There are many pump types, sizes and applications. Positive displacement: gear, screw, progressive cavity, lobe, peristaltic, diaphragm, Velocity: radial & axial flow, mixed flow, educator, etc. With all the various pump types, sizes and applications it would be quite the feat to list the exact cost for each one in this blog. I will leave…
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Occasionally industrial machinery is not level relative to earth, but is designed to operate on an angle. Those angles can be: • Driver High • Driver Low • Angled to the left or right (as viewed from one end) Regardless of the orientation, these machines can be effectively and easily aligned with any Fixturlaser Shaft…
Read MoreDuring a precision laser shaft alignment, we measure the setup dimensions and input these into the Fixturlaser Laser System Display Unit. The requisite dimensions are Stationary Sensor to Movable Sensor, coupling center to M Sensor, M Sensor to movable inboard foot, and foot to foot on the moveable machine. One dimension that shaft aligners occasionally…
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In a previous blog article by Patrick Lawrence “Was Softfoot the Problem” before and after vibration spectrums were taken and the results post precision shaft alignment were remarkable! Apart from contributing to higher vibration levels, misalignment has another adverse effect, increased motor loads! I wanted to find a cause and effect case study that would…
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While on the road for VibrAlign ReAligning America, we trainers encounter similar issues at every facility where we conduct our Shaft Alignment Best Practices Training. During our training classes we ask the students what are some of the “pains” that they have regarding the precision shaft alignments that they have attempted in the past. The…
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For precision shaft alignment, nothing beats a good laser alignment tool. But the best of tools can have errors, or not even work at all, if the Sensors (detectors) can’t “see” the laser beams! We received a customer support call, and the aligner stated that his laser alignment tool wasn’t repeating. This is a rare…
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During the OJT portion of a Fixturlaser NXA Pro training class, at a power plant, the students asked me to allow them to perform the precision laser shaft alignment of a 75 HP electric motor to pump without interrupting them or offering any advice. I obliged and let them go on their way. The first…
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I frequently hear statements similar to these in training classes: We just straightedge it in, and align it when we have an outage. Don’t be so picky. It IS a flexible coupling. They won’t give me time to align it properly. My answers are something along these lines: I doubt they’ll let you go back…
Read MoreA shaft alignment tolerance is simply that – an allowable, minimal amount of misalignment. There are many different tolerance tables for shaft alignment. At VibrAlign, we have a good alignment tolerance, based on many years of experience and engineering. Other alignment tools have their own tolerance tables. Many technical and trade organizations have their alignment…
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Certain types of flexible couplings are designed to have looseness creating coupling backlash. Even when installed correctly! Looseness from coupling backlash, if not controlled, will have a negative effect on measurement quality by increasing measurement error and the amount of time it takes to do a precision shaft alignment. So, how can coupling backlash be…
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Efficiency is a critical element in today’s maintenance environment. In every aspect of maintenance, the right tools are necessary to complete a job quickly and efficiently. When performing precision shaft alignments in the field, there are tools that are typical to almost every job. Aside from the tools that are included in the case with…
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During a recent Fixturlaser XA Pro training class, at a Texas petrochemical plant, we were performing an alignment on a 25 HP, 3600 RPM electric motor & water pump. At first the class was having a little trouble bringing the alignment into the 3600 tolerance due to two separate issues. The first was severe vibration…
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VibrAlign’s Shaft Alignment Training is the best in the industry. We not only train maintenance personnel on how to use our tools – we teach alignment! Lots of it! We teach correcting soft foot, bolt bound problems, pipe strain, coupling problems – real world stuff. Our training staff has about one hundred combined years of…
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A recent Fixturlaser GO Basic Training class performed a field alignment on a 100 HP, 3 Phase, 5600 RPM electric motor coupled to a crude oil pump in a refinery. The class decided it would be permissible to use the 3600 RPM setting in GO Basic active tolerance table, which is +/- 0.5 mils/1” angular…
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Stainless steel shims are now the standard for use in shimming machinery when preforming a precision laser or dial indicator shaft alignment. They are clean, corrosion resistant, flat, and most importantly, pre-cut. Their use speeds up the alignment process significantly. However, it is very important to measure the thickness of a shim before using it.…
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