Vibralign Blog

"shaft alignment"| condition monitoring| data centers| Machinery maintenance

By VibrAlign Author on May 3, 2019

  The emergence of portable computers, the internet, and the ubiquity of portable smart devices has given rise to a new type of industry–the data center. A data center is simply a building used to house computer servers. While these servers may be used for many different types of data storage, their requirements for in-house […]

condition monitoring| OneProd Falcon| OneProd Nest| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on February 28, 2019

Sometimes machines need to be added to a route that is already established. This is quite easy to do in the Nest. After you have collected all the pertinent information including machine name, RPM and horsepower (at a minimum) go into your Nest home screen and select “set up machine”. Once into machine set up […]

condition monitoring| OneProd Falcon| pump vibration| seal failures| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on December 13, 2018

Taking the ONEPROD Falcon to the field is a big part of the 2-day training we provide on our entire Falcon line of condition monitoring tools. When we go to the field we always find interesting issues to analyze and discuss. A recent check of a centrifugal pump yielded one of those issues. The pump […]

condition monitoring| looseness| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| OneProd Falcon| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on November 2, 2018

A common vibration signature on equipment is looseness. There are two types of looseness: structural/fastener, fit between rotating components. For this discussion, we will focus on structural and fastener looseness.  Typically, it is highly directional, occurs at 1xRPM, and will look similar to this spectrum. In this case, the vibration was confined to the vertical […]

condition monitoring| machinery vibration| maintenance reliability| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on September 13, 2018

Accelerometers by nature are sensitive tools. This sensitivity is heavily influenced by how the sensor is mounted. Standard accelerometers are mounted several ways based on need and application. Typical route-based data collecting will be done with a rare earth magnet. The magnet can be either flat or a two-pole type. This provides good data with […]

condition monitoring| rotating machinery| unbalance

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

We often hear about how to correct unbalance in rotating machinery, but to correct unbalance, it is first necessary to accurately diagnose what type of unbalance your machine is experiencing so that you can take the proper action to correct the problem. In this post, we will go over the three types of unbalance you […]

condition monitoring| efficiency| predictive maintenance

By VibrAlign Author on September 4, 2018

As the resurgence of manufacturing and processing in America continues, the requirements on all of us to do more with less will only grow more important in order to reach the needed profitability goals. Combine this downward pressure with the diversity of today’s plants and their mechanical components, and the overwhelming gap of skilled workers […]

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 […]

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 […]

condition monitoring| Fixturlaser Smart Machine Checker| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| SMC

By James Pekarek on March 13, 2018

When using the Fixturlaser Smart Machine Checker (SMC) or any of VibrAlign’s Condition Monitoring Tools, there are typically only two variables you need to know for an accurate diagnosis of your machine.  You need the horsepower of the motor and the correct rotating speed.  This information will usually be stamped on the motor data plate.  […]

"soft foot"| angled soft foot| bearing failures| condition monitoring| Machinery Bases| machinery vibration| Pump Bases

By Tim Sorensen on February 12, 2018

It’s no joke that many machines operate with high levels of vibration due to soft foot.  These same machines often have a decreased life span due to this condition. Soft foot is a condition that should be eliminated during the precision shaft alignment process, if you’re performing proper alignments at all.  This condition can manifest […]

"precision alignment"| aligning machinery| condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| machinery vibration| ONEPROD Hawk| Precision Shaft Alignment| Vibration Analysis

By Stan Riddle on October 26, 2017

One of the hallmarks of a good maintenance technician is the ability to troubleshoot – not just using vibration tools, or volt meters, or laptops with Ethernet plug-ins, but the ability to troubleshoot machinery in their minds.  In other words, the ability to visualize what the problem might be. “Fix the easy things first” is […]

condition monitoring| equipment reliability| maintenance reliability| reliability| Vibration Analysis

By Chris Troutt on October 18, 2017

A hype man in rap and hip hop supports the primary rappers with exclamations and interjections, and attempts to increase the audience’s excitement. Emmanuel C. M. says, “the hype man is essential to a live performance. He is an integral piece to the whole show.  It’s his job to be the support for the performer, give the performer energy […]

bearing defect detecion| bearing failures| condition monitoring| gear defect detection| gear failures| machinery vibration| Vibration Analysis

By Tim Sorensen on October 12, 2017

Bearing defect factor is a culmination of two technologies used for shock detection.  DEF is designed as an indicator for bearing defect detection, but can also be valuable in the detection of gear defects. Why is DEF significant? In the following data set are displayed Overall Vibration Velocity, Overall Acceleration, and Defect Factor.  The Overall […]

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 […]