VCAT-I Junior Vibration Analyst

Learn to be an effective vibration technician - capable of collecting quality data, and performing basic analysis and data validation - with advanced 3D animations and interactive simulations that make everything easy to understand.

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Our VCAT-I ISO Category I course will set you up for success.

The good news is you are in the right place to get further information about our vibration analysis category I training. We will help you understand why vibration analysis is important, you will gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of vibration analysis, you will learn how to take quality, dependable measurements, and you will begin the process of understanding how to diagnose common faults with vibration analysis.

Once you complete the training, you can take the exam with confidence, and become certified to ISO 18436-2 Category I via the internationally respected Mobius Institute Board of Certification [MIBoC]™. The MIBoC certification is accredited to ISO/IEC 17024 – there is no higher standard. You will join thousands of other Mobius™ certified analysts around the world.

FREE DEMO: See a preview of the VCAT-I course. Included is segments from our instructional videos and a chapter from our comprehensive VCAT-I manual. You can access the training demo with your student credentials or create a new account using this link – VCAT-I Course Demonstration Link.

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Learn More about VCAT-I Training and Certification

  • Why learn with Mobius Institute™?

    There are three major reasons why over 4,000 vibration analysts choose Mobius Institute every year:

    1. We make complex topics simple with amazing 3D animations and simulations that make you say, “Ah, now I get it!”
    2. We give you access to the entire course before the class begins so you are better prepared, and for six months after the course, just in case you still have questions
    3. We use anonymous, stress-free polling throughout the course, so you know if you truly understand each topic, and the instructor knows not to move on to the next topic – no student is left behind

    There are many other reasons why vibration analysts, and their managers, choose Mobius Institute.

  • How can I take this course?

    We offer the ultimate flexibility:

    • PUBLIC: You can take the public, instructor-led course with other people like you. You can find a public course here.
    • VIRTUAL: You take the course from the comfort and safety of your computer, with an instructor guiding you through the course. You can find a virtual course here.
    • ON-SITE: You can invite the instructor to your site and save yourself the cost, hassle, and risk. You can find partners who can deliver the course here.
    • VIDEO: You can have the ultimate in safety and flexibility by watching a video of the course. You can watch it multiple times! You can place your order here.
  • VCAT-I Candidate profile

    This course is intended for the vibration analyst who will:

    • Collect vibration data
    • Validate that the data is good
    • Begin to perform basic analysis
    • Use the training and certification as the start of a new and rewarding career as a vibration analyst
  • VCAT-I fast facts

    Duration:

    • 30 hours, typically over four days

    Format:

    • Live public course
    • On-site course
    • Virtual online course
    • Video distance learning online course

    Compliance:

    • Training and certification: ISO 18436-2
    • Certification: ISO 18436-1, ISO/IEC 17024
    • Training: ISO 18436-3

    Exam:

    • Two-hours
    • 60 multiple-choice questions
    • 70% passing grade
    • Can be taken online or in-person at the course

    Certification requirements:

    • Training course completed
    • 6-months of work experience, verified by an independent person
    • Pass the exam
    • Valid for 5 years

    Pre-study:

    • Access to the “Learning zone” upon registration and payment
    • Complete set of videos covering every topic
    • An excellent way to be prepared and get the most from the course

    Post-study:

    • Continue to access the Learning zone for 4-months after the course
    • Continue learning, without charge, on Mobius CONNECT® via www.mobiusconnect.com
  • What will you gain from taking this course?

    There are so many benefits to taking this course. You will learn…

    • about condition monitoring, including a summary of the most common technologies
    • about reliability improvement
    • how vibration analysis plays a key role in reliability improvement
    • about how machines work via the supplementary self-study “equipment knowledge” section of the manual
    • about the fundamentals of vibration: waveforms, spectra, and simple metrics (overall levels, rms, peak, peak to peak, and crest factor)
    • how to take dependable, repeatable, high-quality vibration readings
    • about vibration sensors, and how and where to mount them
    • the basics of the analysis process, primarily with vibration spectra
    • the basics of the key analyzer settings: fmax, resolution, and averaging
    • the basics of setting alarm limits
    • about the common “failure modes” of machines and how to detect them, including rolling element bearing faults, unbalance, misalignment, looseness, and resonance
  • Do you offer a free demo?

    Yes!

    FREE DEMO: See a preview of the VCAT-I course. Included is segments from our instructional videos and a chapter from our comprehensive VCAT-I manual. You can access the training demo with your student credentials or create a new account using this link – VCAT-I Course Demonstration Link.

  • Why become certified by Mobius Institute Board of Certification?

    VCAT-I Vibration Analysis Level 1 Certification

    • You should be recognized for your achievements; not everyone is up to the challenge of understanding vibration analysis, let alone successfully collecting data and utilizing it
    • Being certified by an accredited certification organization is a major step up from simply passing a test. Yes, the process is a little more complicated and stricter, but that is for very good reasons
    • The educational process is extremely valuable, but being certified tells an employer (or a consulting client) that you are capable of doing an important job

    Mobius Institute has certified more vibration analysts than any other organization and we have only been offering certification since 2005. Almost 40,000 vibration analysts around the world, just like you, chose Mobius Institute for a good reason.

    You will receive a digitally encrypted certificate, an ID card, and a personalized logo that you should use in email signatures and elsewhere that you want people to know about your achievements.

  • VCAT-I training and certification requirements

    All you need is a desire to learn and to succeed in your field. In order to be certified you must:

    • Complete a MIBoC approved training course (click here for a list of approved courses).
    • Achieve 70% or higher on the certification exam (60 multiple choice questions, duration 2 hours).
    • Have six (6) months of practical vibration analysis work experience, verified by an independent person.

    Certification is valid for 5 years.

    If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified. When you pass the 6-month milestone, please contact MIBoC to be upgraded to full certification.

  • A detailed list of training course topics

    Here are the main topics covered on the VCAT-I course:

    • Maintenance practices
      • Reactive, preventive, condition-based, proactive
      • How to decide between them
    • Condition monitoring
      • Why it works
      • Ultrasound, infrared, oil analysis, wear particle analysis, and electric motor testing
    • Principles of vibration
      • Waveforms
      • Metrics: overall levels, RMS, Pk, Pk-to-Peak, and crest factor
    • Introduction to vibration measurement
      • Vibration sensors: displacement, velocity, acceleration
      • Vibration units
      • Mounting: where and how
      • Naming conventions
      • Repeatability and quality
      • Vibration axes: V, H, A, R, and T
      • What are “routes” and how do you create them?
      • Detecting and avoiding poor data
    • An introduction to the time waveform
    • An introduction to the spectrum
      • An introduction to forcing frequencies
    • A brief introduction to phase
    • Signal processing (just the absolute basics)
      • A quick tour of your analyzer settings
      • Fmax
      • Resolution
      • Spectral averaging
    • Vibration analysis
      • The spectrum analysis process
    • What is resonance – a quick introduction
    • Diagnosing common fault conditions
      • Unbalance
      • Misalignment
      • Rolling element bearing failure
      • Looseness
      • Resonance
    •     Setting alarm limits

Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the more common questions regarding our VCAT-I Basic Vibration Analyst course

  • CAN I SKIP THE CATEGORY I COURSE AND CERTIFICATION?

    Yes, you may, however, please keep in mind that you should already have some vibration analysis background. You will also need to have 18 months of field experience to be issued the ISO certificate for Category II.

  • WILL I RECEIVE PRE-COURSE STUDY MATERIALS?

    Upon course registration all students will receive an instructional email with a link to the TMS (Training Management System) to finalize their course registration and student profile.  Once registration is complete you will see a link to the applicable online Learning Zone under the training course tab in your student profile.  (Category IV training does not include the online Learning Zone). The Learning Zone provides a digital version of the coursebook and also a series of folders containing movies. These movies are actual course videos, recorded in a studio, and contain similar content taught in the Instructor-led course.

  • WHAT IS A LEARNING ZONE ACCOUNT?

    Every registered student will receive an instructional email to finalize their course registration. They will also receive a link to the TMS (Training Management System) where upon accessing they select the training course where they are able to access their personal Learning Zone. The account provides a digital version of the coursebook and also a series of folders containing movies. These movies are actual course videos, recorded in a studio, and contain the same content taught in the Instructor-led course the student is registered in. The Learning Zone account may be used for pre-course study materials, review during the course week, reference after the course, or used to re-take the course and re-sit your certification exam. The account is activated at the time the student registers for the course and expires 4 months after the close date of the course they will be attending.

  • DO YOU OFFER UNLIMITED LEARNING ACCESS?

    Yes, learn forever with Mobius Institute “Life Long Learning”. Receive access to video trainings for a lifetime as a past, present, and future Mobius Institute student. As a student you can continue to access the training videos.  Regardless of whether you attend a public course or an onsite course or purchased an online distance learning. For a nominal cost of the equivalent distance learning course fee, past, present, and future Mobius Institute vibration students can continue to access the training videos forever. To upgrade either select the option – Life Long Learning Upgrade using this link – Life Long Learning Upgrade Link or contact your training partner directly.

  • CAN I BUY THE LEARNING ZONE ACCOUNT AND USE IT TO STUDY FOR THE CERTIFICATION EXAM?

    No, but we do offer Category I-III Distance Learning (DL) courses which are the online equivalent to our Public courses. The cost is the same as attending a Public course, the training material content is fully ISO 18436 compliant and you will be qualified to take the Certification Exam once you have completed the DL course.

    You will find the distance learning courses on our shopping cart.

  • DO YOU OFFER ON-SITE INSTRUCTOR LED COURSES?

    Yes, we offer a range of courses that can be conducted onsite, including our Category I-IV vibration analysis courses, Asset Reliability Practitioner® ARP, ultrasound, balancing, alignment, and others. If you are in North America, please email the course category and number of students to learn@mobiusinstitute.com for a quotation. Outside North America, contact your local training partner.

  • MAY I TAKE ONE OF YOUR COURSES IF I AM NOT INTERESTED IN BECOMING CERTIFIED OR IF I HAVE INSUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE FOR CERTIFICATION?

    Yes, our courses are open to the public, regardless of experience. If you are involved in vibration analysis or rotating machinery in any capacity, such as sales, marketing, engineering, design, or reliability, you will come away with a far better understanding of how machines are monitored, how faults develop, and what can be done to determine what faults actually exist in a machine. All attendees receive certificates of completion. Candidates without sufficient experience will still receive a certificate if they pass the exam, but it will note that their experience was insufficient for ISO certification at the time.

  • AFTER I ATTEND YOUR COURSE AND TAKE THE EXAM, WHEN WILL I RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS AS TO WHETHER I PASSED, AND WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY CERTIFICATE?

    You will receive notification of your results 5-10 days after the exam has been received at our Australian office. If you have passed the exam and met all certification requirements, you will receive your Digital Certificate 10-15 days after your exam results notification email.

  • HOW LONG IS THE CERTIFICATION VALID?

    Vibration analysis certification is valid for five (5) years.

  • HOW DO I RENEW MY CERTIFICATION?

    We will endeavor to contact you before your certification expires, therefore it is important that you keep your TMS records up to date (TMS is the training management system you will use to register for the course and for certification). If you change roles, it is essential that you update your records. We also invite you to set a reminder in your calendar for five years hence to contact us.

  • HOW DO I QUALIFY FOR RENEWAL?

    As per the standard, we do not require you to attend our conferences or take our courses, however,  we hope you will take advantage of www.mobiusconnect.com and the sites linked to Mobius CONNECT® so that your knowledge remains current. These sites are free of charge. When it is time to renew your certification, we will ask you to nominate an independent person who can verify that you are still active as a vibration analyst. There will be a small fee to renew your digital certificate and to renew your certification status with the accreditation body.

  • WHAT ARE THE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR VCAT-I?

    You must have six months of experience generally associated with maintenance, reliability, and vibration data collection. You will be asked to nominate an independent person who can verify that you have that experience.

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