Vibralign Blog

"shaft alignment training"| aligning machinery| Laser Shaft Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| troubleshooting

By Brad Case on October 6, 2017

This is an obvious statement and most of us know what happens when we do “ASSUME” with most things in life. However, we (The VibrAlign Trainers) see assumptions being made quite often during a precision shaft alignment. Several years ago, I read a book titled “A Millwright’s Guide to Motor/Pump Alignment” by Tommy “T-Hammer” Harlon […]

machinery vibration| resonance| resonant amplification| Vibration Analysis

By Tim Sorensen on September 28, 2017

A customer was experiencing high levels of vibration on one of the HVAC motors. The cause for these high vibration levels was determined to be resonance. Resonance of this motor was seen in the vibration spectral data and was confirmed onsite with a bump test. This motor was not VFD driven and therefore the machine […]

"thermal growth"| "thermal targets"| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Precision Shaft Alignment| Verti-Zontal Process

By The VibrAlign Blog on September 20, 2017

The Fixturlaser NXA Pro has been selected as the laser shaft alignment tool to be used in the Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition at this year’s WorldSkills event, being held in Abu Dhabi on October 15-18. WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world championship of skills, will have participants from 77 countries who will be competing in 51 […]

condition monitoring| machinery vibration| maintenance reliability| Vibration Analysis| vibration sensor

By Stan Riddle on September 13, 2017

A vibration sensor (or accelerometer) measures vibration-simple, right?  But how and where you mount the sensor is CRITICAL to getting good information.  Here are some good tips to keep in mind. 1. Mount the sensor as close to the bearing location as you can safely do it. These sensors can measure vibration anywhere on the […]

Alignment tolerances| compressor frame flatness| equipment reliability| geometric measurement| Laser Shaft Alignment| maintenance reliability| Precision Shaft Alignment| specifications| tolerances

By Tom Shelton on September 7, 2017

Whether instructing a training class for precision shaft alignment or geometric measurements, the topic of machine specifications frequently comes up. Specifications such as shaft alignment tolerances, bolt torque values, frame or base flatness requirements and the frequency of verification of these specifications are typical of what is asked. There are general industry specifications such as […]

Alignment tolerances| condition monitoring| Fixturlaser GO Basic| ONEPROD Hawk| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Wills LaCrosse on August 30, 2017

Fire Pumps are a critical safety item in facilities across the world. Their purpose is to make sure a building has enough water pressure in case of a fire emergency. Of course, the hope is that they are never needed but if they are they need to perform reliably. Fire Pumps are typically tested on […]

condition monitoring| Laser Shaft Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| Vibration Analysis

By Mac MacCormack on August 24, 2017

One of the most enjoyable parts of precision shaft alignment training for me as a trainer, is the field portion. This provides the opportunity to build confidence that what the students learn in the classroom, really works in the field! In a recent Fixturlaser GO Basic class, the decision was made to align two recently […]

Balancing| machinery diagnostics| maintenance reliability| Precision Shaft Alignment| Vibration Analysis

By Michael Keohane on August 16, 2017

I read an interesting article in the June/July 17 issue of Uptime Magazine. It was titled “The Reliability Impact Within the P-F Curve” by Randy Riddell. Randy is the Reliability Manager for the SCA Barton Mill in Alabama. I encourage you to read the full article (https://reliabilityweb.com/articles/entry/the-reliability-impact-within-the-p-f-curve). The article includes the following graphic that I […]

Alignment Troubleshooting| Precision Shaft Alignment| soft foot| Verti-Zontal Process

By James Pekarek on August 9, 2017

In the precision shaft alignment business, we encounter all types of electric motors.  One type we come across are “Rolled Steel Frame” (RSF) motors.  These motors have a frame housing and feet that are made from mild, rolled steel.  They range from very small up to about 25hp.  They are common in many industries; however, […]

condition monitoring| machinery vibration| pump cavitaion| pump vibration| Vibration Analysis

By Stan Riddle on August 2, 2017

Most people who work on, or around pumps are familiar with the term “cavitation”.  It is often used as a catch all phrase for any flow-related vibration on pumps, and is often reported by vibration analysts when: Pump noise level is high, Pump vibration is erratic, with lots of “noise” in the spectrum. But there […]

"compressor alignment"| Laser Shaft Alignment| lubrication| Precision Shaft Alignment| Repeatability

By Mac MacCormack on July 26, 2017

We all have run into situations where things just aren’t working out the way we think they should. Kind of like not seeing the forest for the tree’s. Part of our profession as trainers at VibrAlign is fielding support calls when a client has questions or has reached the point of frustration where they just […]

"shaft alignment training"| aligning machinery| flexible couplings| misalignment| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Stan Riddle on July 20, 2017

I recently taught alignment training at a gas compression site.  These were sharp technicians, and they keep these large gas compressors in excellent shape.  We went out to check alignment between the engine and compressor.  It was great just as I expected, because compressing gas is their only product. So I asked if they had […]

Alignment tolerances| Fixturlaser EVO| Laser Shaft Alignment| pipe Strain| Verti-Zontal Process

By Brad Case on July 13, 2017

Have you ever struggled with a precision shaft alignment, even though you did everything right? (Preformed the pre-alignment steps, controlled backlash, etc., etc.) So, what was different? Maybe it was pipe strain. An alignment check of a new installation of a 40 HP, 3600 RPM motor/pump  revealed the vertical angular misalignment was 3.2 times the […]

"shaft alignment training"| Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| troubleshooting| Verti-Zontal Process

By Stan Riddle on June 28, 2017

A customer called me, extremely frustrated, because he could not get a good alignment.  “I’ve spent two hours trying to align this stupid pump!” he said.  He blamed the laser, the “cheap” pump his company had, the bad base, his bad trainer (me), and anything else that came to mind. I did not take it […]

Balancing| condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| ONEPROD Hawk| rotor unbalance| unbalance

By Stan Riddle on June 20, 2017

Electric motors are almost always well-balanced when they leave the motor manufacturer.  But occasionally, motor unbalance problems are picked up with vibration monitoring tools, such as the OneProd Hawk. Here are some easy troubleshooting methods to determine the cause of unbalance in the motor. An electric motor’s rotor, like any rotating mass, cannot become out […]