VCAT-II Intermediate Vibration Analyst

Learn to be an effective vibration analyst - capable of diagnosing a wide range of faults, conducting special tests, and performing precision aligning and balancing machinery - with advanced 3D animations and interactive simulations that make everything easy to understand.

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So, you are ready to take the next step in your vibration analysis career.

The good news is you are in the right place. Our VCAT-II ISO Category II course teaches you what you need to know to be a successful, confident, and competent vibration analyst.

We will teach you how to diagnose a wide range of fault conditions. We will teach you how to collect the right data with the correct vibration analyzer settings. And we will teach you some useful tips and tricks so that you may validate the diagnoses that you make. In addition, we will teach you about shaft alignment and balancing so that you can improve the reliability of the equipment.

Once you complete the training, you can take the exam with confidence, and become certified to ISO 18436-2 Category II 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.

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Learn More about VCAT-II 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-II Candidate profile

    This course is intended for the vibration analyst who will:

    • Collect vibration data
    • Validate that the data is good
    • Set up the analyzer for routine data collection and special tests
    • Diagnose most of the common fault conditions
    • Perform special tests to validate unbalance, misalignment, resonance, looseness, and other conditions
    • Know how to perform precision shaft alignment and balancing
    • Use the training and certification as the next step in a rewarding career as a vibration analyst
  • VCAT-II fast facts

    Duration:

    • 38 hours, typically over 5 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:

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

    Certification requirements:

    • Training course completed
    • 18-months of vibration analysis 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 is a great deal to learn, but it will help you to perform your role with confidence. In this course you will:

    • Increase your knowledge on maintenance practices, condition monitoring, and the common condition monitoring technologies
    • Increase your knowledge about data collection, testing techniques, sensor types, and so on
    • Learn a great deal about signal processing and the settings of your vibration analyzer
    • Increase your knowledge of spectrum analysis, time waveform analysis, and phase analysis
    • Understand why phase analysis and time waveform analysis are both critical tools for the vibration analyst
    • Learn about common failure modes and how to detect them, including unbalance, misalignment, looseness, resonance, pump/fan/compressor vane, and flow issues, cavitation, turbulence, gearbox failures, rolling element bearing failure, and more
    • Learn about high-frequency bearing and gear fault detection techniques: demodulation, enveloping, SPM HD, shock pulse, PeakVue, Spike Energy, and others
    • Be able to use spectra, phase readings, time waveforms, bump and impact tests, to test for looseness, resonance, and other conditions
    • Learn about precision shaft alignment and soft foot correction
    • Learn about single and two-plane balancing
    • Learn the basics of setting alarm limits: band alarms, and mask/envelope alarms

    The key is that on the VCAT-II course you will transition from being a person who is primarily capable of collecting data to a person who can diagnose faults on the critical machinery, and in some cases, prevent or correct them.

  • Why become certified by Mobius Institute Board of Certification?

    VCAT-II - Vibration Analysis Category 2 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-II 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 (100 multiple choice questions, duration 3 hours).
    • Have eighteen (18) 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 18-month milestone, please contact MIBoC to be upgraded to full certification.

    You can learn more about the certification process here or download our Vibration Analysis Certification Guide here.

  • A detailed list of training course topics

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

    • Review of maintenance practices
    • Review of condition monitoring technologies
    • Principles of vibration
      • Complete review of basics
      • Waveform, spectrum (FFT), phase and orbits
      • Understanding signals: modulation, beating, sum/difference
    • Data acquisition
      • Transducer types: Non-contact displacement
    • Proximity probes, velocity sensors, and accelerometers
      • Transducer selection
      • Transducer mounting and natural frequency
      • Measurement point selection
      • Following routes, and test planning
      • Common measurement errors
    • Signal processing
      • Filters: Low pass, band pass, high pass, band stop
      • Sampling, aliasing, dynamic range
      • Resolution, Fmax, data collection time
      • Averaging: linear, overlap, peak hold, time synchronous
      • Windowing and leakage
    • Vibration analysis
      • Spectrum analysis
      • Time waveform analysis (introduction)
      • Orbit analysis (introduction)
      • Phase analysis: bubble diagrams and ODS
      • Enveloping (demodulation), shock pulse, spike energy, PeakVue
    • Fault analysis
      • Natural frequencies and resonances
      • Imbalance, eccentricity and bent shaft
      • Misalignment, cocked bearing and soft foot
      • Mechanical looseness
      • Rolling element bearing analysis
      • Analysis of induction motors
      • Analysis of gears
      • Analysis of belt-driven machines
      • Analysis of pumps, compressors, and fans
    • Equipment testing and diagnostics
      • Impact testing and bump tests
      • Phase analysis
    • Corrective action
      • General maintenance repair activities
      • Review of the balancing process
      • Review of shaft alignment procedures
    • Running a successful condition monitoring program
      • Setting baselines
      • Setting alarms: band, envelope/mask, statistical
      • Setting goals and expectations (avoiding common problems)
      • Report generation
      • Reporting success stories
    • Acceptance testing
    • Review of ISO standards

Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the more common questions regarding our VCAT-II Intermediate Vibration Analyst course

  • CAN I SKIP THE CATEGORY I COURSE AND CERTIFICATION AND JUMP DIRECTLY TO CATEGORY II?

    Yes, you may, however, please keep in mind that you should already have some vibration analysis background and training before you attempt Category II. Many people have tried to go directly to Category II and felt overwhelmed on the course. 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 II?

    You must have 18 months of experience in vibration data collection and analysis collection. You will be asked to nominate an independent person who can verify that you have that experience.

VCAT-II Vibration Analyst

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