An important part of keeping mechanical equipment running well is routine inspections and maintenance. This process usually includes lubrication and alignment checks.
When shafts between two pieces of equipment, often a motor and a rotating mass become misaligned damage to the machine and lost production is imminent. Machine alignment in Texas often sees failures of couplings, seals, belts and pulleys. Often, problems with lubrication can be traced directly to shaft alignment problems, replacing the seal will not solve the problem, only shaft alignment will.
* Misaligned shafts can pose a number of problems if not corrected:
* Friction increase which can result in premature wear and ultimate failure
* Excessive wear on bearings, seals and couplings
* Early shaft failure
* Damage caused by leakage of lubricants from behind the seals
* Failure of foundation bolts
* An increase in vibration and noise
Engineering studies indicate than nearly half of breakdowns in industrial machinery are caused by shaft alignment problems. When the ends of two shafts are accurately aligned, unplanned failure and the resulting loss in production can be avoided.
Correct alignment:
Machine alignment in Texas assures that shafts are aligned in both planes; horizontal and vertical. The alignment is also checked to see that there is not a problem with angular alignment, or it could easily be a combination of all three.
Offset alignment, often called parallel alignment, is when the shaft centerlines do not run parallel to one-another, but are offset. Angular misalignment is when the shafts are at an angle to one another.
Types of misalignment:
Offset misalignment can be broken down into either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal misalignment is when the shafts are offset on the horizontal plane and vertical refers to misalignment in the vertical plane. Regardless of the type, parallel misalignment occurs when the shaft of one mechanical element moves up, down or sideways.
Angular misalignment occurs when one of the connected shafts tilts, either up or down in respect to the position of the other shaft.
Either type of misalignment can cause serious problems.
Correcting machine alignment in Texas:
Traditional methods which are still used today are straightedge alignment and the use of dial indicators. The straightedge is set on two bearings which are supporting the shafts. A visual check using a machinist’s level shows the technician if the shafts are vertically misaligned or not. The test is quickly done but the results are inaccurate, certainly not accurate enough for the machines of today.
Dial indicators offer a more accurate reading but they are still not 100%. The effort to set up dial indicators and the skill needed to interpret the results are often not available.
Laser guided tools are being used more and more; they are quick to set-up, accurate, easy to use and only need to be set once to get the data.
Machine alignment in Texas is one of the skills that the technicians at Laser Precision have. Laser machine alignment saves money and reduces down time.