Basics of Centrifugal Pumps – Know Your Machines

Centrifugal pumps are common in industry. They are used to move various liquids from one place to another. This work is performed using a rotating pump wheel, or “impeller”, with a number of “vanes” on it. The wheel acts against the pump housing internals, which are either a volute or diffuser style, and produce the…

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Perspective

I don’t know about you, but in my nearly 45 years in industrial maintenance, there have been times when I felt stumped when trying to solve a problem. Sometimes you can just walk away and the solution comes to you while performing another task. Other times, a colleague or coworker may come along and have…

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Fixturlaser Laser Kit Tips

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…

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Why You Should Always Document Alignment Data

Documenting and saving alignment data is critical to being able to achieve repeatable shaft alignments. It also helps you maintain an effective predictive maintenance plan that will ensure your plant runs smoothly.  When a machine is experiencing a problem, it will save a lot of time if you can look back on recorded data from…

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Precision Maintenance in Data Centers

  The emergence of portable computers, the internet, and the ubiquity of portable smart devices has given rise to a new type of industry–the data center. A data center is simply a building used to house computer servers. While these servers may be used for many different types of data storage, their requirements for in-house…

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All about Couplings: Small but Significant Factors in Alignment

Couplings connect a driving shaft to a driven shaft. There are essentially two families of couplings: Rigid couplings Flexible couplings There are, of course, differentiations within these two types. Rigid couplings connect shafts so that the two shafts are essentially one continuous unit. Be advised that runout can be an issue when this kind of…

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The 5 Most Useful Shaft Alignment Apps–Download Today!

  Technology has made so many of our jobs easier, and this certainly includes the maintenance industry. One aspect of technology you should be taking advantage of if you are a maintenance foreman, team member, or technician is the many smartphone apps that exist to make your job easier and your plant more efficient. Below…

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What is the Difference between Unbalance and Runout?

Unbalance and runout are two terms that we hear frequently in the predictive maintenance community. Both unbalance and runout can be serious issues and need to be addressed to prevent inefficient functioning and damage to machines. Unbalance occurs due to corrosion, erosion of the fan wheel, or if a correction weight is removed. Runout occurs…

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3 Common Reasons for Shaft Alignment Frustrations

Achieving a perfect alignment can seem daunting at times, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right tools and if you know to look out for three common reasons for shaft alignment frustrations. Once you know these three factors, you can take the necessary steps to avoid them and/or correct them. The…

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Are Shims Causing a Soft Foot Issue?

One of the many things I love about my job is the numerous challenges we face during the field alignment portion of our Precision Shaft Alignment Training. Prior to the training, there were some repeatability issues when attempting to perform a precision alignment on this piece of equipment. One of the main causes of non-repeatability…

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You Can’t Perform Precision Alignment on Un-precise “Stuff”!

Alan Garbers with Johnson Controls International contacted me regarding an alignment problem, and asked for my advice.  Here is a condensed version of his email. A client rents portable chillers, and related equipment. They built a 125HP portable pump skid with a Bell & Gossett pump on a VFD. I was there to commission the…

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Stupid Questions

While on the road conducting precision shaft alignment training I run across a wide range of skill level. It is not uncommon to have a lot of questions. I like it when there are questions, that is usually an indication that the trainees are engaged. It is also not uncommon that a question starts with,…

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Three Major Contributors to Equipment Failure

Past maintenance & production issues found in the industrial or manufacturing environment are still prevalent even in today’s equipment reliability focus. The major contributors to equipment failure remain the same, misalignment, unbalance and assembly errors. Another is lubrication, Mr. Stan Riddle addressed this in one his blogs “Machinery Vibration Problems part 3 – Lubrication”. Let’s…

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Benefits of Machine Maintenance and Cleanliness

As technical trainers, we travel all over the country visiting factories, mills, power plants and refineries.  Just to mention a few.  We see and work on equipment of every type and size. From small 10 HP electric motors and pumps moving cooling water, to house sized engines turning generators that power our cities. Out of…

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