In the metals industry, equipment runs under extreme conditions, high temperatures, heavy loads, continuous production, all of which demand impeccable shaft alignment. Whether you’re rolling steel, extruding aluminum, or forging iron components, misaligned shafts in motors, gearboxes, and rollers can cause increased vibration, excessive bearing and seal wear, and costly unplanned downtime.
Hamar Laser’s X-Series™ Laser Shaft Alignment Systems are engineered to perform in these harsh environments, delivering unmatched accuracy, speed, and repeatability. Backed by over 50 years of innovation and field experience, our alignment tools help metals producers maximize uptime, minimize equipment failure, and maintain safety and quality.
Challenge: A U.S.-based steel manufacturer was experiencing frequent failures in roll stand motors and gearboxes due to shaft misalignment. These failures led to multiple production shutdowns and significant overtime costs.
Solution: The facility adopted the X-660 3-Axis Laser Shaft Alignment System to align main drive shafts and support equipment.
Alignment time was reduced by
time by
60%
Bearing failures dropped by
50%
Annual maintenance costs cut by
over $80,000
Improved first-pass yield
and production output
Improved uptime and product consistency on the production line
The metals industry pushes machinery to its limits. That’s why X-Series™ was built for rugged reliability, providing precision alignment that helps you get the most out of every asset, whether you’re hot rolling steel or extruding aluminum profiles.
In the metals industry, where equipment failure leads to major losses in productivity and safety, precision shaft alignment is non-negotiable. X-Series™ delivers the reliability, ruggedness, and accuracy your operation demands, helping you stay ahead of costly failures and production delays.
Assumptions for this example: You have a 480 volt motor drawing 40 amps and operating 8400 hours/year. The Power Factor is .85. Electricity costs $0.06/kWhr. Also assume that the amp draw is measured before and after the alignment and it is found that there is a 1 amp difference.
kW =V* A*PF*1.732/1000
kW =480V* 1A*.85*1.732/1000
kW =.706 = power savings
Savings ($) = operating hours * kW savings * kW cost
Savings ($) = 8400 * .706 * $0.06/kWhr
Savings ($) = 8400 * .706 * $0.06/kWhr
Savings ($) = 355.82
If your plant has 80 similar motors, and if only half of them had the same amount of savings, it would total $355.82 * .5 = $14,232!
The coupling icons next to the data displays show the direction of the misalignment at the coupling and update as you move or shim the motor! You can also zoom in on the coupling to show them in the live display area of the screen.