SKF’s shaft alignment tool extends service capabilities
December 2015Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
SKF South Africa’s key customer, armature winding specialist, Mokse Engineering Enterprises, was so impressed with the capabilities of the TKSA 11 shaft alignment tool that it purchased the TKSA 51 to handle larger machines.
Shaft misalignment is one of the most significant contributors to premature machine failure. It is estimated that misaligned shafts can be responsible for up to 50% of all machine failures. A machine placed in service with less than optimal shaft alignment can lead to poor machine performance, increased power consumption, increased noise and vibration, premature bearing wear, accelerated deterioration of gaskets, packing and mechanical seals as well as higher coupling wear rates. “These scenarios, which can all lead to unplanned downtime, costly repairs and production losses, are easily preventable using our quality range of shaft alignment instruments,” notes SKF product manager, Eddie Martens.
Mokse Engineering is successfully using the TKSA 11 for accurate horizontal shaft alignment of small to medium sized machines. But realised, when it started receiving more requests for larger jobs, a tool capable of aligning bigger machines was required. Because of the satisfaction with the TKSA 11 performance, SKF was approached for the solution.
“We demonstrated the TKSA 51 to our customer who was immediately impressed with the fact that they could do soft foot (a distortion in a mounting frame that a motor may stand on) as well as thermal growth (caused by thermal expansion),” continues Martens. “Upon hearing that the measuring distance between the heads was 5 m, the customer was sold on the TKSA 51.”
The TKSA 51 provides high measurement flexibility and performance suitable for entry-level to expert alignment jobs. Designed to work with the shaft alignment TKSA 51 app on a tablet or smartphone, this intuitive tool is easy to use and requires no special training. Martens adds that SKF can provide basic product knowledge to an experienced operator as well as a two-day laser alignment training course on site or at the SKF training centre situated in Boksburg.
The range accessories makes the instrument ideally suited for a wide range of alignment applications such as motors, drives, fans, pumps and gearboxes. “Due to the reliable and effective performance of our TKSA 11 instrument, we were able to offer the best solution in the TKSA 51 and assist this longstanding SKF customer to expand its capability to handle bigger jobs, improve turnaround time and grow the business,” concludes Martens.
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