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MYTH: “You should always do your shimming first and then make your horizontal moves.” TRUTH: This is generally true for the final alignment after soft foot has been corrected, but is not universally true for all alignments. In fact, for the initial rough alignment, you should correct the plane with the largest misalignment first, even if this […]

Wireless vibration sensors have their place in a good reliability program and can benefit the maintenance team’s ability to monitor machine health reliably. When choosing a wireless vibration sensor, the battery life is a key parameter in its selection. Designers and manufacturers should perform battery capacity models to be confident in the performance and battery […]

We previously discussed in this series, Implementing Lubricant Storage & Handling procedures: Part 1 Understanding Contamination. In this follow-up blog, we will discuss the role of storage and handling. As seen in the first article in this series, contamination is a huge factor that influences the degradation of a lubricant. The most common forms of […]

  Vibration Route Frequency How often do you collect vibration data on your equipment?  Is it monthly, quarterly, or even yearly?  Most of the time management will allow data collection frequencies based upon the importance they assign to vibration analysis or available resources at the time.  Management may ask that vibration data be collected every […]

There has been a lot of improvement because of the laser shaft alignment and laser geometric alignment systems. They help you to identify the failures in your machinery and eliminate them easily. That’s why it is always critical to make necessary alignment activities to keep your equipment working stably and consistently with accuracy, less effort, and less training. […]

Rotating equipment alignment may seem like a small detail, but it’s actually the foundation of a smooth-running operation. It all starts with ensuring that the feet of the equipment are flat and coplanar and that the baseplate they’re mounted to is also level and coplanar. Standards like ANSI/ASA Alignment S2.75-2017 have set strict guidelines for […]

Often, when one thinks about lubricants and lubrication the main focus is on the actual lubricant and ensuring that it performs its intended functions. Typically, the storage and handling aspects don’t receive as much attention as they should. Oddly enough, these aspects heavily influence the performance of the lubricant and almost 50% of lubricant degradation […]

Sometimes, during installation, for one reason or another, the two machines just don’t sit right on the baseplates. From baseplate design issues or machine housing quality problems to poor installation practices, one machine ends up being significantly lower than the other. Let’s say, in this case, it is the movable machine (an engine being aligned […]

All electric motors can develop electrical and mechanical problems over time in operation. One common failure mode is caused by the motor’s stator being eccentric. Stator eccentricity problems will produce an elevated peak at the two times the electrical line frequency (2×LF) which in the United States is 120 Hz (7200 CPM.) The root of […]

FACT: 14%-20% of equipment failures are a result of improper storage and handling practices in the MRO warehouse. A few simple practices could help to prevent damage to electric motors: Maintain constant temperature and humidity below 60%. Store in a clean environment to prevent ingress contamination, like pests and insects. Store motors for up to […]

Q1. Why is it necessary to look at alignment condition results at the coupling? Why can’t I just get my feet to within 2 thousandths to finish the alignment? Because the numbers at the feet are only a rough guide to the actual alignment condition.  Large corrections at the machine feet don’t automatically point to […]

Damage inside of a rolling element bearing begins with sub-surface fatigue and results in a detectable sound signal that occurs in the ultrasonic frequency range. Ultrasound can be used to detect these Stage 1 bearing defects which would not be visible looking at typical vibration spectrum. If you listen to the sound that is being […]

In this article, I will explain linear and non-linear vibrations in an easy-to-understand, non-mathematical way and then I will relate these concepts to machinery vibration monitoring. Linear Systems The definition of a linear system is that the output is directly proportional to the input. If you hit a billiard ball in one direction, it will […]

A few simple practices could help to prevent damage and contamination of your oil and grease: Error-proof the system by color coding and labeling the lubricants. Store in a climate-controlled environment. Store in a clean environment to prevent ingress contamination. Use the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) principle for usage, as lubricants do have a shelf life. […]

When a machine heats up and starts expanding in all directions is simply called thermal growth. When it actually comes to understanding it, it means that you are dealing with machinery movement and that can cause misalignment in the machine. Also, your alignment is only as good as your target. If your machine starts moving […]

A pump is a machine or device designed to move and transfer fluids. All pumps basically do the same thing, and the pump best suited for your needs depends on how far, how fast, and how much fluid needs to be transferred. Pumps are very critical to a facility as a whole and unwanted downtime […]

Machinery Lubrication • September 2022 Imagine buying a new car and not taking it for a test drive first. That might not be so bad, given the built-in protections covering the auto buyer these days. But what about buying industrial equipment? Purchasing a new machine and finding unexpected problems after installation and integration into your […]

IS PULLEY ALIGNMENT IMPORTANT FOR YOU? Most every running asset – no matter the mechanism used when coupled together – can be subject to misalignment between driver and driven components. Proper alignment of belt-driven equipment is often neglected by maintenance and even reliability departments even though pulley misalignment is a principal reason for reduced belt […]

A few simple practices could help to prevent damage to your spare bearings: Label bearings by type, size, bearing number, and date stored. Label shelves in accordance with in-house MRO guidelines. Maintain constant temperature and relative humidity. Store in a clean environment to prevent ingress contamination. Use oldest bearings first (FIFO). Use sealed bearings within […]

“Reliable machinery installation” – it sounds like an obvious thing, don’t you agree? But where does reliability actually start? We all know that “the thing” starts with the design. The design stage decides what is going to be installed. Which equipment, and where. But there is no decision on Who is going to perform the […]