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,…
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A question often asked during our training classes is how to deal with base bound and/or bolt bound conditions when performing a precision shaft alignment on rotating machinery. Base Bound and Bolt Bound Conditions Base bound is the vertical condition that occurs when the moveable machine needs to be lowered but is “bound” by…
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Most aligners are familiar with a bolt bound situation, which occurs when the motor cannot be moved enough to achieve proper horizontal alignment. A base bound condition occurs when a motor cannot be lowered sufficiently to achieve proper vertical alignment. Here is an example. During a customer’s recent pump replacement, the motor was left in…
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Many blogs have been written about what it means to be either base-bound or bolt-bound and how to correct the situation. I want to write again about it because I encounter this frustration scenario in almost every training class. I am surprised by how many millwright/mechanics (including myself) can get so wrapped up in the…
Read MoreI love my job, I love conducting precision shaft alignment training at various facilities across this great country and interacting with industrial maintenance technicians that have suffered through or are suffering through the same issues I did. I love proving over and over again that the VibrAlign method of precision shaft alignment is the best…
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As any of the Vibralign trainers can attest, more often than not, when going out into the field on day two of a training class our clients want to perform a shaft alignment on their biggest challenge. When conducting training at a Waste Water Treatment facility, the decision was made to perform a precision shaft…
Read MoreOn numerous occasions I have witnessed brand new pump skids where the electric motor was already bolt bound. Bolt bound is common in all industries. While conducting the field alignment portion of a precision shaft alignment training class at a chemical plant in southeastern Georgia, I had the opportunity to witness innovation at work to…
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I recently took a call from a customer at a coal-fired power plant in Arkansas. He was performing a precision laser shaft alignment of a 450 HP, 1750 RPM electric motor coupled by a fluid drive coupling to a gearbox on a coal conveyor. Similar to the one pictured above. This conveyor is one of…
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Base-bound and bolt-bound problems do not need to be the end of your machine alignment. It just means the original rotational centerline of the stationary machine we want the movable machine to be co-linear with isn’t a practical solution. Most of the high-end laser alignment systems today have some kind of calculator to show alternate…
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As alignment professionals we all want to do the right thing and perform the best shaft alignment possible; however there may be a time when you have to choose and knowingly leave a machine slightly misaligned for the short-term until other corrections can be made to the equipment to get it to an “alignable” condition.…
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If you align machinery for a living then more than likely you have encountered machines that are base-bound or bolt-bound. Base-bound is when the movable machine has to be lowered and there are either too few or no shims under the movable machine feet to accomplish the vertical alignment. Bolt-bound is when the movable machine…
Read MoreWell the cat is out of the bag…… we have a new product! Meet the new Go Pro Attached here is the official press release from VibrAlign. Go Pro is a wireless and color screen shaft alignment laser that also features the new Verti-Zontal compound move. Check back here in the next few days for…
Read MoreIn the past, maintenance mechanics learned alignment through apprenticeship programs or by working with other experienced maintenance mechanics. Some were taught in-house through training programs or through local community colleges. Many of these eventually moved up into manager or supervisor positions and brought with them a good understanding of aligning machinery. In today’s environment, this…
Read MoreA basic alignment class consists of one and a half days of work. Yes, there is real work involved. The first day is in class working on alignment demonstrators and covering topics like pre-alignment, colinear shafts, base-bound/bolt-bound solutions, etc. It’s a controlled environment to learn the concepts and ask questions. Less of the ‘buttonology’ (learning how to…
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