Quick Win: Laser Shaft Alignment Tools
- Kerin Epperly, CLSSMBB
- Oct 11
- 1 min read
Quick Win #11: Low Cost, High Return, Easy to Implement
Small change. Massive savings.
Here’s a one-day reliability win that can triple bearing and coupling life.
Pain Point: Shaft misalignment is responsible for over half of all rotating equipment failures.
Even slight angular or offset misalignment increases bearing load, coupling stress, and vibration exponentially.
Traditional alignment methods: straightedges, feeler gauges, or dial indicators, often lead to inconsistent results between technicians.
This hidden misalignment quietly reduces bearing life, accelerates seal wear, and wastes energy.
Solution: Use laser shaft alignment tools to achieve precision alignment on couplings, pumps, motors, and fans.
Mount the laser heads on each shaft and follow step-by-step visual guidance.
Adjust the machine base in real time until the alignment display reads within tolerance (typically ±0.05 mm).
Save and document results for traceability and condition baselines.
Train technicians once — alignment becomes faster, safer, and far more accurate.
Impact:
Reduces vibration amplitude by 30–60%
Extends bearing and coupling life by 3–6×
Improves energy efficiency (up to 5%)
Cuts alignment time by 70% compared to dial methods
Typical ROI: <3 months per rotating asset
Laser alignment transforms “eyeball maintenance” into precision reliability engineering.
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