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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The Fixturlaser NXA Pro has been selected as the laser shaft alignment tool to be used in the Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition at this year’s WorldSkills event, being held in Abu Dhabi on October 15-18. WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world championship of skills, will have participants from 77 countries who will be competing in 51…
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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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Whether instructing a training class for precision shaft alignment or geometric measurements, the topic of machine specifications frequently comes up. Specifications such as shaft alignment tolerances, bolt torque values, frame or base flatness requirements and the frequency of verification of these specifications are typical of what is asked. There are general industry specifications such as…
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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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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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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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We all have run into situations where things just aren’t working out the way we think they should. Kind of like not seeing the forest for the tree’s. Part of our profession as trainers at VibrAlign is fielding support calls when a client has questions or has reached the point of frustration where they just…
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I recently taught alignment training at a gas compression site. These were sharp technicians, and they keep these large gas compressors in excellent shape. We went out to check alignment between the engine and compressor. It was great just as I expected, because compressing gas is their only product. So I asked if they had…
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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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