Maintenance Technologies International field service engineers provide state-of-the-art shaft laser alignment using Pruftechnik’s Rotalign® Ultra(s). The extra forces caused by shaft misalignment is one of the biggest contributors to premature machine failures. Bearings, seals, couplings, gears and other machine components can suffer unnecessarily because of improper alignment. Proper shaft alignment techniques can help you become a reliability-focused operation.
Proper laser alignment helps:
- Keep machines running efficiently
- Reduce power costs
- Reduce vibration and extending machine lifetime
Laser Alignment FAQ
My equipment has a coupling, why should alignment be a concern?
Couplings are designed to operate and transfer rotation and load while minimizing the torque induced on the shafts and connected components. Coupling manufactures will provide misalignment tolerances at which the coupling can operate but this doesn’t take into account what the other machine components can tolerate over an extended period of running time without premature wear or damage occurring.
What benefits are there to laser alignments?
A properly aligned machine will not wear components such as bearings and seals prematurely and will have less vibration forces thus increasing the life of the equipment. Also, reducing the load the equipment experiences can reduce the amperage electric motors require to operate, thus reducing energy costs.
How accurate does a laser coupling alignment need to be?
All generally accepted industry standards use a similar guideline which is based on shaft speed and coupling type – short flex vs spacer shaft. For example: Generally accepted industry guidelines for an excellent alignment on a 1780 RPM coupled machine with a single flex coupling would require an alignment of 0.002″ (2 mils) parallel offset and 0.003″(3 mils) per inch of coupling diameter angularity.
How accurate can a laser shaft alignment get?
With the equipment that MTI utilizes, a sensor with a resolution of 0.04 mils or 0.00004” allows for reliable measurement down to the 0.1 mil or 0.0001” range.
This motor/pump set was bought already assembled, does it require alignment?
Yes. MTI has rarely if ever found a motor/pump or any other coupled piece of equipment to be properly aligned when delivered from an OEM. Many times, base plate or motor bolt holes have to be modified to get the coupled machines into acceptable alignment tolerances. See our acceptance testing page for some more details on newly installed equipment.
