Acoem AT-400 Nominated for Plant Engineering's 2024 Product of the Year! Vote Now to Help Us Win

Repeatability vs. Desired Outcome in Shaft Alignment, Part 2

In my last post, we looked some reasons for non repeatable, or when “two plus two doesn’t equal four”. This time, let’s think about when we don’t get an expected or desired outcome when we shim and move. Think of it as when “two minus two doesn’t equal zero.” You may perform an alignment measurement,…

Read More

Proper Installation is Essential to Equipment Reliability

Performing precision shaft alignment correctly the first time is crucial to the longevity of your equipment and your long term cost savings. New installations suffer greatly from infant mortality rates if the proper installation procedures are not followed. Most common causes are lack of follow up on the essentials, such as proper foundation work, elevations,…

Read More

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BASE, PART 2

One of the biggest problems facing maintenance personnel in the shaft alignment business is the quality of the equipment base. Poor mounting base or platform construction will almost always result in machine movement. If the moveable machine (or the stationary) is not mounted to a solid platform capable of withstanding the weight of the equipment…

Read More

It’s All About The Base, Part 1

From the editor – The VibrAlign Trainers see many different machinery base designs and installations during the OJT portion of our training classes across America. Some bases are quite substantial while others are flimsy and actually downright horrible  Poor bases have a negative impact on rotating machinery reliability and can certainly be a cause of…

Read More

Repeatability vs. Desired Outcome in Precision Shaft Alignment, Part 1

When mechanics align rotating machinery, they expect two outcomes. One, they expect their alignment values to be repeatable. Two, they expect shimming and moving machinery to produce a desired outcome-namely, to be in tolerance. In this paper, we’ll discuss repeatability, which is, performing the same measurement twice, and getting the same results. If alignment results…

Read More

Do You Have Bar Sag?

I’m not referring to what happens after you have had too many adult beverages at your favorite watering hole! I’m referring to the bars that holds your rim dial indicator(s) when performing a precision shaft alignment. Bar sag also called rod sag needs to be compensated for, should it occur, otherwise you are introducing a…

Read More

Proper Coupling Application, Installation and Maintenance

Precision maintenance personnel ensure that rotating machinery is aligned well beyond excellent shaft alignment tolerances, but overlook other crucial elements that affect the operation of the machines. One of these elements is the coupling. The coupling is where the “handshake” between the driver and driven machine takes place. The coupling assures consistent power transfer and…

Read More

Precision Troubleshooting

In my nearly 38 years of industrial maintenance, I have had the opportunity to work on high speed precision machinery. Most often this is highly automated equipment with photo eyes that determine which function needs to occur for the next sequence. After a few instances of frustration, I found that most often when a particular…

Read More

Performing Alignment Checks as Part of Your Preventive Maintenance.

A systematic preventive maintenance plan is crucial to the operation and reliability of rotating equipment in factories and power plants. In addition any building or company that has HVAC equipment, water and sewer systems or hydraulic systems requires people with good mechanical skills to keep the rotating machinery running. Most preventive maintenance programs include pump…

Read More

Why Can’t I Just Use My Straight Edge?!

Recently, I was at NC State University observing one of our training classes. This question came up in the beginning of the class by one of the students, and I’m sure this question comes across a lot of people’s minds when they consider making an investment in laser or dial indicator precision shaft alignment tools.…

Read More

I Completed a Precision Shaft Alignment & the Vibration Level Increased!

During the field portion of a recent training class vibration readings were taken before and after the precision shaft alignment of a pump and motor. This was done with a hand held vibration meter with a single plane accelerometer. The readings were approximately as follows: Motor NDE V-.07, H-.07, A-.11. Motor DE    V-.07 H-.07 Pump…

Read More

Pry Bars, Sledge Hammers and Come Alongs – Oh MY!

Precision alignment of rotating equipment is a task which requires precision. Those of us who perform this task are asked to position big, heavy machines to tolerances often less than the thickness of a human hair. The measuring tools used to perform shaft alignment are quite capable of successfully showing us how to position these…

Read More

Is Precision Shaft Alignment Really Worth the Time?

Check out Stan Riddle’s article that appears in the July issue of EPnews that is published by our friends at Empowering Pumps.   http://empoweringpumps.com/is-precision-shaft-alignment-really-worth-the-time/?utm_campaign=Empowering+Pumps&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20410553&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8wDAT0u6imImafDL0h66xtUJrPlUp3asbpte8HTcflZB1DHqU1-TWloPcXHoBv71NTWae9KWqOQ0kprU2t58atzGdYaA&_hsmi=20410553

Read More

Precision Alignment of Machines Installed on an Incline

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 More

Where is the Center of the Coupling?

During 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…

Read More