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Annual Electric Motor Checklist for Reliability

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The New Year’s Resolution Guide to Your Motors

As we step into the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the health and readiness of your operations. Electric motors and their ancillary parts are critical to keeping your business running smoothly, yet they’re often taken for granted until something goes wrong. This year, let’s resolve to take a proactive approach to maintaining these essential assets. Here are some key areas to review and optimize:

1. Do You Have the Right Spares on Hand?

Unexpected motor failures can lead to costly downtime. Having a spare motor ready can make all the difference in maintaining continuity. But how do you know when you need a spare? Our guide provides actionable insights to help you decide when investing in a spare is the right move for your operations.

In addition to keeping spare motors on hands, you may want to evaluate keeping spare parts on hand. These parts may include bearings, pulleys, or specialized parts like encoders. We keep a large stock of spare parts on hand for the hundreds of repairs that we conduct every month. Furthermore, we keep a stock of spare parts for different industries such as the Machine Tool and Printing industries. Make sure that you store these parts properly. Below we show a picture of rotors for servo motors that are wrapped to prevent dust and other contaminates from impacting the material.

Spare Parts for Motors

2. Are You Storing Your Spare Motors Properly?

Having a spare motor is one thing, but improper storage can render it unusable when you need it most. Factors like temperature, humidity, and physical protection play a critical role in extending the life of stored motors. Learn how to store electric motors properly to ensure they’re ready for action. We keep a large inventory of spare motors at our headquarters for the Machine Tool and Printing industries. These motors are wrapped and stored in a humidity, climate controlled environment.

spare motors in storage

 

3. Is Your Preventative Maintenance Schedule Up to Date?

Preventative maintenance is the cornerstone of reliable motor performance. Regular inspections and servicing can identify issues before they become costly problems. This blog outlines the benefits of a consistent maintenance schedule and how it can save you time and money.

For facilities with DC motors, there are specific maintenance needs to consider, such as brush inspections and replacements. Check out our detailed guide to ensure your DC motors are in peak condition.

4. Are You Installing and Maintaining Belts Correctly?

Belt-driven systems are common in many operations, but improper tension or installation can lead to inefficiency, wear, and failure. Learn how improper belt tension affects your belt drive system and discover common belt problems that you can address proactively.

5. Have You Scheduled Infrared Analysis?

Infrared inspections are a highly effective way to identify potential issues with your equipment before they escalate. Many property insurance companies favor facilities that conduct regular infrared analysis, so it’s worth discussing this with your insurance provider. Explore the benefits of infrared inspection and consider scheduling this service as part of your annual maintenance plan.

Infrared Inspection

Infrared Inspection

6. Are You Leveraging Vibration Analysis?

Vibration analysis can be a powerful tool in predicting motor maintenance needs or determining when a motor requires repair or replacement. Regular vibration checks can detect imbalances, misalignments, or bearing issues before they lead to significant downtime. We work with our customers to create tailored schedules—whether quarterly, monthly, or bi-annually—to suit their operational demands. Learn more about vibration analysis and how it can benefit your facility.

Start the Year Right

By addressing these key areas, you can set the foundation for a smoother, more efficient operation in the year ahead. Let’s make the new year where we prioritize reliability and efficiency for electric motors and their supporting systems. If you have any questions or need assistance with your motor maintenance strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out. Here’s to a successful and proactive year ahead!

Environmental Impact of the Burnout Oven Electric Motor Repair Process

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It is increasingly important to understand how our decisions impact the environment and energy consumption in every day life. These decisions are also important for when you are selecting your electric motor repair partner. Understanding the different methods of electric motor repair and how they impact your electric motor’s efficiency and reliability are crucial. In this article, we will walk you through how the burnout oven electric motor repair process impacts your motors and review how Dreisilker’s MotorSafe Repair method differs.

What is the burnout oven electric motor repair process?

The burnout stripping method is a long-established technique utilized in the repair of electric motors to remove insulation and varnish from stator windings in preparation for rewinding. This process involves placing the stator in a specialized oven set to a high temperature, typically around 650°F, for an extended period, often exceeding eight hours. The intense heat effectively turns the insulation and varnish materials on the windings into ash, facilitating their complete removal. While this method is highly effective in preparing the stator for the application of new windings, it carries potential risks and challenges. These include possible damage to the stator core and frame from excessive heat, environmental concerns due to the release of gasses and byproducts, significant energy consumption, and the generation of waste materials that require proper disposal.

100HP After Burnout Oven

A 100HP Motor after the Burnout Process

How core integrity impacts electric motor efficiency:

The core of an electric motor plays a fundamental role in its operation, serving as the foundation for the stator windings and providing the magnetic circuit necessary for converting electrical energy into mechanical motion. Core integrity is paramount in ensuring the motor’s reliability, efficiency, and longevity. The core, typically made of stacked laminations of electrical steel, must maintain its structural integrity to support the magnetic flux generated during motor operation. Any damage or distortion to the core, whether from improper stripping methods or other factors, can compromise the motor’s performance. Issues with the core can lead to increased core losses, reduced power output, limited lifespan, and decreased overall efficiency.

To maintain optimal motor performance, core loss testing is a critical aspect of electric motor repair and maintenance. This process involves assessing the core losses in the stator core to evaluate the motor’s efficiency and performance. By measuring core losses, which include hysteresis and eddy current losses within the core material, technicians can identify any abnormalities or damage that may have occurred during the repair process, such as stripping and rewinding. Core loss testing ensures that the motor operates within optimal efficiency levels and can detect issues like core overheating, insulation breakdown, or structural damage. Conducting thorough core loss testing as part of the repair procedure allows technicians to verify the integrity of the stator core and make informed decisions regarding any necessary corrective actions to maintain the motor’s efficiency and longevity.

Considerations for use of the burnout oven motor repair process:

One of the critical factors affecting core integrity during the burnout oven process is temperature control. Excessive temperatures can lead to thermal stress and damage to the stator core and frame. It is essential to adhere to recommended temperature settings (around 650°F) and duration to prevent overheating and potential core damage. If you are working with a repair shop that utilizes the burnout method, it is important to inquire about their quality procedures for temperature control. Through our many years of experience, we have found that many repair shops may ignore the 650°F guideline and increase the temperature to expedite the process. While this might speed up the turnaround time, it can also negatively impact the motor’s efficiency.

Another significant consideration is the potential for core distortion and hot spots within the motor. Core distortion, often caused by uneven heating or excessive temperatures during the burnout process, can lead to misalignment of laminations and structural irregularities within the core material. This disruption of the magnetic circuit essential for motor operation results in increased core losses and reduced magnetic efficiency. Additionally, hot spots—localized areas of overheating—can further exacerbate efficiency issues by causing thermal stress, insulation breakdown, and potential damage to the core material. These inefficiencies lead to energy losses, decreased power output, and compromised reliability. Therefore, careful management of the burnout stripping process is crucial to minimize these risks and ensure optimal motor performance.

Alternatives to the burnout oven:

Recognizing the challenges and environmental concerns associated with the burnout oven method, we at Dreisilker have developed an alternative solution known as the MotorSafe Repair process. In a comprehensive study, we compared the burnout oven method with our MotorSafe approach, highlighting the significant advantages of our method in terms of both performance and environmental impact. Read more on the study here: MotorSafe vs Burnout Method Comparison

The MotorSafe Repair process prioritizes the protection of core integrity, minimizes energy consumption, and reduces the release of harmful emissions. In the following sections, we will delve into the specifics of the MotorSafe Repair process, discuss our study’s findings, and explore the environmental benefits that make MotorSafe a superior choice for electric motor repair. Additionally, we will refer to an article that further explains how the MotorSafe method positively impacts the environment, underscoring our commitment to sustainability and efficiency in motor repair.

MotorSafe lamintions vs Burnout Oven laminations

Laminations after the MotorSafe Repair Method (left) vs the Burnout Oven Method (right)

Environmental Impact of the MotorSafe Electric Motor Repair Process

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The MotorSafe Electric Motor Repair process plays a important role in promoting environmental sustainability and aiding companies in achieving their green goals. By focusing on efficiency and precision, our repair method focuses on a motor’s efficiency, optimizes motor lifespans, and enhances resource efficiency. As a result, MotorSafe Repair ensures the efficiencies of motors to optimize their energy consumption for critical operations. The MotorSafe Repair process can have a positive impact on the environment and help companies meet their sustainability goals in several ways:

Focus on Energy Consumption: The biggest impact an electric motor repair service center can have on a motor’s energy consumption is within the rewinding process. If a motor is found to need a rewind, it is important to understand how the windings are stripped. With our MotorSafe Repair Method, we measure a motor’s core loss before and after stripping. The core loss testing process checks for overheating, damage, and hot spots within the motor’s core. A motor that does not pass our core loss testing would not run efficiently, leading to possible overheating and a shortened life span. In this case, we would recommend replacement of the core (when possible) to avoid efficiency issues. After the core loss testing, we proceed with our MotorSafe Stripping Method which safely removes the coils from the motor – ensuring no further degradation to the motor’s core. In contrast to MotorSafe Stripping, the industry standard Burnout Incineration method (used by other electric motor repair facilities) can introduce electric motors to considerable, damaging heat. At Dreisilker, we always conduct the core loss test before and after the stripping process to confirm the motor’s core condition.

To learn more about the environmental impact of electric motor repair, read our study: Burnout Oven vs MotorSafe Repair

Core loss testing a motor

Testing a motor’s core.

Materials Used in the Repair: A critical part of a motor’s efficiency includes the materials used in the repair. There are many standards imposed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) that impacts how motors are manufactured and how we repair our motors. The standards created by NEMA can dictated the type of copper wire, the insulation paper, the varnish, and etc. Our skilled rewinding technicians examine the motor we received, its nameplate, and its data packs to understand what replacement material we need to use throughout the repair.

We use Class H wire in our rewinding method and we carry Class N rated varnish, which allows the windings to withstand higher temperatures. Furthermore, the varnish is hermetic rated which impacts the operations of compressor motors.

Taking Extra Steps: There are many ways how taking extra steps during a repair can impact the efficiency and longevity of motors. For example:

  • Crease and Cuffing: We use high quality slot paper that we crease and cuff for every slot. The cuff allows for mechanical rigidity of the windings, limiting vibration and increasing reliability. Read more here: The Basic Steps of an Electric Motor Rewind
  • Tying down slots: We tie down every slot during a rewind which helps aid the cuffs for mechanical rigidity. Most repair facilities and ever manufacturers take a short cut and tie down every other slot to save time. Read more here: The Basic Steps of an Electric Motor Rewind
  •  Proper cool down: During the double dip and bake varnish process, we let the windings cool after curing in the oven before dipping them again in varnish. Allowing the motor to cool ensures the varnish adheres properly to the windings. If the motor is too hot, the varnish will become too viscous and run off the windings more easily. Read more here: 4 Types of Motor Winding Insulation Methods

Dreisilker Winding Components

Dreisilker’s rewind for a random wound motor.

Recycling: Dreisilker works with certified partners in order to recycle and dispose of materials from the electric motor repair process. Throughout a typical motor repair, it is possible for us to need to replace many components of the motor including bearings, coils, end bells, shafts and more. Our technicians are trained on how to sort and recycle these different types of materials. Sorting different resources enables us to collaborate with our partners to properly recycle materials, ensuring they can be reused. Like many other industries, we use solvents and chemicals within the repair process. We partner with chemical disposal companies so that we are limiting the environmental impact of these used chemicals.

In conclusion, the MotorSafe Electric Motor Repair process acknowledges the need for environmental sustainability and supports companies in meeting their green goals. By emphasizing energy efficiency, precision in repair techniques, and the use of high-quality materials, MotorSafe enhances motor performance and longevity. Our meticulous approach to rewinding, repairing, and material selection ensures motors operate optimally, reducing energy consumption and minimizing environmental impact. Additionally, our commitment to responsible recycling and disposal practices underscores our dedication to sustainability. By adopting the MotorSafe Repair method, companies can achieve greater operational efficiency while aligning with their environmental and sustainability objectives.