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Articles in Industry Publications

Understand motor/system baselines

  • May 2017
  • Number of views: 8871
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

Vibration readings provide the best early warning of developing problems in a motor or system component. Other parameters to monitor may include operating temperature of critical components, mechanical tolerances, and overall system performance, including outputs such as flow rate, tonnage, and volume.

Heed design letters when replacing motors

  • November 2016
  • Number of views: 7732
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

Too often, replacement specifications for three-phase squirrel-cage induction motors cover only basic nameplate data such as power, speed, voltage, and frame size, while overlooking other important performance characteristics such as the design letter. This can lead to misapplication of a motor, causing poor performance, inoperability, or failures that result in unnecessary downtime.

My motor failed. Now what?

  • June 2016
  • Number of views: 8396
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

Process downtime is expensive—even more so when it’s unexpected. So, when an electric motor fails, we tend to pull, repair, or replace it, and move on as quickly as possible. In doing so, however, we may miss an opportunity to capture basic information that could help improve the reliability of the application. With a little planning, these data can be gathered with no delay in startup.

Avoid costly motor connection mistakes

  • May 2016
  • Number of views: 9077
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

Manufacturers deploy various external connection schemes to produce three-phase induction motors for multiple voltages and/or starting methods. Be sure to follow the relevant connection diagram, which is usually affixed to the motor or contained in its manual. If the diagram is lost, damaged, or ignored, you could find yourself dealing with a costly rewind.

Three-phase motor tips: How to evaluate winding temperatures

  • December 2015
  • Number of views: 6870
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

Suspect a three-phase motor is running hot? If you’re right, the unit is either producing more heat than it’s designed for or dissipating less. With excess heat, the main concerns are typically the health of the bearing-lubrication and the winding-insulation system.

Before incurring the expense of pulling the motor, evaluate its winding temperature. This article explains how.

Cool advice on hot motors

  • August 2015
  • Number of views: 11882
Trade press article — Maintenance Technology

The effects of excessive temperature on motor performance are notorious. After moisture, they are the greatest contributor to bearing and winding failures. Understanding the source of increased temperature is key to correcting the problem and improving the reliability of your facility’s motor fleet.