Misalignment is the quiet tax on every coupled drive: it loads bearings sideways, works seals oval, and turns couplings into wear items. Alignment is not a dark art — it is a sequence.
Soft foot first, always
A machine foot that does not sit flat bends the casing the moment its bolt tightens, and every alignment reading after that is fiction. Check each foot with a feeler gauge or indicator before touching the coupling; shim until all four sit within tolerance. Ten minutes here saves the whole afternoon.
Measure, do not eyeball
A straightedge across coupling rims detects the misalignment that already destroyed something. Dial indicators or a laser system measure offset and angularity in the tenths that bearings actually feel. The laser is faster and self-calculating, but a well-handled indicator set reaches the same truth.
Correct vertical before horizontal
Vertical correction means shims, horizontal means jacking — and shimming disturbs the horizontal, not the other way round. Work vertical to tolerance first, then walk the machine sideways with the indicators live. Two passes normally close both planes.
Account for the running condition
Machines grow as they warm. A hot pump aligned perfectly cold will run misaligned by lunch, so apply the maker’s thermal offsets and align to the running position, not the resting one. Record the final readings on the work order — next year’s alignment starts from this year’s numbers.
