Shaft Alignment Software Program and Technical Reference Library
There has never been a shaft alignment system so intuitive to use, so flexible in choice of alignment technique, so powerful in its application that it almost walks you through the entire process and helps you select the easiest solution for your specific alignment problem.
System is comprised of:
- CD ROM disk containing the software program for PC’s and the software manual as a PDF file
- a copy of the Shaft Alignment Handbook
$1495.00 (USD)
You probably do not perform alignment jobs every day, or even every month, right? That's why the Shaft Alignment software was designed to help walk you through the step-by-step process of aligning rotating machinery. Each window in the data entry section tells you what to do next, and if you make a mistake, there are background routines to point out your errors.
You just enter:
- the machinery names
- dimensions along the length of the machinery
- the side to side orientation (north, south, east, west, left, right)
- data on how the machinery moved from off-line to running conditions (if required)
- the dial indicator readings from three commonly used alignment measurement methods (Face-Rim, Reverse Indicator, and Shaft to Coupling Spool)
- or you can enter data from Stationary-Movable shaft alignment systems where you would have some difficulty performing the suggested corrections on the Movable machine
After the data is entered, you can visually see the position of both machinery shaft centerlines and the numerical solutions at the machinery feet in both the side and top views to properly realign the machines. And if you don't particularly like the solutions shown, the pull down menus allow you an infinite number of options to solve the alignment problem at hand.
You can also:
- start a new alignment problem
- save the program for future reference
- open an old program and edit the data you entered
- rename the machinery
- change the side to side orientation
- alter the drive train dimensions
- enter new dial indicator readings
- edit the off-line to running machinery movement data
- show the side and top views
- check or verify the current alignment dial indicator readings, and select an alignment tolerance guide to tell you how accurate your alignment is currently.
Quite simply, there is no other alignment system that offers all of these features and it operates on computers found just about everywhere! This bundled system includes a copy of the Shaft Alignment Handbook, and a software manual.
Watch how the software program walks you through the data entry process then helps you solve your alignment problem...
Here’s the opening screen allowing you to either start a new shaft alignment job or open an old one.
This window allows you to pick generic names for your machinery or you can type specific names for the driver and driven machines that you are aligning.
This window is where you enter the distances along the length of the drive system.
This window allows you to pick the orientation of your drive system when observing it from above (i.e. the Top View).
This widow asks if you would like to directly align the shafts (assuming that no off line to running machinery movement occurs) or if you would like to enter the amount and direction of movement when the equipment is operating under normal conditions (aka off line to running / OL2R movement). If you decide to enter OL2R movement data (selection 2) the next screen would show you this ...
Here in this screen, you enter which way and how far the outboard and inboard ends of your machinery will move in both the up and down and side to side directions. As you enter the data, the screen updates each entry as you go.
Here is where you select which shaft alignment method you are going to use to align the drive system. You can pick the Face-Rim, Reverse Indicator, Shaft to Coupling Spool method, or, if you used an alignment measurement system that forced you to pick one machine as the MOVABLE machine where the movement solutions were going to be difficult (or impossible) to perform, you can select OTHER, and the program will allow you to enter the movement solutions from your system and offer you other movement solutions that will work.
If you selected the Face-Rim method, this screen allows you to enter the diameter that the face measurements were taken on.
If you selected the Face-Rim method, this screen allows you to enter the amount of face sag in your bracket arrangement.
If you selected the Face-Rim method, this screen allows you to enter the amount of rim sag in your bracket arrangement.
If you selected the Face-Rim method, this screen allows you to select which shaft the dial indicator measurements were taken on.
If you selected the Face-Rim method, this screen is where you would enter the rim and face readings you measured on the machinery.
If you selected the Reverse Indicator method, this screen allows you to enter the amount of sag in your bracket arrangement.
If you selected the Reverse Indicator method, this screen is where you would enter the readings you measured on the machinery.
If you selected the Shaft to Coupling Spool method, this screen is where you would enter the distances from the flexing points at each end of the coupling spool to the point where the dial indicators were taking the measurements on the spool piece (a.k.a. drive shaft).
Once all the information has been entered, the software program automatically graphs / models you misalignment problem and starts off showing you the exaggerated positions of the shafts in the Side View (up / down direction) and the solutions for the machine on the left. The blue lines represent the centerlines of rotation of each shaft. The dashed green line is just a reference line showing where the bolting and measurement planes are located and is NOT representing a pure horizontal plane (level and aligned does not mean the same thing, right?). Bear in mind that this is an exaggerated picture of your misalignment condition. But what’s really nice is that it’s an accurately scaled and modeled view of your misalignment condition that has been mathematically solved. But don’t stop there, look at what else you can do! ...
Let’s first take a look at what all the menus can do. Here are the selections in the File menu. You can start a new file, open and old one, save this data ... or if it’s already saved, save as a different file name, or quit the program. Notice after the quit selection, F10 is in parenthesis. Certain menu items have keyboard shortcuts. So if you do not want to pull the File menu down to quit the program, you could just press the F10 key instead. In the next series of screen shots showing each menu, notice that frequently used menu items have keyboard shortcuts. Notice that each menu has a CAPITAL letter (F for File, E for Edit, S for Show, U for Unit moves, C for shortCuts, and O for Overlay line. To select a menu, hold your SHIFT key down and press the key for the menu you want to see. Also notice that each menu item has a CAPITAL letter (e.g. F in the File, menu, O in the Open menu, S in the Save menu, A in the Save As .. etc.). To select each menu item, release your SHIFT key and press the letter for the menu item.
Here’s the Edit menu. Once you have entered your alignment data, you can go back and change each block of information if you desire. What’s really nice about this menu is that after each move you make, you can restart the program, open the file that you saved the first time you entered the data (showing you the first move(s) you made), then enter the new alignment readings you now have showing you where the machines are currently at. Then you can save this new data and keep a record of each move you make on the drive system. But what’s really nice is that if you ever have to align this machine again, you do not have to start a new program from scratch, just open an existing file and edit whatever measurements you now have. What a great way to show the AS FOUND and FINAL alignment information in your reports!
Here’s the Show menu. Here is where you can show the Side or Top views, the dimensions on your drive system, the dial indicator readings you entered, the ‘shoot for’ / ideal measurements you should get for perfect alignment, the desired off line Side and Top Views (assuming you entered OL2R information), and the current alignment tolerance / accuracy. Notice the F1 and F2 keyboard shortcuts for the Side (F1) and Top (F2) views.
Here’s the Unit moves menu. If you only want to move just one machine, you can pick the moves for the machine on the left (F3 keyboard shortcut) or the moves for the machine on the right (F4 keyboard shortcut).
Here’s the shortCuts menu. And here’s where the real power of the software starts to show up. You can pick a solution where you would pivot on the inboard bolts of each machine, pivot on the outboard bolts of each machine, or select the minimum move which calculates the shortest distance you can move both machines to achieve your alignment. See screen shots below for examples of this.
Here’s the Overlay line menu. When you pull down this menu, press the A key to activate the overlay line which is controlled using the up, down, left, and right arrow keys. This enables you to arrive an INFINITE NUMBER of possible alignment solutions for your drive system. As you move the overlay line around, you get instant feedback on the movement solutions. Once you position the overlay line where you want it, press any key and that solution is shown.
Below is just a sampling of the myriad of information you can select...
Here’s a Top View showing the moves for the unit on the right (F2 key then F4 key). Notice the direction of the movement is S (for south in this case). Seems like a minor point but there is nothing more frustrating than discovering that you moved the machine the right amount ... the wrong way! Makes life a little easier than figuring out which way an arrow is pointing on an alignment system display.
Here is a side view of a motor and pump. In this case, the inboard to inboard shortcut was selected. The red line is the overlay line (a.k.a. the final desired alignment line) that has been projected to intersect the centerlines of rotation of both shaft at the inboard bolting planes. Notice no moves are required at the inboard ends of each machine (you would pivot there) and the required moves at both outboard feet have been calculated. But what if there were no shims under any of the machinery feet?
Here is a side view of the same motor and pump. In this case, the outboard to outboard shortcut was selected. Again, the red line is the overlay line (a.k.a. the final desired alignment line) that has been projected to intersect the centerlines of rotation of both shaft at the outboard bolting planes. Notice no moves are required at the outboard ends of each machine (you would pivot there) and the required moves at both inboard feet have been calculated. I know this seems silly, but I have seen people grind baseplates away to align machinery.
What is the shortest possible distance both machines could be moved to achieve acceptable alignment? Pick the minimum move menu item in the shortCuts menu and viola!
What if you don’t like any of the suggested moves in the Unit moves or shortCuts menu? No problem. Select the Overlay line menu, press the A key to active the overlay, then use your arrow keys to put the overlay line anywhere you want to arrive at an infinite number of solutions!
Once you’ve moved the overlay line where you want and pressed any key, the display shows you the moves at all of the machinery feet. Don’t like those moves either? Invoke the overlay line again and movie it to some other position.
If you entered off line to running (OL2R) machinery movement information, you can always go to the Show menu and look at the data you entered and what positions the shafts should be in when the machinery is off line. Here is a screen shot of movement information entered on a steam turbine and generator in the side view.
The machinery may also move laterally form OL2R conditions. Here is a screen shot of movement information entered on a steam turbine and generator in the top view.
If we know that the machinery is going to move from off line to running conditions and we are using the Reverse Indicator method to measure the shafts, we know we don’t want to spin zero’s for all of the readings right? Then what should the ideal readings be? Go to the Show menu, select the shoot For... menu item and the software back calculates what the measurements should be. Pretty cool huh?
OK. All of this is great, but are we within acceptable alignment tolerances? Go to the Show menu and select the Alignment tolerance menu item. This screen shot shows that the maximum misalignment deviation (the red bulls eye) is out of the acceptable band at 4.9 mils/inch and that it is occurring at the pump in the lateral direction (top view). Nifty! Now all you have to do is correct the lateral (side to side) misalignment.
When you’re all done, the red bulls eye should be within the acceptable (or better yet, excellent) boundary curve. Now you can save this as your final alignment for this machine.
Fast, intuitive, accurate, helpful, and inexpensive! And now you can keep records of all your alignment jobs on your own computer without having to purchase an expensive alignment measurement system with a specialized computer with imbedded software that won’t run on any other platform or operating system and that won’t accept data from measuring devices other than the sensors that came with that system. And if you are a novice at shaft alignment, the Shaft Alignment Handbook that comes bundled with the system will help you train yourself and answer any technical questions about machinery alignment.