Machines vibrate for lots of different reasons-some good, others not so good. Over the next few months, we are going to write about some of the most common machinery vibration…
Read MoreMachines vibrate for lots of different reasons-some good, others not so good. Over the next few months, we are going to write about some of the most common machinery vibration…
Read MoreMost Fixturlaser alignment tools have detectors in the sensors that can measure a change of position up to 30mm (over 1 inch). In most instances, this is more than enough…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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A dowel pin, in its simplest form, is a hardened steel shaft, usually very short, and can be straight or tapered. It is often used in machinery for: Precise locating…
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A reader of our blog posted a comment stating that he could not cut a step shim to correct for angular soft foot, since it was not permitted in API…
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To the casual observer, precision shaft alignment of large machinery may look like “grunt work” a task that only requires a strong back. But those of us who perform shaft…
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For precision shaft alignment, nothing beats a good laser alignment tool. But the best of tools can have errors, or not even work at all, if the Sensors (detectors) can’t…
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A coupling alignment tolerance and a shaft alignment tolerance are different things – VERY different things! A Coupling Alignment Tolerance is often (but not always) the maximum amount of misalignment…
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Simply stated, a machine train is when three or more machine components are coupled together, acting as one. Machine train alignment can sometimes be a complicated task. Some laser alignment…
Read MoreEquipment rooms can sometimes have numerous machines running all at once-side by side. Often, technicians are required to perform a precision alignment next to a machine which is running. The…
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After 34 years, aligning a few thousand machines, teaching millwright training for a technical college, and being an instructor for VibrAlign, I sometimes think that no alignment challenge can beat…
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I frequently hear statements similar to these in training classes: We just straightedge it in, and align it when we have an outage. Don’t be so picky. It IS a…
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