Because it’s never a good time for an electric motor failure, preventing unexpected downtime and cost is a primary concern for every maintenance and production manager. It’s no secret that taking care of your electric motors through preventative maintenance and proper servicing helps eliminate downtime.
So today, we’re reviewing the proactive steps you can take to reduce electric motor downtime and unexpected repair costs. Uptime Magazine1 says, “Motor life span is generally five to 10 years with these preventative measures. Without preventative maintenance, motors may survive six to 12 months.”
Best Electric Motor Repair Practices
Performing essential electric motor maintenance and repairs in-house is a popular option for reducing unexpected repair costs. A little bit of ongoing maintenance goes a long way to preserve the longevity and utility of your electric motors. Our Best Electric Motor Repair Practices blog post outlines the entire process of setting up an in-house maintenance or repair program.
It’s a quick and informative read for every maintenance manager. The blog post covers everything from assembling the needed manuals and parts inventory to obtaining a free copy of the ANSI/EASA Standard AR100-2020, which outlines best industry repair practices.
Basic Electric Motor Testing Tools
You’ll need some essential testing equipment to determine why an electric motor failed. Our Basic Electric Motor Testing Tools blog post discusses the different testing equipment available, including:
- Digital Multimeters
- Megohmmeter (Megger)
- Surge Testers
- Ammeters
The blog post describes what each electric motor testing tool does and provides a link to purchase IEEE 522, which defines the surge testing standards for a wide variety of winding and motor types.
Electric Motor Bearings and Applications
Every electric motor requires two essential elements for proper operation: bearings and lubrication. In our Overview of Bearings and Lubrication for Electric Motors blog post, we discuss the eight most common electric motor bearings in detail, outlining the pros and cons of each.
The article then covers the differences between grease and oil, which provide similar but uniquely different types of cooling and lubrication for an electric motor. The blog post then discusses the differences between splash, drip, forced, and automated oil systems.
Asset Condition Management Services
If you don’t have the time, workforce, or resources to handle electric motor maintenance and service in-house, let the Hi-Speed team take that challenge off your to-do list with our Asset Management Services.
With this service, you can save valuable time and energy by letting the Hi-Speed team schedule outages and repairs to reduce the impact on your production and bottom line. In our Asset Management Case Study, we tracked the costs and savings for a recent client during 2021, and below are the key findings.
In 2020, the client issued 131 work orders related to vibration issues with a completion rate of only 41%. After our initial vibration testing, that number jumped to 399 issues with a completion rate of 87% by year’s end.
The company production level was 75% for 2020 but jumped to 82% in 2021, becoming the company’s best production year to date. As a result of our asset management services, the client saw production levels increase to 85% across 2022.
The repairs and maintenance tasks that were performed included the following services:
- Laser Alignments
- Fan Balancing
- Bearing Replacements
- Full Equipment Changeouts
- Vibration Sensor Installation
- Coast Down Analysis
- PdMA Testing (on and off-line)
- Infrared Analysis
- Ongoing Consulting Services
- Failure Assistance to get up and running again
As a result of our asset management, the client’s production hours saved were increased from 162 hours in 2020 to 1040 hours in 2021.
Root Cause Failure Analysis
The DOE (Department of Energy) defines RCFA in the DOE-NE-STD-1004-92 document as “the fundamental reason which, if corrected, will prevent recurrence of these and similar events.” Essentially, RFCA focuses on tracking down the cause of the failure rather than just addressing the symptoms by replacing affected parts and assemblies.
In another recent blog post, “What Is the Correct Approach to Root Cause Failure Analysis?” we discussed the five stages of an effective RFCA process, which include:
- Data Collection
- Assessment
- Corrective Actions
- Inform
- Follow Up
Root-cause failure analysis often finds motor damage and coil damage caused by exceedingly high operating temperatures over an extended period of time.
RFCA is a critical component of our standard operating procedures when rebuilding or repairing an electric motor. It simultaneously reduces future repairs and long-term operational costs. It’s a part of our commitment to “keep you up and running.”
Hi-Speed Electric Motor Services
This is a friendly reminder that our staff engineers and repair specialists are on call 24 hours a day. We offer free pickup and delivery or service of your electric motor on-site using the latest technology and testing procedures. To ensure maximum efficiency and longevity, we offer precision laser alignment during reinstallation to minimize future vibration issues.
If you need a new or surplus/used motor or replacement parts, we represent and service the best electric motor manufacturers
If you have any questions about eliminating electric motor downtime, please call the Hi-Speed wire rope experts at 800-713-0103 or email us today.