Aligning a “Bouncy” Motor!

  In recent years many new gas processing plants have been built to keep up with the demand for natural gas. Some of the process equipment for these plants are constructed on “modular skids” which are simply set in place, on the ground, then the piping is connected. During a recent training class, at a…

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Don’t Be Tempted!

Often the OJT portion of our training classes begins with an alignment check of a rotating piece of machinery in the client’s facility. This comes after numerous alignments in the classroom, on the training fixtures, performed by the attendees. They are then ready to apply their skills learned on the classroom training equipment in their…

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Using the Verti-Zontal Process on Wind Turbines with Adjustable Chocks

  Precision shaft alignment of wind turbine generators mounted on adjustable chocks is as straightforward as when aligning rotating machinery mounted on chocks down at ground level. In the case of a recent NXA Training Class in a Vestas V82 we knew before going up-tower that one revolution of the adjustable chocks equals 1mm. Also,…

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Just Get It Running, We’ll Fix It Later!

  Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I personally have heard this over the years. I am sure many of you have as well. The issue is, scheduled downtime seems to be put on the back burner so to speak, to meet production goals. And as it has become all too familiar,…

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Rolled Steel Frame Electric Motors

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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Pipe Strain Was the Issue

Have you ever struggled with a precision shaft alignment, even though you did everything right? (Preformed the pre-alignment steps, controlled backlash, etc., etc.) So, what was different? Maybe it was pipe strain. An alignment check of a new installation of a 40 HP, 3600 RPM motor/pump  revealed the vertical angular misalignment was 3.2 times the…

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The Cure for Alignment Frustration!

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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When an Alignment Check Turns into Starting from the Beginning.

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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Why and How to Measure in Clock Method

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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ReAligning America Seminar Teams up with Partner Calhoun Community College

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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Sensor Mounting

Every tool in your toolbox has a specific function and certain parameters of use to achieve a desired outcome. When you pull out a claw hammer, your intent is to drive or pull a nail. Pull out a ball peen hammer, it is still a hammer, however the use and outcome is different. You may…

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The Three T’s

I have been in industrial maintenance longer than I have not. A portion of that time was spent in Maintenance Management. One lesson I learned was, that in order for a team leader (or company as a whole) to be successful, the entire team needs to be successful. I tend to simplify things, maybe to…

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Bolt Holes – Size matters!

I was asked to help a customer align a 500HP Motor / Blower.  The new motor came in on a skid, was lifted into place with a crane, new electrical boxes fitted and coupling put into place.  Now the easy part, the precision shaft alignment! We took two sets of measurements which repeated.  Made one…

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X, Y, & Z Axis. Does the Z Axis Affect Shaft Alignment?

Does the z axis affect alignment? In short, no it does not. There are aspects of the z axis that could affect the running of a machine, but rotational shaft alignment is not of them. What is the z axis? The X and Y axes are references to horizontal and vertical planes respectively.  With regard…

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