We’ve discussed the causes of unbalance that creates the need for dynamic field balancing services in another blog post, but we have not really covered the tangible benefits of equipment that has received this service.
The first thing to keep in mind is unbalance in any rotating machinery, but particularly in an electric motor, is the most common cause of failure. This can even happen if repairs have been made, such as parts being replaced that became defective due to imbalance issues. Imbalance issues create excess vibration and if you fail to address the root cause of that vibration with dynamic field balancing, that replacement part will likely fail again because the machine is still out of balance.
So, what are some of the benefits of having well balanced motors in your business:
Because bearings are the most vulnerable parts of an electrical motor to vibration damage, getting rid of excess vibration through dynamic field balancing will greatly prolong the life of your motor bearings.
Excess vibration causes noise, and depending on the size of the motor, the volume of that noise may be considerable.
When a machine vibrates in a way that it is not supposed to, something has to absorb it and typically this is the structure of the electric motor. Increased stress on the structure can cause failure or even permanent damage to the motor.
Operating an imbalanced motor creates additional operating costs that you might not have considered. Not only might you need to keep and maintain additional electric motors to serve as backups in case of failure, but there are other costs to consider as well. Imbalanced motors may require more energy to do the same tasks as a well-balanced electric motor. The vibration may also create excess heat which also may need to be addressed in the plant.
Well balanced electrical motors also are far safer than imbalanced ones. Because of all of the reasons listed above, imbalanced motors can lead to sudden failure which may cause injuries to equipment operators or other workers within the plant. The extra vibration and noise may cause hearing problems, or cause operator fatigue which may impact the worker’s efficiency or possibly more prone to making mistakes that may result in accidents.
Well balanced electric motors are less prone to failure, which means that there is less unplanned downtime in your shop. Unplanned downtime causes production delays that result from removing damaged equipment for repair, purchasing/pulling another motor from storage and getting the replacement motor up and running. Well balanced motors also last longer and do not require repair as often as unbalanced motors. Equipment running smoothly creates less noise which may lessen worker fatigue and increase worker productivity as well.
Tekwell uses the Bonitron M3628ACF automatic capacitor former rated for 1,000 VDC and capacitances up to 300,000 degrees F. This portable unit, powered by a standard 120 VAC outlet, can handle reforming of large AC drives (typically up to 1,000 HP, 600 VAC). Need to reform your capacitors in storage? Give us a call at 1-800-829-7454 or fill out the simple online form on our Contact page or for more information.