I recently received a support call from a nearby client, the issue was that the precision shaft alignment of a right-angle gear reducer to a line shaft was taking up to 12 hours (using another brand alignment tool) with little to no success. There are about a dozen of these units in this facility. This…
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Acoem USA has introduced the Runout Probe, an accessory device for the NXA Pro. I (as a jaded, grizzled old millwright-but a good “company man”) was outwardly excited. But inside, I thought, what’s the big deal? It’s an electronic dial indicator. That’s what I thought – until I took it for a test drive! I…
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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…
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This is an obvious statement and most of us know what happens when we do “ASSUME” with most things in life. However, we (The VibrAlign Trainers) see assumptions being made quite often during a precision shaft alignment. Several years ago, I read a book titled “A Millwright’s Guide to Motor/Pump Alignment” by Tommy “T-Hammer” Harlon…
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The Fixturlaser NXA Pro has been selected as the laser shaft alignment tool to be used in the Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition at this year’s WorldSkills event, being held in Abu Dhabi on October 15-18. WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world championship of skills, will have participants from 77 countries who will be competing in 51…
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Whether instructing a training class for precision shaft alignment or geometric measurements, the topic of machine specifications frequently comes up. Specifications such as shaft alignment tolerances, bolt torque values, frame or base flatness requirements and the frequency of verification of these specifications are typical of what is asked. There are general industry specifications such as…
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Fire Pumps are a critical safety item in facilities across the world. Their purpose is to make sure a building has enough water pressure in case of a fire emergency. Of course, the hope is that they are never needed but if they are they need to perform reliably. Fire Pumps are typically tested on…
Read MoreOne of the most enjoyable parts of precision shaft alignment training for me as a trainer, is the field portion. This provides the opportunity to build confidence that what the students learn in the classroom, really works in the field! In a recent Fixturlaser GO Basic class, the decision was made to align two recently…
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I read an interesting article in the June/July 17 issue of Uptime Magazine. It was titled “The Reliability Impact Within the P-F Curve” by Randy Riddell. Randy is the Reliability Manager for the SCA Barton Mill in Alabama. I encourage you to read the full article (https://reliabilityweb.com/articles/entry/the-reliability-impact-within-the-p-f-curve). The article includes the following graphic that I…
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In the precision shaft alignment business, we encounter all types of electric motors. One type we come across are “Rolled Steel Frame” (RSF) motors. These motors have a frame housing and feet that are made from mild, rolled steel. They range from very small up to about 25hp. They are common in many industries; however,…
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We all have run into situations where things just aren’t working out the way we think they should. Kind of like not seeing the forest for the tree’s. Part of our profession as trainers at VibrAlign is fielding support calls when a client has questions or has reached the point of frustration where they just…
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I recently taught alignment training at a gas compression site. These were sharp technicians, and they keep these large gas compressors in excellent shape. We went out to check alignment between the engine and compressor. It was great just as I expected, because compressing gas is their only product. So I asked if they had…
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A customer called me, extremely frustrated, because he could not get a good alignment. “I’ve spent two hours trying to align this stupid pump!” he said. He blamed the laser, the “cheap” pump his company had, the bad base, his bad trainer (me), and anything else that came to mind. I did not take it…
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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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Some people believe that precision laser shaft alignment has evolved to the point where pre-alignment steps, such as roughing in the alignment with a straightedge, are no longer needed. Well, quite frankly, those people are wrong! The reason for roughing in the alignment has little to do with how accurately the lasers/sensors measure. It has…
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