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Condition Monitoring Tools – How to Choose for Your Facility

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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The Effect of Misalignment on Seals

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

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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Common Shaft Alignment FAQ

  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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Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

  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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How Can We Help You-Let Us Count the Ways!

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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Don’t Be Tempted!

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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Thinking Outside the Alignment Box on Flexible Bases

    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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Fixturlaser Laser Kit Tips

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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VibrAlign Training During COVID-19

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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Couplings

  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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Pre-Alignment with the RT-300

ACOEM-VibrAlign has shared over 100 separate blog posts and over 1 million YouTube views on Pre-Alignment. Thus, we can all agree it is an important topic and the key to a successful precision shaft alignment job. No matter if you are using a Straight Edge, Dial Indicators, or the latest and greatest Laser Shaft Alignment…

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Pay Me Now, or Pay Me Later!

Years ago, an automotive oil filter company’s ad campaign, capitalized on the phrase “pay me now, or pay me later”. The premise was that you could pay less upfront for an inferior oil filter, and then pay again because the oil filter would fail, and your vehicle’s engine would require an overhaul. Or, you could…

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Using Your Laser Alignment System to Check the Validity Rule

The validity rule is an important concept in precision shaft alignment. It can be used to confirm that your readings are accurate and is why we don’t have to rotate a full 360 degrees in order to get accurate alignment information. Here is a previous blog post with an embedded video that discusses dial indicator…

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Using the Verti-Zontal Process on Wind Turbines with Adjustable Chocks

  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,…

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