Machine alignment: an expense or an investment?

摘要

Poor machine alignment can result in costly increases in power consumption. JOHN COLEMAN outlines some of most common causes of misalignment and explains how to resolve them. There is wide recognition of the damage that poor alignment can cause to rotating machine mechanical parts such as seals and bearings, with resultant losses in reliability and downtime. However, much less attention is paid to the role of poor alignment in reducing energy efficiency. Studies at ICI in the UK have indicated that good machine alignment standards and practice will produce significant financial savings.