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Proper Installation is Essential to Equipment Reliability

Performing precision shaft alignment correctly the first time is crucial to the longevity of your equipment and your long term cost savings. New installations suffer greatly from infant mortality rates if the proper installation procedures are not followed. Most common causes are lack of follow up on the essentials, such as proper foundation work, elevations,…

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Let 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…

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What Size Shims Should I Use?

One of my co-workers recently fielded a call from a customer, asking, “What is the proper way to size shims under motor feet?”  In other words, if the foot is 6 by 4 inches square, how big should the shim be? Excellent question!  And one I wasn’t sure how to answer.  I have always tried…

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V-Belt Alignment of a Variable Pitch Sheave to a Fixed Pitch Sheave

Variable pitch sheaves are used frequently in air handlers.  They allow the design engineer to increase or decrease the speed of the driven machine.  In doing so, they allow for: Changes in amp draw of the motor, to maximize efficiency, Increase or decrease static pressure and air flow. Normally, the design engineer will specify the…

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Flexible Couplings and Flexible Shafts

Most mechanics are pretty familiar with flexible couplings.  They are designed with an elastomer, or flexible element, which compensates for slight amounts of misalignment through a sliding motion between the coupling hubs and the insert.  However, it is very important to have some idea as to how much the coupling will flex before it begins…

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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…

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The VibrAlign Sales Team is Realigning America

Good day Alignment Blog readers! Today, I would like to introduce a new member of the VibrAlign team in the Eastern Region. Art McFadden joined our sales team in the Mid-Atlantic this year and he shares our Passion for Precision. Art has a mechanical background with many years of experience in electrostatic powder coating equipment…

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Align a Cooling Tower in Under an Hour

Aligning cooling towers with spacer shafts can sometimes present a challenge.  We recently provided alignment training and assistance to the HVAC Group at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, VA. This was a Marley cooling tower, with a 60 HP motor, connected to the gearbox by a 48″ spacer shaft. That’s me, the trainer, inside…

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Have You Calibrated Your Mechanics Lately?

It’s a new year and time to reassess our goals. We test our gauges, adjust sensor settings, tweak valves, etc. We check our equipment against a standard to verify it still works optimally. When’s the last time you have done the same for your mechanics and technicians? VibrAlign’s shaft alignment courses will calibrate your personnel to…

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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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