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Posts Tagged ‘“Realign America”’
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…
Read MoreTroubleshooting Tips
In his blog post “Repeatability vs. Desired Outcome – parts 1&2”, Stan Riddle, one of my fellow technical trainers for VibrAlign, explains why alignment results may vary from the expected outcome. He explains in some detail a number of causes and how they are affecting your alignment process. Many of these causes could be eliminated…
Read MoreRepeatability vs. Desired Outcome in Shaft Alignment, Part 2
In my last post, we looked some reasons for non repeatable, or when “two plus two doesn’t equal four”. This time, let’s think about when we don’t get an expected or desired outcome when we shim and move. Think of it as when “two minus two doesn’t equal zero.” You may perform an alignment measurement,…
Read MoreRepeatability vs. Desired Outcome in Precision Shaft Alignment, Part 1
When mechanics align rotating machinery, they expect two outcomes. One, they expect their alignment values to be repeatable. Two, they expect shimming and moving machinery to produce a desired outcome-namely, to be in tolerance. In this paper, we’ll discuss repeatability, which is, performing the same measurement twice, and getting the same results. If alignment results…
Read MorePrecision Troubleshooting
In my nearly 38 years of industrial maintenance, I have had the opportunity to work on high speed precision machinery. Most often this is highly automated equipment with photo eyes that determine which function needs to occur for the next sequence. After a few instances of frustration, I found that most often when a particular…
Read MoreWhat is the Average Pump Repair Cost?
There are many pump types, sizes and applications. Positive displacement: gear, screw, progressive cavity, lobe, peristaltic, diaphragm, Velocity: radial & axial flow, mixed flow, educator, etc. With all the various pump types, sizes and applications it would be quite the feat to list the exact cost for each one in this blog. I will leave…
Read MoreMechanical Seal Basics
After completing a recent training class, I had opportunity to ask our customer what were some of the highest cost failures they experienced. The answer? Mechanical seal failures. Mechanical seals come in a wide variety of configurations and manufacturers. The cost of these seals can range from $1000 to $3000 per inch of shaft diameter.…
Read MoreLet the App Do the Math!
VibrAlign, Inc. is committed to helping businesses use their resources more efficiently and effectively through the precise alignment of the shafts of rotating equipment. As leading innovators in alignment processes, VibrAlign has teamed with Fixturlaser to revolutionize dial indicator shaft alignment with the launch of a new app called Fixturlaser Dials. The Fixturlaser Dials App…
Read MorePrecision Shaft Alignment and Energy Consumption
It has been a long standing belief amongst maintenance and reliability professionals that electric motor energy consumption must be less when rotating machines are precision aligned vs. when misaligned. There have been several studies on this subject that have shown varied results, from 1% to as much as 10% less energy consumption for a precision…
Read MoreCombination Soft Foot?
Any aligner knows that not properly correcting soft foot during a precision shaft alignment leads to frustration and anguish, not to mention wasted time. Soft foot is such a problem there has been numerous articles on The Alignment Blog the past few years about the subject. The articles discuss the many causes of soft foot…
Read MoreTroubleshooting Guide for Basic Alignment
When using a Fixturlaser Alignment System and you are not able to get it aligned in three tries here are a few things to look for. Ensure that you start with a clean base and have checked for soft foot. Do not use more than 4 shims under the machine feet. Check for run out…
Read MoreWorking as a team? Communication is key!
During a recent Fixturlaser GO Pro Training class, at a mid-west university, we performed a shaft alignment on a large Flowserve HVAC pump with a 500 HP electric motor. This motor was large enough that multiple people could work on both sides without really seeing each other. Well, that proved to be an issue with…
Read MoreThe Tools of the Precision Shaft Alignment Trade
Efficiency is a critical element in today’s maintenance environment. In every aspect of maintenance, the right tools are necessary to complete a job quickly and efficiently. When performing precision shaft alignments in the field, there are tools that are typical to almost every job. Aside from the tools that are included in the case with…
Read MoreGot Alignment Problems? Just Let Us Know!
VibrAlign’s Shaft Alignment Training is the best in the industry. We not only train maintenance personnel on how to use our tools – we teach alignment! Lots of it! We teach correcting soft foot, bolt bound problems, pipe strain, coupling problems – real world stuff. Our training staff has about one hundred combined years of…
Read MoreThe Shaft Alignment Nightmare
Sometimes precision laser shaft alignment is a quick, neat, orderly maintenance task. And sometimes, it is not! Occasionally, everything that can be wrong IS wrong. While teaching a Fixturlaser Go Pro training class in Illinois, the class went into the plant for some “hands on” shaft alignment work. The machine chosen was a 25 HP…
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