I recently had the pleasure of teaching an alignment class for a Midwest company involved in pipe fabrication and installation. Their primary concern wasn’t so much in precision shaft alignment, but in being able to measure the effect pipe strain has on alignment. Before I arrived, they had told me they had fabricated a rig…
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A lift check isn’t always done when performing a precision shaft alignment, nonetheless excessive lift can be the cause of alignment frustration. Here is a recent example from a very experienced aligner. This particular alignment was on a 150 HP motor driving an extruder through a gearbox. The horizontal alignment came in as…
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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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A colleague and client of ours called, in a bit of a quandary. “Ever seen anything like this?” he asked. I had to answer “No, I have not”. This is a C-face motor. It is typically mounted to a C-face flange, which connects to a vertically oriented pump. But in this case, the C-face motor…
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Monitoring and maintaining the condition of your machines is essential to maximizing efficiency and prolonging machine life. You need human expertise and the right tools in order to have an effective condition monitoring program. When choosing from our suite of condition monitoring tools, it is important to look inside your toolbox and take inventory. To…
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Coupling manufacturers have an “acceptable” misalignment tolerance range that is typically much greater than precision shaft alignment tolerances. Why is that? Because flexible couplings are designed to allow for incidental movement of machines during operation. Seal manufacturers have very tight tolerances for allowable misalignment. Why? Because of how they seal. Typical mechanical seals have mating…
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Out-of-the-box thinking is sometimes required in these uncertain times we are living in. This became clear on a recent training assignment in Northeast Nevada. Improvisation became the backdrop for my class with the mining maintenance technicians of Direct Force Maintenance, of Winnemucca Nevada. The current cultural changes facing our nation provide challenges for conducting on-site…
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We get asked a multitude of questions in our training classes, which we appreciate. But a few questions pop up almost every time. Here are some of our most common questions and answers. QUESTION: Sometimes on small machines, I don’t have enough room on the shaft to mount the laser. Can I mount it…
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Often times customers ask the question how can we keep it going? “How can I continue to train my technicians with the principles they learned in your class?” Craftsmen and women often admit we don’t perform precision shaft alignments often enough to keep our skills current. To this I say recycle! One of the…
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While hands-on training is best, sometimes technical support requires more. A recent blog lists all the different ways you can reach out to us https://acoem.us/other-topics/vibralign-training-during-covid-19/. A few weeks ago, a wind technician was attempting a precision shaft alignment in a GE 2.x wind turbine using a Fixturlaser GO Basic GE Wind. He was familiar with…
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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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Here is another example of the complexity of completing a precision shaft alignment on a flexible base. Some industries use pump skids that are moved to different areas of a plant for various reasons. Whether they exist to save money, allow for quick removal or process changes, the flexibility of these types of…
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During several recent technical support calls, regarding the Fixturlaser Laser Kit, the clients asked the same questions about the LEDs on the sensors and several warnings that pop-up on the display. Others may have the same questions, so I thought it worthwhile to discuss here. S & M Sensor LEDs: The amber LEDs illuminate when…
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Like many people worldwide, the ACOEM VibrAlign Training Team is grounded while we wait this virus out. It is the right thing to do-for ourselves, our families, neighbors, co-workers, and nation. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t help YOU! If you have questions about alignment, vibration, or reliability of your equipment, WE CAN HELP! How?…
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In power transmission, a coupling is a device used to connect a driving machine, such as a motor, engine, or turbine, to a driven machine, such as a fan, pump, compressor, or other machine. There are numerous styles of couplings, each with specific design characteristics, that make them suitable for their respective applications. All…
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