Technote #34 Rotalign: Rotalign Ment of Cardan Shafts Using Cardan Bracket Ali 2.893set

Shaft alignment
TechNote #34 ROTALIGN®

ROTALIGN®ment of cardan shafts
using Cardan Bracket ALI 2.893SET
Introduction
This technical note describes the alignment of two Precise alignment reduces the rotational irregularities
machines joined via a cardan spacer shaft. No mean of the cardan shaft to a minimum, so that the un-
feat by conventional methods, accurate cardan shaft even bearing loading during cardan shaft rotation is
alignment is made easy by the ROTALIGN laser-opti- also minimized, the service life of the components is
cal alignment system in conjunction with the Cardan extended and the chance of unexpected machine
Bracket ALI 2.893SET. failure is reduced.
Cardan shafts are normally installed with the spacer The amount of offset measured between the two
shaft set at a considerable angle (usually 4° to 6°) in sensors can be included as alignment target values
order to ensure sufficient lubricant circulation, which so that the standard ROTALIGN displays corrections
in turn prevents the universal joints from seizing. Ex- based purely upon angularity misalignment, which is
cessive misalignment of such a configuration leads to the only concern with cardan shafts. ROTALIGN PRO
rapid fluctuation of the driven shaft RPM during op- features a special cardan shaft alignment function
eration, which holds particularly grave consequences which does not require this alignment target entry.
for electronically-controlled synchronous and asyn-
The measurement procedure described in this note
chronous AC drive motors.
allows precise measurement even when a large
amount of offset is present between the two ma-
chines – even over great measurement distance (up
to 10 m / 33 ft.).
Stationary
machine
Cardan
bracket
Machine
to be
moved
Receiver Laser emitter
Cardan shaft ROTALIGNment: the laser receiver is mounted on the non-rotatable coupling using the ALI 2.893SET bracket.
PRÜFTECHNIK AG - Shaft alignment
ROTALIGN® TechNote - page 2
Procedure
1) Mount the faceplate on the coupling using the
bolts supplied. The bracket is usually mounted on
the coupling face of the non-rotatable shaft, for
example, the roll in a paper mill. Center
bolt
Two different mounting arrangements are available:
1a) If the shaft end or coupling face has a threaded
hole in its center, the easiest and most rigid mount-
ing method is to use the large center bolt as shown
Thread
at right. A thread adapter may be used as shown to adapter
fit the center bolt to larger bores.
1b) The coupling bolt holes may be used for three- Faceplate mounting using the center bolt
point mounting using the square-headed M10 bolts
as shown at right. If the coupling face has a raised
rim, the precision machined spacers are used as
shown in order to separate the bracket faceplate Washer Spacer
from the coupling face. (Without the spacers, there
would be no direct contact between the faceplate
and the coupling surface surrounding the bolt holes
– exactly the location where the faceplate and cou-
pling are being joined.)
The washers prevent the nuts from marking the cou-
pling surface when tightened.
See the parts list for exact sizes supplied with the
bracket kit.
Before tightening down the bolts, use an inclinome- Bolt hole

ter or spirit level to position the face plate at the mounting diameter:
same angle as the cardan shaft when installed (usu- 100 to 212 mm
3 15/16" to 8 5/16"
ally horizontal or vertical; see page 1). A design
drawing from the machine manufacturer can be
helpful in determining the intended horizontal and/
or vertical offset between the machine coupling
halves. The inclination can be calculated from these
horizontal and vertical distances as follows:
vertical offset
inclination = arctan
horizontal offset
2) Place the slide in the faceplate as shown, then use 2

the two levers (top) to tighten the slide into place. 2
1
Mount the slide (1), then lock the faceplate levers (2).
3) Make sure that the spacer clips are mounted at

the bottom of the receiver holder support posts.
Slide the receiver all the way onto the posts. (Do not
tighten its yellow locking knobs until the laser beam Shaft offset
has been adjusted in Step 6 below.)
4) Position the receiver holder on the slide so that it
is located directly across from the coupling center of
the other machine: as in Step 1, consult the machine
manufacturer's specification to determine the correct
shaft offset distance indicated in the drawing at
right.
5) Use a magnetic bracket (such as the ALI 2.106
bolt hole bracket) to attach the laser emitter facing Set the receiver holder to equal the offset between shafts.
outward from the face of the other coupling (see
illustration on page 1).
6) Switch on the laser and use its thumbwheels to

adjust the beam onto the target of the receiver dust-
cap (rough machine alignment may be necessary).
When correctly adjusted, the beam spot should re-
main stationary on the target when the laser shaft is
rotated. Tighten down the receiver holder thumb-
wheel to lock it onto the slide, then tighten down
the receiver locking knobs.
7) Take alignment readings using the Multipoint
mode with the standard ROTALIGN. (ROTALIGN PRO
users please refer to the corresponding Tech Note
for different instructions regarding that version).
Rotate the receiver holder into measurement posi-
tion first, then turn the laser-side shaft and observe
the detector view in the measurement screen (right):
at the moment when the laser dot crosses the Y axis,
press the TAKE POINT softkey to register the reading.
Results
Shaft offset is not a consideration for cardan shaft
alignment, and so only angularity corrections are
needed. With the standard ROTALIGN, the front foot
correction values must be copied from the results
screen and entered as desired alignment targets; the
results screen will then show only the corrections
needed to correct angular misalignment between
the two machines.
For example, if the standard ROTALIGN displays the
results shown at right:
Note the values 1.78 and -0.21 for coupling offset in
the vertical and horizontal, respectively.
Press the key and select 'Coupling targets',

then 'Targets'. Enter the amounts 1.78 and -0.21 for
vertical and horizontal coupling offset as shown in
the screen at right :
Return to the results display with . The

screen then shows the proper corrections for cardan
shaft alignment, i.e. only for angularity correction:
Parts included with Cardan Bracket ALI 2.893SET
Slide,
970 mm / 38"
Receiver
holder
assembly
Precision
Faceplate spacers
assembly
Center bolt, M16 Faceplate

Thread adapter, M24 Center bolt, M201 nuts, M10 Faceplate Square-head
Thread adapter, M301 washers bolts, M10
Also included (not shown): Case dimensions approx. 1350 x 420 x 55 mm

Hex key, SW5, angled approx. 53" x 16 1/2" x 6"
Hex key, SW4, angled
Weight, with all bracket parts:approx. 21 kg / 46 lb.
Hex key, SW1.5, angled
Center bolt wrench
Consult the OPTALIGN/ROTALIGN Product Catalog (ALI 9.300, avail-
Heavy-duty flight case w/ contoured foam insert able free of charge) for complete details on other brackets and
system accessories!
PRÜFTECHNIK AG
P.O. Box 12 63
D-85730 Ismaning, Germany
Phone: (+49) 89 99 61 60
Fax: (+49) 89 99 61 62 00
http://www.pruftechnik.com Productive maintenance technology

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Shaft alignment

TechNote #34 ROTALIGN®

Receiver Laser emitter

Before tightening down the bolts, use an inclinome- Bolt hole

2) Place the slide in the faceplate as shown, then use 2

3) Make sure that the spacer clips are mounted at

6) Switch on the laser and use its thumbwheels to

Press the key and select 'Coupling targets',

Return to the results display with . The

Parts included with Cardan Bracket ALI 2.893SET

Center bolt, M16 Faceplate

Also included (not shown): Case dimensions approx. 1350 x 420 x 55 mm

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