Commutator Repair
A commutator is an important part of a DC armature because carbon brushes run on the commutator, supplying electrical current to the armature rewinding. To learn more about the steps of an armature rewind, read our rewinding process here: Armature Rewinding
Machining the commutator surface during a commutator repair
The commutator’s surface must be smooth and concentric to guarantee the uptime and reliability of a DC motor. If the surface is not smooth, the carbon brushes will wear out quickly which in turn can cause the armature windings to fail. To learn more about common failures of DC motors and brushes, check out our Blog here: DC Motors: Common Problems and Maintenance of Brushes
Clean cutting the armatures commutator so that it is a smooth surface
Undercutting and cleaning commutator bars for a commutator repair
Commutators are made up of individual bars that are either welded or soldered to individual coils in your armatures. During any commutator repair, our experienced technicians inspect each commutator bar to ensure that they are electrically separated from each other. We undercut and clean any burrs to separate each bar. This is a time intensive and detailed process that we take pride in because we understand the importance of this step for the reliability of our customers’ commutators.
DC Commutator being Undercut
The next steps for a commutator repair
Just like any other step within the motor repair process, we always test our work. We test each commutator and armature before it goes onto the next step in the process to ensure quality and reliability.
Toyo Denki Variable Speed Commutator Motor Repaired