Category: Motors

PdMA's Tip of the Week

When you work with electric motors, you're particularly mindful of their operations. The wind-energy sector is a specific industry where motor efficacy is key to solid profits and successful businesses. Kurz is thrilled to work alongside PdMA, who are leaders in the electric-motor testing world. Take a cue from PdMA's tip of the week so that you can learn more about setpoints and updating them. You can save your system from a major breakdown as a result. 

Annual-Review Time 

With the new year comes a host of different tasks that your team must complete. A review of a facility's machines and components may be part of this tasking process. The machines may seem to have optimal efficiency, but their operations can be deceptive. 

Suggest a review of the electric motors in particular. They should be examined for basic

operations, such as voltage drops and heat dissipation. However, the science behind the motors' efficacy may be lost among some customers. 

Every motor has certain setpoints for shutoff and activation. It's these setpoints that Kurz wants to examine further. An annual review isn't complete unless the setpoints are adjusted as necessary. 

Conservative Setpoints 

Every electric motor has setpoints so that it can shut off when optimal conditions are lacking. Conservative setpoints occur when the specifications are too tight. There's a narrow valley of operational voltages. If the motor strays too far from these setpoints, constant alarms and shutdowns occur. 

A motor-testing professional should be able to alter these setpoints if there are too many false alarms. These shutdowns will lead to low productivity and wear on the motor. Electrical components are designed to take a load and carry it for a steady period of time. Frequent shutdowns only lead to a motor that won't last for very long. 

Loose Setpoints 

You may throw up your hands in frustration as you deal with false alarms. A knee-jerk reaction might include a change in setpoints. Be careful when you loosen your specifications. Setpoints that are spaced too far apart can cause fewer

indicators. There may be a problem with the system, but nothing triggers an alarm until the motor outright fails. 

This scenario is a worst-case type. It can occur when productivity is all that's being factored into a system. There must be some setpoints in place so that any anomalies are caught in time to improve the motor's operations. 

Dealing With Vendor Changes 

If you are dealing with either setpoint issue, working with the component's vendor is paramount. There are often changes within your system that aren't advertised. Software updates, for example, tend to shift power within a motor. Setpoints that used to work well are now defunct. Changing the setpoints to match with the new software may be necessary. 

Vendor changes may also pose a negative reaction in your system. Although certain setpoints may be standard at other facilities, you have a unique arrangement. Find those perfect setpoints and keep them in place. When a vendor visits for any adjustments, be sure that the setpoints remain unchanged. You'll avoid any headaches after the visit as a result. 

Kurz's On-Site Services 

Our team is dedicated to your success, which is reflected in our on-site services. Predictive maintenance is always critical to daily productivity. Motor evaluations and vibration analyses are part of these services. 

Some of our other services are closely related to your motors' successes on the factory floor or high above the ground. Surge testing, DC-motor examinations and equipment balancing are standard tasks that we can perform for your business. Go a step further with ultrasound leak detection, laser alignment or thermography IR. Every test gives you a glimpse at the component's stability, which leads to a smooth-running system. 

Contact Kurz today for all of your electric-motor questions. Today's motors are more complex than ever before, but their basics remain the same. Work with the best of the best, including PdMA, and your company will see enhanced productivity in the new year.