4 Sep 2014
Shaft misalignment in rotating machinery has the potential to cost companies thousands of dollars a year in replacement bearing cost, repairs, extra power consumption, and unplanned downtime. In three simple steps, the Fluke® 830 Laser Shaft Alignment Tool delivers precise shaft condition measurements and actionable results that, along with vibration testing, infrared thermography, and other predictive maintenance measurements, enable plant maintenance teams to increase machine life and keep plants running at maximum efficiency.
Shaft misalignments as small 0.06 mm can cause failures of seals, couplings, and bearings as well as increase motor vibration and heat. Traditional alignment methods, like straightedges/feeler gauges, are too imprecise to measure small yet significant shaft offsets. Dial indicators provide higher resolution, but are complex, time consuming, and require highly skilled technicians.
In three simple steps, the single laser measurement technology of the rugged Fluke 830 delivers a high level of precision and repeatability in evaluating shaft alignment:
1. Setup – determines a machine's dimensions;
2. Measure – actively takes readings from three sectors as the laser is rotated around a shaft;
3. Diagnose – provides actual correction numbers along with a four-level, color-coded severity scale indicating whether the machine is in or out of alignment tolerances.
The intuitive guided user interface of the 830 provides easy to understand results that do not require extensive alignment knowledge. Its all-in-one results screen shows both coupling results and feet corrections (vertical and horizontal) in real terms making it easy for maintenance technicians to take corrective action.