As a Technical Trainer for Ludeca, I teach the importance of following our 5-Step Shaft Alignment Procedure. As Millwright, I have completed many precision shaft alignments over the last 28 years of my career. In this time I have witnessed many other Millwrights and Technicians forget to do a thorough visual inspection of the foundation, grout, and baseplate before attempting the alignment. Following a procedure and ensuring that every section of it is done will help you achieve precision results in your shaft alignments, and get it done much faster.
Foundation
The foundation should be of adequate size and in good condition. A rule of thumb calls for concrete weight to equal at least three times machine weight for rotating machines, and five times that of reciprocating machines. Can you spot the good and the bad in the following pictures?
Grout
A grout base should be made of suitable material, in good condition, with no voids beneath the baseplate. If recently poured, proper cure time for both the foundation and the grout is important. Inspect the grout. What do you see?
Baseplate
The baseplate must be rigid so that no part of any machine foot moves more than 0.001” out of plane with the other feet of the same machine. Machine mounting pads must be level, flat, parallel, coplanar, and clean. What do you see in the following examples?
Download our 5 Elements Machine Installation infographic for an outline of 5 important elements of machine installation including Foundation, Anchoring, Isolation, Baseplate Level and Flat plus Alignment!
You’ve got it! Why not use it? Taking advantage of visual inspections.
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Alignment by Tom Cummings