Vibralign Blog

"machine train"| Extruder Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Mac MacCormack on November 6, 2019

For the field portion of a recent training class, the decision was made to check the alignment on a plastic extruder. At first glance, checking the alignment of the motor shaft to gearbox input shaft is pretty straightforward. However, the output side of the gearbox had two shafts, so maybe this is not so straightforward. […]

condition monitoring| machinery diagnostics| Precision Shaft Alignment| Vibration Analysis

By Mac MacCormack on July 16, 2019

I read that Albert Einstein once said, “I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know where to find it when I need it.” If one did some research, that may not necessarily be true. However, if a question comes up, it’s always helpful to have resources to refer to. When it comes […]

non-repeatability| Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| Repeatability

By Brad Case on May 30, 2019

During a recent training class at the facility of a client who had their initial Shaft Alignment Best Practices training class 5 years prior, I found out none of the previous class attendees were still in maintenance. The “new” guys never had anyone show them the proper use of their laser and most had no […]

Job Safety| Precision Shaft Alignment

By James Pekarek on April 9, 2019

Over the past few years I have had training classes for the maintenance personnel at several ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains. These are some of the most memorable training trips I have had.  But apart from the beauty of these areas, there is one downside for some: the high altitude.  These resorts are typically […]

bar sag| flexible couplings| Machinery maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Steve Gordon on March 27, 2019

Some things just don’t pass the “eye test”.  Your eyes are actually great tools for seeing things that are not straight, not plumb, not level (pictures hanging on a wall for example), not right.  Many times, just by looking at a coupling you can tell “it’s not aligned”, and you are usually correct. Visual Inspection: […]

backlash| coupling backlash| non-repeatability| Precision Shaft Alignment| Repeatability

By Mac MacCormack on March 21, 2019

Although we have many excellent blogs on the cause of non-repeatability, or more commonly known as frustration when attempting a precision shaft alignment, this issue continues to come up nearly every training session I conduct. And the number one cause? Not controlling backlash or looseness. All the trainers teach this and VibrAlign has a very […]

"Hot Check"| Hot Alignment Check| Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| VibrAlign Training

By Tom Shelton on March 7, 2019

One question that arises regularly in training is about doing alignment checks. Is it okay to just check the alignment? Of course, it is. As a matter of fact, many industries have dedicated crews to specifically do alignment checks. The major difference is no equipment is moved, just measured. We lockout, remove guards, install the […]

"jacking bolts"| horizontal alignment| jack bolts| Precision Shaft Alignment| push bolts

By Mac MacCormack on January 16, 2019

A common source of frustration during the precision alignment process is, how can we make a controlled move when making the horizontal adjustment? We trainers often hear our clients say they don’t have jacking bolts, or pushers, etc. There have been numerous excellent blogs written on the subject of jack bolts. Pry bars, sledge hammers […]

Balancing| Machinery maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment| shims| soft foot| Vibration Analysis

By VibrAlign Author on January 7, 2019

As you may have noticed if you follow VibrAlign’s social media accounts, we have been going through “Maintenance Tip Mondays” for the past couple months. This is a fun opportunity to hear from our experienced technical trainers as they share the top tips and tricks they have learned over the years in the field and […]

"shaft alignment tools"| Laser Alignment tools| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Tom Shelton on December 20, 2018

Preparation is the key to efficiency. Having an appropriate selection of tools and necessary supplies on hand will make a precision shaft alignment fast, accurate and easy. One way to do this is to have a dedicated alignment cart or job/work box. Some facilities are not conducive to the little casters on some carts, so […]

"c-face motor"| Alignment tolerances| looseness| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Tom Shelton on November 20, 2018

This is as much a title for a blog as it is a question. One our Technical Trainers once stated that to align rotating machinery, they must first be alignable. What is meant in part by this is that when we have a collinear tolerance of 0.5mil /1” angularity and 2.0 mils offset, the machines […]

"vertical shaft alignment"| Fixturlaser EVO| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Mac MacCormack on November 14, 2018

This month marks my 41st year of being involved in industrial maintenance. Early on during my apprenticeship in a machine shop, as an outside machinist, I thought living long enough to know everything was not going to be possible. Even now I am reminded of this from time to time. I am also reminded that […]

Alignment tolerances| Precision Shaft Alignment| shaft alignment tolerances| tolerances

By Tom Shelton on October 15, 2018

VibrAlign and Fixturlaser have done what we can to make the precision shaft alignment process quicker and easier for the end user of our tools. To assist maintenance personnel during an alignment a tolerance table “pops up” on the display unit screen (of our tools) when entering dimensions for the machines being aligned. The tolerances […]

"jacking bolts"| hold down bolts| jack bolts| Precision Maintenance| Precision Shaft Alignment| push bolts

By Tom Shelton on September 20, 2018

Correct fastener torque is important for proper assembly of rotating machinery components to machine bases. Proper torque insures that the fastener will perform as designed. This will in turn help your machine to perform as designed. Hold down bolts and jacking bolts are typically manipulated while performing a precision shaft alignment. These are often the […]

"torque wrench"| aligning machinery| bolt torque| hold down bolts| maintenance reliability| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Tom Shelton on June 27, 2018

One of the most under-rated procedures of the precision shaft alignment process is the TIGHTENING SEQUENCE of the hold down bolts on the movable machine. Also, tightening the bolts to proper torque specifications is many times considered unnecessary and is just not typically done. Tightening sequence and proper bolt torque are critical to the performance […]