What the Verti-Zontal Compound Move Means To Me

VibrAlign’s Verti-Zontal Compound Move is a shaft alignment process to allow the aligner to make both vertical and horizontal alignment corrections with a single measurement, or spin of the shafts. It’s touted as making shaft alignments faster and more accurate.

But here’s what it means to me – it makes shaft alignment EASIER!

• If I can roll the shafts only two times – once to measure and correct, and one more time to confirm and store the corrected alignment, it is faster. On a small pump, it’s not a problem to rotate the shafts numerous times. But sometimes the rotor is 15 tons, and it must be rolled using a 6 inch nylon strap and a spud wrench, all attached to a 50 ton bridge crane. Less rotation means less times I worry about damaging something by this process.
• If I have to lie down on the motor, with an eye bolt stuck in my belly, to tighten and loosen the foot bolts, it means I don’t have to do that as many times.
• If I have to tighten and loosen the foot bolts each time with a “knock wrench” and an 8 pound sledge hammer, it means much less hard manual labor.
• It means much less tightening and loosening of the bolts.
• It means much less climbing up and down cooling towers to make adjustments and re-measure.
• It means fewer times shimming, hammering, prying, lifting, sweating, and so on.

Faster is better. Accuracy is better. And easier on me is better!

I enjoy millwright work – I really do. But it can take a toll physically over 30 years or so. And if the Verti-Zontal Compound Move makes it easier on me and the machinery, I’m a fan!