Alignment Measurement

What is Alignment Measurement?

The measurement of alignment in an industrial context refers to the measurement and adjustment of two or more coupled shafts in rotating plant machinery, such as the shafts of a motor driving a pump or gearbox. When measuring alignment in rotating shafts, the objective is to align both shafts along the rotational centreline.

When shafts are misaligned, the shaft driver (i.e. motor) and driven units (i.e. pump, etc) are subjected to eccentric forces which result in excessive vibration of the shafts during rotation, and increased wear on components such as bearing and seals. Misalignment in shafts due to poor or no alignment measurement being conducted is a major cause of mechanical plant breakdowns.

Misaligned shafts also increase the load on Motors, requiring increased power consumption from the Motor to generate the additional turning effort required to rotate the shaft.

In the current economic and environmental climate where industry is looking reduce carbon emissions and power inefficiency, a program of alignment measurement across a site where there are many rotating shafts in use can often reduce a site's annual energy bill by tens of thousands of pounds.

Monition specialising in Alignment Measurement and the precise measuring of shafts, motors and plant machinery. We are the UK distributor for the Fixturlaser range of laser-based systems for conducting high precision alignment measurement of rotating equipment.

Misaligned machines contribute to huge costs in repair and production loss every year. By introducing preventive maintenance, including regular alignment control, you minimise the number of unplanned stops due to machine breakdowns.

 

Industrial Applications for Alignment Measurement
In addition to the measurement of alignment in horizontally and vertically mounted machinery, the Fixturlaser XA system is advanced capabilities for alignment measurement in the following specialist applications:

 

Machine Train Alignment Measurement
Machine train alignment is probably the most difficult and demanding task of all alignment engineering skills. Often a machine train is part of a critical production, the most expensive and the most costly to production loss when it goes down.

 

With the Fixturlaser XA system, it becomes easier to align machine trains.
The most cumbersome part in aligning machine trains is to find out which machine to use as reference. The on-screen animations guide users in finding the best solution in order to accomplish a perfect alignment.

 

Benefits of using the Fixturlaser XA System to Conduct Machine Train Alignment:

• Same alignment procedure as for a standard motor and pump application
• Full documentation of measurement results

 

Alignment Measurement of Offset Mounted Machines
Cardan shafts are an excellent way of power transmission, when it is impossible to position two machines in line.

There is the general misunderstanding, however, that offset mounted cardan driven machines do not require alignment.

A misaligned cardan rotates with an uneven angular speed over a full turn. This generates vibrations with harmful forces throughout the drive chain. The risks with misaligned cardan shafts are similar to other misaligned machines plus the safety risks for damages caused by a broken cardan shaft.

The Fixturlaser XA system combined with the Cardan shaft fixture make alignment of offset mounted machines possible. The payback time for a system like this is very short considering the costs for replacing a broken cardan shaft.

 

Benefits of using the Fixturlaser XA System to Conduct Offset Alignment:

• Reduced wear on gearboxes, bearings and cardan joints
• Full documentation of measurement result
• Minimised risk for cardan shaft breakdown

 

Alignment of Bolt-Bound or Base-Bound Machines
Sometimes during an alignment, the movable machine cannot be moved sufficiently in order for the alignment to be completed within specified tolerances. Base or bolt bound conditions restrict adjustments during the alignment process.

The Fixturlaser XA system’s solution is to lock the feet that are restricted in movement and to present adjustment values for the feet that can be moved.

Critical Machines
Critical machines need extra attention to ensure maximum uptime and reliability. The Fixturlaser XA system is capable of taking all dynamic movements into account, when measuring and aligning a high speed machine from hot to cold, or vice versa. The result is an even more correct alignment and machines operating at their absolute maximum.

 

Off-line to running or Dynamic Measurement
Machine alignment has to be accomplished when the machine is shut off. Naturally, the machine is not in a working condition state. However, when performing alignment, you have to consider the running conditions, such as thermal growth. Manufacturer specifications often consider vertical growth, due to rising temperature in the machine housing. Unfortunately, that is not enough to ensure an aligned machine in running mode.

The Fixturlaser XA system with the OL2R (offline-to-running) fixtures are able to measure the machine positions, vertically and horizontally, in offline mode and in running mode. Only through this process can the correct compensation values for optimum operating shaft alignment be calculated. Benefits of using the Fixturlaser XA System to Conduct Offline to Running and Dynamic Measurement Alignment:

• Correct compensation values
• Considers all affecting forces, such as thermal growth, pipe strain, surrounding cooling effects, load forces

 

Alignment Measurement Services
Monition provides onsite alignment measurement services for rotating plant equipment such as pumps, motors, fans, blowers, driers & gearboxes. Monition can also assist sites to conduct Energy Saving plant alignment programs, in order to monitor energy consumption, identify and correct misalignment, and calculate cost-savings.

 

Further Information regarding the Alignment Measurement
Monition can provide assistance in all your Laser Alignment applications. For further information on the Alignment Measurement, to request a brochure or arrange onsite alignment of plant machinery, please telephone Monition on 01909 722000. Alternatively you can email us at sales@monition.com or complete our enquiry form and one of our sales team will contact you to discuss your requirements.