Fixturlaser NXA Pro Archives - Acoem USA

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…

Vertical Alignments Using the Fixturlaser NXA Pro OmniView

Many modern laser alignment systems include inclinometers that aid in the alignment process. Inclinometers, however, don’t work on vertically oriented machines. These include vertical “C” faced machines as well as vertical machines with feet. This meant that vertical machines required a 180-degree swing for accurate measurements and sensors were positioned the old-fashioned way by aligning…

Just Get It Running, We’ll Fix It Later!

Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I personally have heard this over the years. I am sure many of you have as well. The issue is, scheduled downtime seems to be put on the back burner so to speak, to meet production goals. And as it has become all too familiar,…

Generating an Alignment Report with the Fixturlaser NXA

When a machine is checked, and found to be out of alignment, the “as found” alignment data can be saved. Soft foot checks and corrections can also be saved. Continue with the alignment, and when in tolerance save the “as left” alignment. Exit to the Main Menu of the NXA, then press the File Cabinet…

The Soft Foot Primer (Part 1) Are You Measuring Soft Foot, or Just Its Effect?

Most laser alignment tools include a soft foot function. However, in truth these tools haven’t measured ACTUAL soft foot, instead they have measured the EFFECT of soft foot at the shaft or coupling as that is where the laser heads or sensors are mounted. While the EFFECT of soft foot is important, correcting the ACTUAL…

Is It Mils, or Thousandths, or What?

On occasion, we are asked, “What are these numbers on the screen?” All our alignment tools (and most others) can be configured in Imperial or Metric. Most US users use Imperial (inches, feet, and so on). When we say, “Your laser displays in mils”, we’re asked, “What’s a mil?” Definition – [mil] noun. 1. a…

What is Misalignment Costing You?

I recently received a support call from a nearby client, the issue was that the precision shaft alignment of a right-angle gear reducer to a line shaft was taking up to 12 hours (using another brand alignment tool) with little to no success. There are about a dozen of these units in this facility. This…

FIXTURLASER NXA PRO SELECTED AS THE ALIGNMENT TOOL FOR WORLD SKILLS ABU DHABI 2017

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…

Correcting for base bound or bolt bound conditions.

A question often asked during our training classes is how to deal with base bound and/or bolt bound conditions when performing a precision shaft alignment on rotating machinery. Base bound is the vertical condition that occurs when the moveable machine needs to be lowered but is “bound” by the base due to an insufficient number…

When an Alignment Check Turns into Starting from the Beginning.

A recent NXA Pro training class performed an alignment check of a winch driven by an 80 HP, 1800 RPM, DC electric motor with a gear style coupling. The initial results revealed a misaligned machine, with a vertical angularity over 13 times the tolerance of 0.7mils/1” (1.0 mil = .001”), vertical offset six times tolerance…

Positive/Negative

When we align equipment, we are aligning the rotational centerlines of the shafts. We have a stationary machine and a moveable machine. In most cases the stationary machine’s center of rotation is the target and reference for all measurements and corrections of the movable machine. When reading laser or dial indicator values, the terms of…

Why and How to Measure in Clock Method

Proper use of any tool is essential to success in achieving your desired goal. Many tools have optional configurations to adapt that tool to your needs. Fixturlaser Precision Alignment Systems are no different. The alignment tools produced by Acoem/Fixturlaser are second to none in ease of use. The Acoem AB design engineers do all they…

Determining Cold Alignment Targets from OEM Dial Indicator Specifications

A client was aligning a motor-compressor set and wanted to use the OEM specifications for thermal growth (OL2R) compensation. The manual gave the target values as rim and face dial indicator numbers for either the motor hub or compressor hub. In this case the motor hub specifications were used. He was using the Fixturlaser NXA…

Cooling Tower Alignment

Performing Precision Shaft Alignments on Cooling Towers present a unique set of challenges. A recent job is typical of what I find. We were originally called out because on three cooling towers the motors were experiencing high vibration. Some of the challenges include: 1 – Access through shrouds 2 – Ladders often required to gain…

Bolt Holes – Size matters!

I was asked to help a customer align a 500HP Motor / Blower. The new motor came in on a skid, was lifted into place with a crane, new electrical boxes fitted and coupling put into place. Now the easy part, the precision shaft alignment! We took two sets of measurements which repeated. Made one…