A customer called me recently with concerns about a pump alignment job he completed about six months earlier. He had checked the alignment again and found that the alignment values changed. He was concerned that he had done something wrong. I explained to him that he was performing the alignment correctly, however, the machine could have moved. How? He asked. Good question!
We have several times discussed the differences between coupling alignment tolerances and precision shaft alignment tolerances. As stated in those text the coupling manufacture’s tolerances are for the coupling. As maintenance professionals we are concerned with the coupling, however we are more concerned with the bearings in the machines.
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, as there are 6 holes in the chocks, we calculated that the hole t
If possible we want to have the sensors in a horizontal plane when the live screen is activated so the sensors are in position to monitor the horizontal correction. For rotating machines with large mass or that are difficult to position precisely, this may be time consuming and/or not possible.
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 personally, because I’ve been there too! I listened to his frustrations, and let him vent. And
I had the pleasure of working with the maintenance team at a South Carolina manufacturing plant that had an outstanding alignment kit they rolled out to every alignment job.
We recently received a customer request about shim safety. An employee at the customer site had experienced a “near miss” safety issue due to walking too closely to a machine, and getting their clothes caught against a shim. Since I have a scar on my right thumb caused by a 3 mil shim, I thought a discussion on shim safety might be in order!
Shims do three things:
Change the elevation of
By Brad Case on January 25, 2017 Vibralign
When training clients to use Fixturlasers 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 we
Published by vibralign.com
Belt Alignment
Belt alignment, or more accurately sheave alignment, is the process of achieving proper radial and axial alignment of the centerlines of sheave grooves, onto which belts run. Historically, belt or sheave alignment has not been considered a major concern in maintenance, due to belt costs being relatively small. How
Verti-Zontal Move is a shaft alignment process to allow the aligner to make both vertical and horizontal alignment corrections with a single measurement, or spin of the shafts. It’s touted as making shaft alignments faster and more accurate.
But here’s what it means to me – it makes shaft alignment EASIER!
If I can roll the shafts only two times – once to measure and correct, and one