Archives for February 2017

Reliability Tip: On-Site Electrical Testing

There are various technologies that can test a motor while running, including:

Vibration
Infrared
Ultra sound (UT)
PdMA On-line, MCE EP1000/EXP4000
Dranetz – On-line continuous motor

Curious on how often you should test?
On-line testing with motor relays is a continuous 24/7 device.
Off-line testing frequency will depend on the atmosphere the equipment is in. It can be done more often if tracking a deterioration situation.

Air conditioning -1 X a year
Typical seasonal conditions (humid in summer/dry in winter) – 2 X a year

How do we know when the stator is going to fail? To find out what is going on with the stator, Decatur Industrial offers offline condition monitoring which does resistance to ground, phase to phase resistance, and polarization index.

Brett Kunzman Promoted to Tech Services Manager

Brett Kunzman will start his new role tomorrow, March 1, 2017, but he is not new to Decatur Industrial. He has been with us for 19 years. A Decatur native, Brett started with us shortly after his high school graduation, where he also attended vocational school and got outside experience working in production and maintenance.

Brett has worked in various areas for the company, including machining, disassembly and assembly, and field service and technical maintenance.

He has completed numerous trainings and holds various certifications:

-Richland Community College: Manufacturing Processing & Machining
-Flender Gear Box Service Training
-R&M Materials Handling, Inc. SX,SM2000 & LM Service Training for Crane and Hoist
-OSHA 10-Hour
-MSHA 40 Hour Part 48A & 48B Certification of Training
-Mobius Institute Vibration Analysis & Dynamic Balancing/Vibration Analyst Certification
-Bearing Failure Analysis (SKF) and (FAG)
-Jim Griffin Precision Laser Alignment

Brett looks forward to continuing our service excellence tradition. Click here to connect with him on LinkedIn.

Hiring: Part-Time Warehouse Clerk and Delivery Driver

$17-19.00 an hour.

Quick Apply!

We are looking for a warehouse clerk to help with routine day to day responsibilities in our warehouse. Some delivery driving will also be a must. A CDL license B is a required. You will represent our company in a professional and cost-effective manner to increase our profitability and customer satisfaction.

Only “on-call” one every six nights & one weekend every six weekends.

Approximately 25 hours a week. DAY SHIFT

CDL B

Responsibilities

Help out with daily routine jobs in the warehouse, general warehouse duties
Inventory processing
Deliver equipment to different customers and load and unload equipment
Follow routes and time schedule
Load, unload, prepare, inspect and operate a vehicle (Internationals, Freightliner, and Trucks)
Complete logs and reports
Follow DOT regulations and safety standards
On call one every six nights and one weekend every six weekends

Skills

Proven working experience as a Delivery Driver
Ability to lift at least 25 pounds
Valid Class B license preferred. (If you have a Class C we can work with you to get your Class B.)
Ability to operate forklifts and tractors in a variety of weather and traffic conditions
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Good driving record
Ability to pass a drug test and background check

There will be some days where you are in our warehouse and not driving.

Required: Valid Class B license.
Be Home Every Night!
Scheduled “on-call” required – average 7 days per month.

How the wrong motor drawings almost cost this Cement Company $15,000

Details Matter

A cement company recently learned how costly it can be when a manufacturer is not supplied with the correct motor drawings. Unfortunately, it’s a common and preventable mistake.

This particular customer had ordered a custom base upon which to mount a Flender gear reducer and 250hp electric motor. Unfortunately, the base was manufactured with the wrong motor design drawing, so the new base this customer received did not work. It is unknown how the wrong motor drawing was supplied, but the customer did know they had a serious problem and they needed to start production.

At this time, Decatur Industrial was engaged in the project and helped to find the error. The manufacturer said a new base could be made over several weeks and for an additional $15,000. Plus, the motor and gearbox were 360 feet off the ground, which would have required extensive man hours and crane costs.
After Decatur Industrial’s team reviewed the equipment, the mounting base, and the application; we found a speedy and great solution!

Motor Testing Tip: Leading and Lagging Indicators

Motor Fault Zones

Leading indicators are those that occur early in the P-F curve while lagging indicators occur later in the failure cycle. Both are key indicators, but it is important to know which one you are dealing with to better diagnose the severity of the situation.

Phase resistance, like infrared thermography, is a leading indicator of power circuit anomalies. Performed at proper intervals you would expect the resistance imbalance to identify early stages of a power circuit high resistance connection. At early stages the effect of a high resistance connection on the motor is minimal and only localized heating occurs. At later stages the current through the affected phase changes resulting in circulating currents in the motor. These circulating currents cause elevated temperatures that may reduce the life expectancy of the insulation system.

Finally, both indicators being on the P-F curve doesn’t mean you have to wait to get to the lagging indicators to make a decision. The general rule of thumb is that the earlier you can correct these issues, without affecting production, the less expensive the repair.

To see a video on the Power Circuit Fault Zone visit the website below at:
http://www.pdma.com/webinars/Power_Circuit_Fault_Zone/powercircuit.html
Thanks to our friends at PdmA for this tip.