Time is a commodity maintenance personnel typically have in short supply. We hear quite often, in our on-site Shaft Alignment Best Practices training classes, “………. doesn’t give us enough time for a proper shaft alignment”. So how can maintenance personnel get more time for shaft alignment? Stop wasting it! I had the pleasure of working…
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A VibrAlign customer recently called, stating they were having repeatability problems with aligning a small motor to gearbox to pump. After some phone conversation, I asked if they could send me photos of the machine, and the discrepancy in the measurements. After seeing them, I knew what the problem was. Machines with small diameter…
Read MoreThis question comes up frequently in our Shaft Alignment Best Practices training classes. The result screens below both show two different aligned machines meeting 3600 tolerances. The question is; is one better than the other? There has been a lot of discussion about this very topic. The theories are abundant and points of view…
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A recent NXA Pro training class performed an alignment check of a winch driven by an 80 HP, 1800 RPM, DC electric motor with a gear style coupling. The initial results revealed a misaligned machine, with a vertical angularity over 13 times the tolerance of 0.7mils/1” (1.0 mil = .001”), vertical offset six times tolerance…
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Proactive Maintenance includes a number of maintenance strategies, such as Precision Maintenance, Reliability Based Maintenance, Reliability Centered Maintenance, and Root Cause Failure Analysis. The idea is to anticipate and solve problems before they become problems. Reliability Centered maintenance would begin with a study done on a piece of equipment to gain understanding of all its…
Read MoreAt VibrAlign, we are in the precision maintenance business. Our tools, our training, and our people, are all about precision maintenance. While teaching the field alignment portion of our shaft alignment training, at a customer site, we went out to align a particularly troublesome pump. They didn’t think they were getting the life…
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When training clients to use VibrAlign’s Verti-Zontal Alignment Process we show taking the 3rd measurement at a horizontal position, typically at 3 o’clock. This is simply for expediency and is NOT a requirement as Fixturlaser Shaft Alignment Systems can take measurements at any position due to the inclinometers in M & S sensors. If possible…
Read MoreA common misbelief that occasionally comes up in our precision shaft alignment training classes is that, elastomer insert flexible couplings are designed to allow misalignment between rotating machinery shafts. This is not the case. Although this type of coupling may be more forgiving to the effects of misalignment, they are definitely not intended to be…
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As a Millwright, Service Technician or any type of field or in-house Mechanic, we understand there is one main goal that we have in common, which is to keep the equipment running. This includes repairing and minimizing downtime in the event of an unpredicted failure or breakdown. Although it’s important to make repairs and perform…
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Millwrights and mechanics know the benefits of using jack bolts to precisely control the horizontal position of the movable machine when performing a precision shaft alignment. However, we also see the tendency to tighten the jack bolts, on both sides of the movable machine, either before or after tightening the hold down bolts. Tightening jack…
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Proper use of any tool is essential to success in achieving your desired goal. Many tools have optional configurations to adapt that tool to your needs. Fixturlaser Precision Alignment Systems are no different. The alignment tools produced by Acoem/Fixturlaser are second to none in ease of use. The Acoem AB design engineers do all they…
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Most aligners are familiar with a bolt bound situation, which occurs when the motor cannot be moved enough to achieve proper horizontal alignment. A base bound condition occurs when a motor cannot be lowered sufficiently to achieve proper vertical alignment. Here is an example. During a customer’s recent pump replacement, the motor was left in…
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Over the years we have fielded several technical support calls from maintenance personnel having repeatability and soft foot issues (during an alignment) all of which had a common issue; other influences. Meaning not the typical looseness, coupling backlash, soft foot issues. During the “heat of the battle” to get the precision shaft alignment job finished…
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Performing Precision Shaft Alignments on Cooling Towers present a unique set of challenges. A recent job is typical of what I find. We were originally called out because on three cooling towers the motors were experiencing high vibration. Some of the challenges include: 1 – Access through shrouds 2 – Ladders often required to gain…
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If you have not heard of VibrAlign’s Realigning America Seminar Series, you should. We have been hosting these seminars since 2013 focused on bringing alignment fundamentals to our industrial clientele in a short, half day, free educational event. Since its inception, these programs which evolve to meet customer needs, have been to roughly 90 venues…
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