Myths and Truths about Balancing

MYTH: “1x RPM is always caused by unbalance.”
TRUTH: Unbalance always causes vibration at 1x RPM.  However, 1 x RPM is not always caused by unbalance.  Many other problems can exhibit vibration at this frequency.  Examples are:  Misalignment, Bent shaft, bowed shaft, cracked shaft, eccentricity, open rotor bars in the motor, rubs, looseness, belt issues  and resonance. 

MYTH: “The run time and lifetime of the equipment can be extended by performing a balance job on the equipment.”
TRUTH: Problems such as misalignment, bad bearings, looseness, etc cannot be corrected by balancing the machine.  It is almost impossible to correctly balance a machine that has other defects affecting its performance.  Misalignment, bad bearings looseness etc should be corrected before attempting to balance equipment.