| By :
John Markus
Alignment is essential for all types of machine, if it contains moving parts. Whether it's a small motor or many machines linked together, such as on a production line, the moving parts need to be correctly aligned. The cost to a company when misalignment occurs can be considerable and the more interlinked the machines are, the more expensive it can be. Having to shut one machine down on a production line, simply because misalignment wasn't detected and rectified, can mean all the machines have to stop while repairs are undertaken. If alignment equipment is in place, the problem would have become evident at an earlier stage, meaning that a shutdown could take place at a scheduled and more convenient time. Modern alignment equipment will monitor essential moving parts. Data is constantly sent to a central processing unit which collates and warns an operator of a potential problem, long before it would usually become evident. The development of precision laser alignment equipment enables companies to keep their machines within alignment parameters never previously possible. This results in far less wear to the machine meaning it operates longer and more efficiently. Energy and maintenance costs are less and the need to shut down a machine outside of scheduled maintenance is reduced. All these factors affect a company's profitability. Laser alignment tools are available to monitor every aspect of machinery. A major machine component is the drive shaft. This component needs to rotate in total alignment. As soon as a drive shaft is slightly misaligned excessive wear can occur in other essential parts. Bearings and seals start to wear. Oil may leak and vibration will set in compounding the wear on the parts. If left, the machine will overheat and will have to be shutdown. Using a laser alignment tool to monitor alignment of the drive shaft will provide advance warning. The machine may still need to be shut down to realign the drive shaft, but other components, such as bearings and seals, will still be within tolerances which means downtime is kept to a minimum. Machines that have drive shafts that interlink with each other are more susceptible to the occurrence of misalignment. The drive shafts often connect via universal joints, belt system and gearing. Just one misaligned part affects the other parts and if not rectified, several parts will fail resulting in a complete machine shutdown. A laser alignment tool can be set up to monitor multiple interlinking parts simultaneously. If misalignment occurs at any of the points being monitored, information is sent to the central alignment device. The information not only informs an operator exactly where the misalignment has occurred, but provides data on the tolerances you an operator knows exactly what needs attending to. All this happens long before any vibration starts to occur so other parts don't get affected and the one pinpointed area of misalignment can be corrected. Alignment using laser technology is now a precise science, whereas previously errors could take place.
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