Why an ISO Vibration Certification Matters

As a Reliability Practitioner: If you have attended training performed to a standard that is certified by ISO (International Organization for Standardization), this guarantees that you will receive instruction and material that is documented to meet an international standard of knowledge from a certified trainer. When you pass the test to receive your registered ISO…

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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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The Benefits of Lubrication Training

According to several studies, industry is wasting millions of dollars by ignoring problems related to friction and wear. Companies can save money and increase machinery reliability by paying more attention to these problems. There is a compelling need for more understanding among maintenance and production personnel in the practices of reducing friction and wear. It…

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Return on Employee Investment (ROEI)

Company assets require a wise and balanced investment from cradle to grave.  Otherwise, the asset will not consistently perform to required expectations, deteriorate over time and return limited value to stake holders as a result.  Companies put a lot of strategy and effort to obtain the greatest Return on Capital Employed (ROCE).  ROCE is a…

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Training or No Training, It’s a Leadership Question

It’s no secret that there is a shortage of skilled labor in manufacturing, specifically in machinery maintenance. Therefore, those in leadership positions must answer the question “training or no training?”. Another way to look at it is, am I willing to invest in the workforce to better insure a more reliable operation? I wrote a…

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Do’s and Dont’s of Proper Shim and Tool Storage

SHIM STORAGE & USAGE: Shims are an integral part of obtaining precision shaft alignment in an efficient manner. Only new, clean shims should be used. The cost of new shims is minimal when compared to the cost of extra downtime caused by an inefficient precision alignment process. Proper choice, use and storage of shims is…

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Troubleshooting 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…

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Got Alignment Questions? We Are Here To Help!

VibrAlign’s Team of 6 dedicated Technical Trainers conducted over 200 “Shaft Alignment Best Practices” Classes across America in 2015. Our classes were conducted in all types of industry including but not limited to: Food and Beverage Power Generation (fossil fuel, nuclear, & wind) Gas Compression Petro-Chemical Mining Water/Waste Water HVAC (facilities maintenance) Construction/Contracting Various Types…

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VibrAlign’s Expanded Training Capability Creates Expert Shaft Aligners

VibrAlign, Inc., American distributor of Fixturlaser Alignment tools, is proud to announce the expansion of their offerings as a shaft alignment training provider. VibrAlign now employs six full-time, professional trainers. Stan Riddle, David Zdrojewski, Tom Shelton, Brad Case, James Pekarek, and Mac MacCormack will be leading training classes at VibrAlign’s Richmond office, their Houston, TX…

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The 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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In Shaft Alignment, Low Can Sometimes Mean High!

A customer in the northeast US was concerned that his laser wasn’t working properly.  He called into our office stating “the motor shaft is a ¼ inch low at the coupling, but the laser shows I need to remove a lot of shims from the motor feet – both front and rear”.  His thought was…

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Meet VibrAlign Trainer, Stan Riddle – VIDEO

My name is Stan Riddle, I’m a trainer for VibrAlign, I’ve been involved in aligning machinery for about 31 years. My background was as a machinist, and a tool and die maker. In the early 80’s I decided that I would get into maintenance because they would never computerize it, and I’ve been pulling wrenches…

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