Electric Motor Reliability Trifecta: Quality Control (Part 2)

Trifecta is picking the top three finishers in a horse race and it can be worth a lot of money. Applying the Trifecta theme to motor reliability, the top three applications of test technology to ensure you win big in reliability are quality control, trending, and troubleshooting.

Keeping the focus on quality control, previously Part 1 discussed how quality control starts with a new or refurbished motor and continues through the warehouse, pre-installation, and post-installation. Let’s dig a little deeper into the warehouse element. “Ready” spare motors are critical to ensure minimum loss of production in the event of an unplanned failure. Warehouse spares must be maintained and tested to ensure they are ready at a moment’s notice to be placed into action. A full round of electrical tests including phase resistance, phase inductance, capacitance and resistance-to-ground (RTG and PI), and rotor influence testing should be performed on the motor for quality control acceptance. However, you don’t want to put a quality-tested electric motor into a low-quality motor storage environment. Quality control includes reviewing storage facility operations to verify proper bearing oil handling, shaft rotation schedule, rust prevention, insect and rodent control, humidity and temperature control, and vibration prevention. If your facility is not capable of providing the necessary steps to ensure a quality motor storage, then looking into third party storage may be the right approach. Contact your nearest approved motor repair shop and ask if they offer climate-controlled motor storage.