tools| 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 […]

cnc machines| coaxiality| machine tools| measurement| runout

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| CNC| machine tools| measurement| MEAX

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 […]

CNC| industry| machine tools

By VibrAlign Author on August 1, 2019

Machine tools are instrumental in creating a broad spectrum of objects–everything from large automotive and aerospace parts to cell phone cases to diminutive screws and board game pieces. Machine tools, and more specifically, CNC machines, are used to manufacture objects that require a high level of precision. These objects can be made out of various […]

CNC| level| machine tools| measurements

By VibrAlign Author on July 31, 2019

Leveling your CNC machine is a very important function that you can perform on it. A level machine is critical to optimizing its capability and essential to producing the highest quality of machined parts for a myriad of applications. If you work with CNC machines, you undoubtedly know the importance of keeping your machine level–it […]

data centers| HVAC| maintenance

By VibrAlign Author on July 30, 2019

Knowledge of HVAC systems is essential for data center workers since heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are so integral to the data center. A good HVAC technician will be familiar with a wide range of HVAC systems, controls, and installation methods. The skills needed for a thorough knowledge of HVAC include: Knowledge of refrigeration Knowledge […]

Balancing| trial weight

By Stan Riddle on July 26, 2019

In our last Balancing How-To, I stated that an initial trial weight is sometimes a guess.  Sometimes based on experience, and sometimes on common sense.  But if you prefer to be a little more scientific about it, there are ways to calculate a good trial weight. There are a few requirements to calculate a trial […]

"journal bearings"| bearings| rolling element bearings

By VibrAlign Author on July 25, 2019

As anyone who works with rotating machinery knows, bearings are essential to machine functions. One of the first things to know about bearings is that there are two main types. We will go over these two main types and more in this installment of our Condition Monitoring Basics series of blog posts. The two main […]

alignment| alignment checks| crashes| level| machine tools| predictive maintenance| wrecks

By VibrAlign Author on July 24, 2019

This is not an easy question to answer. We all know that machines can move and don’t stay level forever. Do you ever have a crash on your machine that could throw off the alignment? While we hope this doesn’t happen often, the reality is, crashes and wrecks do happen.  However, there are some things […]

cost per part| costs| machine shops| machine tools| MEAX

By VibrAlign Author on July 23, 2019

Knowing your cost per part is critical to ensuring your machine shop is operating efficiently. But how do you calculate this? Here is a simple equation to calculate cost per part: Total fixed costs + Total variable costs ÷ Total units produced Fixed costs include things like building rent, insurance for employees, and other overhead […]

misalignment| spectrum| unbalance| Vibration Analysis

By VibrAlign Author on July 22, 2019

  Unbalance and misalignment are problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible, but before you can begin to fix them, first you need to know how to find them on a spectrum. We will go over this below. For example, with a fan, unbalance appears on the spectrum as a higher than […]

employees| Job Safety| machine tools

By VibrAlign Author on July 18, 2019

  You can’t overestimate the importance of safety in the workplace. Especially with recent tragic stories of workplace accidents like the one in a steel processing plant in California or at a silicone plant in Illinois, the need for safety in the workplace is more important than ever. In this post we will focus particularly […]