Useful Field Apps for Today’s Maintenance Personnel

The world of machinery maintenance continues to grow with reliability and technology at the forefront of the majority of today’s maintenance programs. The mechanics toolbox must change to support these changes.

Computer based manuals and programs were the first step into “the future” of machine maintenance. Now smart phones and tablets have more memory available than those first step computers. The “apps” available for these devices are only as limited as your imagination. It is possible to get almost ANYTHING in an app, quite often FREE! Many of the big name machine manufactures have downloadable manuals if cellular signal strength or bandwidth are issues in your plant.

As an example, Goulds Pump has their GP 8 Pump Manual available online. This manual has everything about every Goulds pump; repair, efficiency curves, and exploded parts views (exploded views of parts, not views of exploded parts!). This is just one company. Almost every product has something available. VibrAlign is no different. We offer five apps for both Apple and Android devices.

“Align Terms” – shaft alignment terminology. Great for beginning crafts people to learn common terms.

“Laser-dials” – converts laser readings to Rim and Face dial indicator readings or vice-versa.

“Therm Align” – useful to calculate thermal growth and shaft alignment targets in the field.

“AlignHot Check” – enter the “cold” and “hot” alignment results from a Fixturlaser or VibrAlign Alignment System into the AlignHot Check App to determine shaft alignment targets to compensate for thermal growth (dynamic movement) in BOTH the vertical and horizontal planes.

“Fixturlaser Dials App” – takes the calculating work out of performing reverse dial indicator alignment by stepping the user through the VibrAlign Verti-Zontal Alignment Process. It can be used with a Dials Kit from VibrAlign or with your own dials kit.

Search your preferred app store for “VibrAlign” or “Fixturlaser” apps. You can also link to these through VibrAlign.com.

A survey of my fellow trainers here at VibrAlign gave me some leads on other apps that we use often in the field.

“MaxANSI Handbook” – is the pipe fitters “go to” reference for all things pipe fitting.

“iEngineer” –  is a reference to every type of bolt of any type made. It shows dry and lubricated torque specs, shear strength and clamping force, among other things.

“Lovejoy Couplings” – app will help you to determine if you have the right coupling for a specific application.

Some of the others that we have found very useful are:
• IHandy level – A level
• SKF Bearing calculator
• Vibe Units – convert vibration numbers
• Units plus – convert from imperial to metric
• Engmachref – Engineer and Machinists Reference – counter bores, tap and drill sizes, etc…
• Smart tools – a cache of various tools; protractor, ruler, vibrometer, metal detector (yep!), etc…

Any time that you need information or have a thought of possible existence of an app that would be useful… it probably exists.

If you know of some apps that you have found to be useful, please share them with us and other folks in your field of work. You can tell us about them by commenting on this post or email them to me at Tom.shelton@vibralign.com