Alignment structure
View Patent ↗The alignment of two pieces of machinery is achieved so that centerlines of rotating shafts of each piece are in-line. The methods and systems include a) rotating a shaft on a first unit, the first unit including a laser holder assembly for projecting a light source in a circle around a centerline of the first shaft, b) projecting the light source from the laser holder assembly to a target on a second unit, the second unit having a second shaft, c) adjusting a horizontal and vertical position of the second unit to align a centerline of the second shaft with a center of the circle produced by the light source, d) reversing the position of the laser holder assembly on the first unit and the target on the second unit, e) rotating the second shaft on the second unit so that the laser holder assembly on the second unit projects the light source around the centerline of the second shaft, f) adjusting an angular position of the second unit to align the centerline of the second shaft with the center of the target, and optionally reducing the size of the circle produced by the light source to more precisely determine its center.
1. A method of aligning at least two pieces of machinery so that centerlines of rotating shafts of each piece are in-line, comprising:
a) rotating a first shaft on a first unit, the first unit including a laser holder assembly for projecting a light source around a centerline of the first shaft;
b) projecting the light source from the laser holder assembly to a target on a second unit, the second unit having a second shaft;
c) adjusting a position of the second unit horizontally and vertically to align a center point of the target with a center of the circle produced by the light source;
d) reversing the position of the laser holder assembly on the first unit and the target on the second unit;
e) rotating the second shaft on the second unit so that the laser holder assembly on the second unit projects the light source in a circle around the centerline of the second unit to a target on the first unit; and
f) adjusting an angular position of the second unit to align the center point of the target with the center of the circle produced by the light source emitting from the second shaft.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of attaching an adapter on the first shaft for connecting the laser holder assembly to the first shaft.
3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of attaching an adapter on the second shaft for connecting the target to the second shaft.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser holder assembly emits the light source towards the target when the first shaft is rotated.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the laser holder assembly emits the light source towards the target when the second shaft is rotated.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser holder assembly includes a beam adjustment screw for adjusting the size of the circle produced by the light source.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the projected light source is a circle wherein the first and second shafts are positioned with the circle.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the center of the circle is the projected centerline of the first shaft.
9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the center of the circle is the projected centerline of the second shaft.
10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of adjusting the position of the second unit moves until the circle coincides with a center of the target on the second shaft so as to align the first unit and second unit in a X-Y plane.
11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of adjusting the position of the first unit moves until the circle coincides with a center of the target on the first shaft so as to correct angular displacement errors in a Z-plane.
12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising reducing the size of the light source to a zero radius to produce a spot when the shaft of the first unit is rotated.
13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising reducing the size of the light source to a zero radius to produce a spot when the shaft of the second unit is rotated.