Modular shaft alignment system grows with a user’s needs
27 May 2025 
Fluke Reliability has announced a modular, scalable shaft-alignment system that allows users to cut initial costs by starting with the components they need for an existing shaft application, and adding new capabilities later without needing to replace their existing equipment.
“Today’s reliability professionals are navigating unprecedented challenges: tighter budgets, shrinking skilled labour pools, and increasing pressure to maximise uptime with fewer resources,” says Fluke Reliability’s chief technology officer, Aaron Merkin. “Our latest shaft alignment solution is built to meet today’s challenges – modular, adaptable, and scalable to any stage of an organisation’s alignment journey, accelerating time-to-value and helping maintenance teams do more with less.”
Misalignments are a major cause of unplanned downtime in rotating machines. Fluke says that a 75kW pump with an aligned offset of just 0.75mm can increase utility bills by $1,758 a year, as well as accelerating wear on bearings, seals and couplings. With up to 90% of rotating industrial equipment thought to be misaligned, laser-based precision alignment offer users the potential to save thousands of dollars in utility costs alone over the lifetime of a machine.
Fluke’s new shaft alignment packages consist of combinations of:
- a rugged tablet
- a shaft alignment app
- a choice of Pruftechnik precision alignment heads
The packages allow technicians to perform reliable precision alignments, while eliminating the need for multiple tablets. The rugged, IP65-protected tablets are designed to withstand drops from heights of up to 1.2m.
The tablets are available in locked or unlocked versions. The locked versions perform alignment duties only, providing a secure, closed platform. The unlocked versions allow users to install extra applications such as thermal imaging, geometrical alignment or CMMSs (computerised maintenance management systems). Both versions work with Pruftechnik alignment heads. An easy-to-use touch interface speeds up the alignment process.
The single-laser technology offers adaptive alignment and situational intelligence for fast, accurate alignment. Users have access to Pruftechnik’s virtual training centre and alignment experts
Fluke acquired the German alignment, condition monitoring and non-destructive testing specialist Prüftechnik in 2019.
