 Laser Alignment
Laser alignment devices make alignment fast, easy and accurate every time.
Laser Alignment and machinery
Every operator of rotating machinery appreciates the need for alignment as part of a regular maintenance regimen. Operational efficiency is the primary reason. On the flip side, so is avoiding the costly problems misalignment creates if left uncorrected.
Misalignment can cause multiple, simultaneous problems
- Premature bearing, seal and coupling failure
- Excessive radial and axial vibration levels
- High casing temperature at bearings or nearby
- High oil temperature
- High coupling temperature
- Oil leakage at bearing seals
- Loose or broken foundation bolts, coupling bolts, or both
Enter the modern laser alignment device
A modern ››laser alignment device uses the extreme accuracy that laser-based technology affords to ensure that rotating shafts turn on a perfect centerline. Yet this laser sophistication comes in alignment devices that have been designed and engineered for easy operation, under practically any conditions, by any competent worker with a modicum of ››training.
What is laser technology?
A laser device amplifies light and emits it in a beam. Unlike light sources that give off light in many wavelengths, or colors, a laser radiates a single wavelength, or one color, in a straight line that resolves to the very center of the beam. This directional property makes a safe, low-power laser the ideal technology for checking and adjusting alignment wherever rotating devices must work on a centerline.
How a laser alignment device achieves alignment
A laser alignment device makes its laser beam parallel to points of reference and then uses targets to measure deviations from those points. Adjusting the laser to a state of parallelism is termed "bucking-in". It requires at least three points to buck-in to a surface and two to buck-in to a centerline. Results appear in a calibrated readout on the device's display. Laser alignment data is dynamic; the targets are real-time indicators of alignment. This allows a component to be aligned without having to move the laser alignment device or alter its setup.
Laser alignment measurements include:
- Shaft alignment of ››pumps, ››motors and reducers
- Cardan shaft alignment
- Machine train alignment
- Dynamic/thermal growth
- Base flatness
Laser alignment delivers multiple benefits
- Reduced vibration levels
- Increased meantime between bearing, seal or other failures
- Reduced maintenance costs
- Reduced energy use
- Increased production quantity
- Consistent product quality
Wherever machines connect, laser alignment means precision alignment.
Thanks to their versatility, laser alignment devices can ensure precision alignment of the following.
- Direct-drive fans
- Motor-driven pumps
- Gearboxes
- Compressors
- Turbines
- Transfer boxes
- Propeller shafts
- Couplings
- Conveyors
- Generators
- Mixers
Laser alignment devices have applications across industries
- Manufacturing and processing plants
- Wind turbines
- Ship and boatbuilding
- Paper and pulp industries
- Water and wastewater pumping
- Construction
- Gas and oil plants, pipelines and pipeline services, on and offshore
- Chemical manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Fixturlaser alignment devices and systems from VibrAlign
Fixturlaser laser alignment devices and systems provide precision alignment to within thousandths of an inch, come in a variety of models that can be upgraded and expanded, and feature icon-based touch-screens that walk the user through the steps of measurement and alignment. Contact VibrAlign to learn more about the many ways Fixturlaser devices and systems can make a difference in your operation's maintenance and efficiency.
For further information on Fixturlaser systems from VibrAlign
VibrAlign can assist your company in all its laser alignment needs. For further information, product brochures, or to arrange onsite alignment of plant machinery, please ››contact VibrAlign at 800-394-3279 or info@vibralign.com.
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