Archives for August 2017

Listening when your Equipment Speaks to You

Do you listen to your motors complaining about overload? Do you see your pump packings crying a flood? Do you hear you bearings whine about contaminated lubricants? Do you notice your steam system that coughs excessive condensate and it’s complains about strained elbows?

There are two types of people in mills. There are people who notice when equipment show signs of distress, and people who don’t. We often call people who don’t see the signs of distress in equipment for “mill blind” people. The mill blindness may not be intentional, but rather a product of being so used to the environment that poor equipment condition just isn’t noticed. Let us supply you with a small informal “mil blindness test for you.

Below are a few examples of “mill blindness” we often see in pulp and paper mills. Most of you have at some point seen these equipment problems before, but ask yourself, are we accepting these conditions or are the problems corrected in our mill?

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The Decatur Industrial Electric Team Doubles Time between Reconditioning of Motor -Saving Customer Thousands

Steel Mill Facing Nine Motor Rebuilds a Year Due to Premature & Severe Commutator Wear

A customer from the metal industry was pulling multiple motors from service within eight months or less due to severe commutator wear. At that time, D.I.E. was not the chosen repair partner, but was asked to help. Our experts, in order to reduce the commutator wear and attain better and longer motor life between rebuilds, engaged in root cause failure analysis techniques.

After our initial inspection, we found two main issues at play:

1. Blowers were running backwards, allowing for the possibility that heat could be a contributing factor.

2. Motors were not running at anywhere near nameplate load ratings.

After identifying these problems, we worked with the brush manufacturer to come up with a brush that would be better suited to the lower amp draw (load). At the next planned maintenance check, our technicians ensured the new brushes were installed and seated properly. We also made sure the blowers on all units were running in the right direction to assure good air flow through the motor.

By reducing the commutator wear, we expect to double the time between reconditioning of the motor, saving them downtime and dollars.

Commutator wear

Welcome Joe Wagner, Reliability Specialist

We are pleased to announce that Joe Wagner has joined the Company as an Outside Sales Reliability Specialist based in Decatur. Joe comes to us after spending the last 22 years in the construction industry, most recently serving as a Superintendent for A-Lert Construction in Decatur. Joe will work with current and prospective customers in a variety of industries that we serve. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

Proactive Maintenance Matters: How a Grain Processing Plant Reduced Their Cost of Motor Repairs and Purchases by 50%

Does this sound familiar? Run a motor to failure. Buy a new motor. Rinse and repeat.

When a motor runs until failure it causes unplanned production downtime and emergency maintenance. At that point, the cost to repair the motor is generally not economical and a new motor has to be purchased. As the preferred vendor for this customer, we instituted a tracking spreadsheet to note when a motor was removed prior to failure and the cost to repair versus running a motor to failure and the cost to replace. The difference in cost proved how predictive and preventative maintenance practices offered through Decatur Industrial Electric can extend motor life and increase reliability.

Part of our protocol with this customer now includes vibration analysis on critical equipment to identify areas of concern, lubrication program, and energy efficiency analysis of motors serviced against replacement motors. Contact a reliability specialist to see how we can implement a predictive maintenance program at your facility.