Rewinding an electric motor is a core part of extending its life and keeping them operating efficiently, but many people underestimate how important the rewinding process can actually be.
A commercial electric motor is a large piece of equipment, and any breakdowns or faults can be serious causes for concern. If motor rewinding is not completed correctly, the impact on the business’s operations can be costly in the long run. But how important is electric motor rewinding overall?
What is electric motor rewinding?
Electric motor rewinding essentially entails replacing the wound-up wires inside the motor. These wires are responsible for creating the magnetic field that causes the motor to turn, meaning that any damaged or worn-out wires can severely hamper its overall effectiveness.
In more technical terms, electric motor rewinding involves using a suitable rewinding tools and a set of skills to get the motor back to its full strength. However, this is not as simple as just swapping out wires. The rewinding process is long and precise, and one mistake can cut into the total efficiency of the motor system itself.
The main objective of rewinding an electric motor is to maintain the maximum amount of efficiency. If even one wire wears out, the motor loses some of that efficiency and therefore loses some speed – which can be a serious problem if the motor is being used for an urgent and important purpose.
Why is motor rewinding important?
Losing efficiency means the motor is not producing as much power or motion, which can directly impact whatever it is connected to. Since these wires are an essential part of the entire unit operating as expected, replacing them can be a vital part of keeping the motors efficient.
Beyond that, some motor units may be designed for a particular and important purpose, and that means that a loss of efficiency could be devastating. While many motors can simply undergo electric motor rewinds whenever they get too damaged, others may be too important for that and may require rewinding the moment they drop below a specific level of overall efficiency.
How do you get rewinding done?
In the case of rewinding electrical motors, multiple rewinding services are available. However, finding the right one is tough – most of them are independent contractors, meaning that each one will have their own particular skill sets and services to offer. Beyond that, different motors have varying designs, and larger units take longer to rewind.
The main objective of rewinding electric motors is to improve insulation resistance and maintain or improve efficiency. Companies like Houghton International are good examples of specialists that do this work well – but there are still a lot of variables to consider, including the design of the motor itself.
No two large-scale motor designs are going to use exactly the same construction, and this often extends to the wiring. This means that there may be different amounts or types of wound-up involved, as well as different procedures for making the motor safe to rewind.