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© 2011 Gates Corporation
EZ ALIGN is a registered trademark of Gates Corporation
ALIGNMENT
There are three basic parameters that describe pulley
misalignment. These include vertical angularity, horizontal
angularity, and axial offset and may occur in any combination.
Vertical Angularity
Offset
Horizontal Angularity
There are several pulley alignment methods. The most
common is the straightedge and string method in which the
strings must touch the two edges of each pulley face
simultaneously (four-point contact for drives with two pulleys).
The pulleys should be rotated half a turn and checked again.
Since a string can bend around corners, it is not easy
differentiating between offset and horizontal angularity when
only three-point contact is made. A straightedge or string also
cannot always detect twist angle.
Straight-Edge Method
18
© 2011 Gates Corporation
EZ ALIGN is a registered trademark of Gates Corporation
String Line Method
The
GATES EZ ALIGN
®
on the other hand mounts magnetically
to the face of most pulleys. It projects a laser line onto the
reflector which is magnetically attached to the other pulley face.
Alignment involves ensuring that the transmitted and reflected
laser lines match with the respective reference lines.
Movable Pulley
The diagrams below depict misalignment conditions using the
GATES EZ ALIGN
®
and the corresponding corrections as
observed on the units.
Reflector
Laser Transmitter
Stationary
Pulley
