SKF TKSA 51 - Advanced Wireless Laser Shaft Alignment System

Soft foot function

The soft foot function is available via an additional app “Soft Foot for TKSA51”. Just search for “TKSA 51 soft foot” in the Apple Appstore or Google Play, or scan the QR code on this page with your device.

Shaft misalignment is one of the most significant and most preventable contributors to premature machine failure. When a machine is placed in service with less than optimal shaft alignment, the following conditions are likely:

• Increased power consumption
• Increased noise and vibration
• Premature bearing wear
• Accelerated deterioration of gaskets, packing, and mechanical seals
• Higher coupling wear rates
• Increased unplanned downtime

Shaft Alignment

Proper alignment is achieved when the centerlines of each shaft are co-linear when the machine is under load and at normal operating temperatures. This is often referred to as shaft-to-shaft alignment. If the shafts of a machine train are not colinear, when the machine is in operation, they are misaligned.

In essence, the objective is to have a straight line through the centers of all of the shafts of the machines.

The SKF Shaft Alignment for TKSA 51 is a wireless shaft alignment tool that allows an easy and accurate method for aligning the shafts of a driving machine (e.g. electric motor) and a driven machine (e.g. pump).

Principle of Operation

The TKSA 51 is a Line Laser Shaft Alignment System and it has two measuring units that are mounted on each shaft, or on each side of the coupling. After rotating the shafts into different measuring positions, the system calculates offset and angular misalignment values between the shafts. The values are compared with user defined tolerance limits and adjustments of the machine can be made instantly.

During the measuring procedure, measurements are taken in three positions, each separated by at least 20°. As the shafts are rotated through an arc, any parallel misalignment or angular misalignment causes the detectors to measure the difference in their positions relative to each other.

Positioning information from the measuring units is wirelessly communicated through Bluetooth Low Energy to the displaying device, which calculates the amount of shaft misalignment and advises corrective adjustments of the machine feet.

If the shafts of a machine train are not co-linear when the machine is in operation, they are by definition misaligned. While the actual shaft positions can be illustrated in threedimensional space and the centerlines can be defined mathematically, it is easier to relate the relationship between shafts at the coupling as an offset, an angle, or any combination of the two in the vertical and horizontal axes.