Belt Alignment
For belt-driven systems to operate effectively and safely, proper belt alignment is necessary. You can make sure that your belts and pulleys are properly aligned by realizing how important alignment is, employing the appropriate techniques and equipment, and adhering to best practices.
Pulley misalignment is a common cause of worn belts and/or pulleys, as well as elevated vibration and noise levels. This may result in early bearing failure and, eventually, unscheduled downtime for your belt-driven equipment.
Conventional belt alignment techniques often use a straight edge and/or a length of string in conjunction with visual aids. They can be completed quickly, but they are frequently wrong.
Compared to conventional techniques, using a laser belt alignment tool is faster and more precise. Both the pulley faces and the pulley grooves can be aligned with belt alignment tools.
You can benefit from precise pulley and belt alignment by:
- Increase bearing life
- Increase machinery uptime, efficiency and productivity
- Reduce wear on pulleys and belts
- Reduce friction and thereby energy consumption
- Reduce noise and vibration
- Reduce costs of replacing components and machinery downtime
