Vibralign Blog

"shaft alignment training"| Fixturlaser NXA Pro| Precision Shaft Alignment| RT-300

By Stan Riddle on June 29, 2020

  We get asked a multitude of questions in our training classes, which we appreciate.  But a few questions pop up almost every time.  Here are some of our most common questions and answers. QUESTION:  Sometimes on small machines, I don’t have enough room on the shaft to mount the laser.  Can I mount it […]

"shaft alignment training"| Precision Shaft Alignment| Precision Maintenance| ACOEM VibrAlign Training

By John Pasko on June 17, 2020

  Often times customers ask the question how can we keep it going? “How can I continue to train my technicians with the principles they learned in your class?” Craftsmen and women often admit we don’t perform precision shaft alignments often enough to keep our skills current. To this I say recycle! One of the […]

"soft foot"| "c-face motor"| Precision Shaft Alignment| Flexible base

By Tom Shelton on April 21, 2020

    Here is another example of the complexity of completing a precision shaft alignment on a flexible base. Some industries use pump skids that are moved to different areas of a plant for various reasons. Whether they exist to save money, allow for quick removal or process changes, the flexibility of these types of […]

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

By Brad Case on April 16, 2020

During several recent technical support calls, regarding the Fixturlaser Laser Kit, the clients asked the same questions about the LEDs on the sensors and several warnings that pop-up on the display. Others may have the same questions, so I thought it worthwhile to discuss here. S & M Sensor LEDs: The amber LEDs illuminate when […]

coupling alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| Coupling Values| "coupling tolerance"

By VibrAlign Author on March 24, 2020

  In power transmission, a coupling is a device used to connect a driving machine, such as a motor, engine, or turbine, to a driven machine, such as a fan, pump, compressor, or other machine. There are numerous styles of couplings, each with specific design characteristics, that make them suitable for their respective applications. All […]

machinery diagnostics| Precision Shaft Alignment| Pre-Alignment

By Mike Arnold on March 4, 2020

ACOEM-VibrAlign has shared over 100 separate blog posts and over 1 million YouTube views on Pre-Alignment. Thus, we can all agree it is an important topic and the key to a successful precision shaft alignment job. No matter if you are using a Straight Edge, Dial Indicators, or the latest and greatest Laser Shaft Alignment […]

Precision Maintenance| precut shims| Precision Shaft Alignment| shims

By John Pasko on February 20, 2020

Years ago, an automotive oil filter company’s ad campaign, capitalized on the phrase “pay me now, or pay me later”. The premise was that you could pay less upfront for an inferior oil filter, and then pay again because the oil filter would fail, and your vehicle’s engine would require an overhaul. Or, you could […]

the validity rule| "repeatability"| Precision Shaft Alignment

By Michael Keohane on February 5, 2020

The validity rule is an important concept in precision shaft alignment. It can be used to confirm that your readings are accurate and is why we don’t have to rotate a full 360 degrees in order to get accurate alignment information. Here is a previous blog post with an embedded video that discusses dial indicator […]

"machine train"| Precision Shaft Alignment| Extruder Alignment

By VibrAlign Author 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. […]

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

By VibrAlign Author 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 […]

Pre-Alignment| Precision Shaft Alignment| Repeatability| non-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 […]

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

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: […]

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

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

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 […]