With the introduction of the OneProd Hawk in April of 2015, VibrAlign shed light on the idea that the future of Machinery Diagnostics was about to get easier; That you can achieve a second level diagnosis on any machine without help from a professional vibration analyst. It just took a tool that empowers mechanics to…
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James Pekarek, one of our trainers, wrote a blog entitled “Performing Alignment Checks as Part of Your Preventive Maintenance”. https://acoem.us/shaft-alignment/performing-alignment-checks-part-preventive-maintenance/ It is a great article, and good advice. I recently shared this blog post, and the advice, with a customer of ours. Here’s why. I taught a training class at a large water plant in…
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When performing vibration analysis, it is observed that machines with VFD drives have a more frequent occurrence for changing motor bearings. If you’ve been diligent in the installation and maintenance of these machines, ensuring the alignment and balance are within specification and the bearings are properly lubricated, but still have frequent bearing failures, it may…
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Acoem USA has introduced the Runout Probe, an accessory device for the NXA Pro. I (as a jaded, grizzled old millwright-but a good “company man”) was outwardly excited. But inside, I thought, what’s the big deal? It’s an electronic dial indicator. That’s what I thought – until I took it for a test drive! I…
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For years, vibration analysts have depended upon the ISO Vibration Severity Chart for the determination of machinery health. Typically, this chart provides a level of certainty that would allow the analyst to look at the vibration levels, and if acceptable, move onto the next machine for analysis. Some defects are determined in the waveform…
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One of the hallmarks of a good maintenance technician is the ability to troubleshoot – not just using vibration tools, or volt meters, or laptops with Ethernet plug-ins, but the ability to troubleshoot machinery in their minds. In other words, the ability to visualize what the problem might be. “Fix the easy things first” is…
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Bearing defect factor is a culmination of two technologies used for shock detection. DEF is designed as an indicator for bearing defect detection, but can also be valuable in the detection of gear defects. Why is DEF significant? In the following data set are displayed Overall Vibration Velocity, Overall Acceleration, and Defect Factor. The Overall…
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This is an obvious statement and most of us know what happens when we do “ASSUME” with most things in life. However, we (The VibrAlign Trainers) see assumptions being made quite often during a precision shaft alignment. Several years ago, I read a book titled “A Millwright’s Guide to Motor/Pump Alignment” by Tommy “T-Hammer” Harlon…
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A customer was experiencing high levels of vibration on one of the HVAC motors. The cause for these high vibration levels was determined to be resonance. Resonance of this motor was seen in the vibration spectral data and was confirmed onsite with a bump test. This motor was not VFD driven and therefore the machine…
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A vibration sensor (or accelerometer) measures vibration-simple, right? But how and where you mount the sensor is CRITICAL to getting good information. Here are some good tips to keep in mind. 1. Mount the sensor as close to the bearing location as you can safely do it. These sensors can measure vibration anywhere on the…
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Fire Pumps are a critical safety item in facilities across the world. Their purpose is to make sure a building has enough water pressure in case of a fire emergency. Of course, the hope is that they are never needed but if they are they need to perform reliably. Fire Pumps are typically tested on…
Read MoreOne of the most enjoyable parts of precision shaft alignment training for me as a trainer, is the field portion. This provides the opportunity to build confidence that what the students learn in the classroom, really works in the field! In a recent Fixturlaser GO Basic class, the decision was made to align two recently…
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I read an interesting article in the June/July 17 issue of Uptime Magazine. It was titled “The Reliability Impact Within the P-F Curve” by Randy Riddell. Randy is the Reliability Manager for the SCA Barton Mill in Alabama. I encourage you to read the full article (https://reliabilityweb.com/articles/entry/the-reliability-impact-within-the-p-f-curve). The article includes the following graphic that I…
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Most people who work on, or around pumps are familiar with the term “cavitation”. It is often used as a catch all phrase for any flow-related vibration on pumps, and is often reported by vibration analysts when: Pump noise level is high, Pump vibration is erratic, with lots of “noise” in the spectrum. But there…
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Electric motors are almost always well-balanced when they leave the motor manufacturer. But occasionally, motor unbalance problems are picked up with vibration monitoring tools, such as the OneProd Hawk. Here are some easy troubleshooting methods to determine the cause of unbalance in the motor. An electric motor’s rotor, like any rotating mass, cannot become out…
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