NEWSLETTER | Summer 2017 www.westindrives.com 01484 453399

By Michael Limb, Service Manager

Westin Drives has a new spacious,modern home. We’ve moved a fewyards from our old workshop into alarge, purpose-built service centre.We specialise in the repair andservicing of industrial electricmotors and the design andinstallation of control systems. Wealso offer bespoke CNC precisionmanufacturingThe business, established in 1921,had outgrown its previous premisesand, crucially, the existing cranageof two tonnes. Our new centre hastwo 10 tonne cranes which can belinked to lift up to 20 tonnes. Headroom had been an issue in ourold workshop, forcing us to stackhorizontally rather than vertically. But there’s plenty of headroom inthe new premises and abundantstorage space in our adjoining 19thcentury, five-storey mill.Larger repairs often carry highvoltage windings requiring specific

test equipment. So we are investingin a 12kV SKF surge tester andarmature testing unit to ensuremaximum quality and reliability forcustomers with AC and DC needs.The same test equipment used on a550kW motor will be used on a0.18kW fractional hp motor, for weappreciate that a small motor can bejust as crucial as a large one.We’ve also developed our machiningcapability to offer the manufactureand repair of any component. With a range of machines, fromconventional to computer-controlleddevices, we can now produce partslarge and small as one–offs or inbatches with a quick turnaround.

TRAINING ROOM

We offer industrial training coursesdelivered by qualified personnel insubjects such as maintenance andasset management.

PANEL BUILDING SERVICES

Our panel building department,once limited to small to mediumpanels, now has few sizelimitations.

CNC PRECISION ENGINEERING

We have carried out mechanicalrepairs associated with motor-driven systems for decades. We arenow able to provide a muchbroader service to customers.

IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY

Customers will recall therestrictions imposed by ourprevious entrance. Our new servicecentre has two dedicated loadingareas and plenty of car parking.

CUSTOMER BENEFITS

Welcome to our new service centre

Meet engineerMatt, who runs ournew CNC services

Westin Drives – a one-stop shopfor all your engineering needsBy Fraser Lynch, Technical Manager

We have created a precisionengineering department to enableWestin Drives to become a one-stopshop for the manufacture andrepair of any component.We are now able to offer a totalengineered solution from design toproduct development. By utilising a range of machines,from conventional to computercontrolled devices, we can produceparts large and small as one–offs orin batches with a quick turnaround.And as a 24-hour company, we areavailable around the clock for ourcustomers. All aspects of machining are catered

for: basic turning, CNC milling,grinding, gear cutting and spiralwelding/metal spraying plusthree-dimensional design andcomputer-aided design drawingpackages. We will soon be able to offercomplex, computer-aidedmanufacturing software compatiblefor offline programming and thelatest CNC turning equipment tohandle more advanced and bespokeitems that take longer to make.Matt Phillips, repair engineer in

the precision engineeringworkshop, says: “Our range ofprecision machinery gives us theability to work to tolerances ofthree decimal places.”

CNC offers new machining possibilities to customersWORKSHOP NEWS

A Sprint Electric drive savedthe day for a manufacturerexperiencing problems witha tripping DC drive.The 20-year-old machinehad been reliable until thetripping grew morefrequent.After replacing everythingassociated with the SiemensDC drive, the customercontacted our technicalservices department.The fault was diagnosedover the phone to be aninternal power supply issue.To minimise downtime, thecustomer chose to have aretrofitted Sprint Electricdrive, which could be donewithin 10 hours. Our engineers completed thejob on time and productionwas reliable once more.

Giant motor isfixed in a flashWe were called in by acustomer when a large flashwas seen from thecommutator/brush gear ofa 1000 HP DC motor.Our engineers noticed signsof arcing and damage to thecommutator and advisedthat the eight-tonne motorneeded to be serviced.The largest by power andweight that we have everhandled, it was delivered toour service centre where itwas carefully dismantled.Years of carbon and grimewere cleaned from withinthe motor, the commutatorwas skimmed and undercutand new carbon brusheswere fitted. Windings weretested and bearing surfacesmeasured for tolerance.  Finally our engineersreassembled the motor withits new bearings andancillaries and returned it tothe relieved customer.

Engineers sprintto the rescue ofmanufacturer

2 Westin Drives News – Summer 2017

Precision: Matt Phillips programmes the new CNC milling machine

Appointmentsto strengthenour team

MICHAEL LIMB BScService Manager

Michael began his career as atrainee with a company makingdrive systems for industrialmotors and has over 35 years’experience of field service /aftercare across a variety ofsectors. He has been a field engineer,worked in technical support andprogressed into a managementrole several years ago. He oversees the management ofour repair and mechanicalengineering workshops and isworking to increase efficiency byimproving working andadministrative procedures.

RICHARD BRUFFELLInternal Sales Representative

We were pleased to welcome backRichard to Westin Drives thisyear. He has rejoined as InternalSales Representative and brings awealth of knowledge andexperience to the role.

His enthusiasm, expertise andextensive contacts within theindustry are already helping himto make a valuable contributionto our future success.

FEATURE: SKF CERTIFIED REBUILDER

By Steve Ormondroyd, Workshop Supervisor

Electric motors rank among thehighest in incident reports – aproblem that can lead to a cycle ofcostly repairs and unplanneddowntime.While bearing failure is recognizedas the primary mechanicalsymptom of motor failure, manymotor repair shops are not trainedto investigate the underlying causessuch as improper maintenance,handling, installation and service. Often, they simply replace thebearings and return the motor,which once again is doomed forfailure. And so the cycle continues. This cycle of continual repair costsand downtime can be prevented byusing a SKF Certified Rebuilder likeWestin Drives to repair your electricmotors.

Our engineers undergo specialisedtraining with an emphasis on rootcause failure analysis, bearinginstallation, lubrication andcondition monitoring. The aim isto prevent recurring failures andextend motor service life. SKF Certified Rebuilders mustmeet exacting standards andspecifications, and are regularlyaudited to make sure they comply.Repairs are done right every time,using only SKF bearings.By identifying and eliminating theroot causes of bearing failure,rebuilds carried out by an SKFCertified Rebuilder open the door tonew levels of motor reliability andproductivity. In addition, motors can operate atpeak efficiency, which can have asignificant impact on energyconsumption.

Why it makes sense to usea certified motor rebuilder

Steve Ormondroydrewinds a motor inour service centre

Westin Drives News Summer 2017– 3

4 Newsletter of Westin Drives electro-mechanical engineering services | www.westindrives.com | 01484 453399

Technical training courses: anew service for our customersWestin Drives is pleased to announcea range of in-house training coursesas a new service for customers.They take place in the technicalservices department of our servicecentre in Huddersfield.We have created a custom-builttraining wall and installed a varietyof motor drives to enable us toprovide bespoke courses oninverters, PLCs and associatedproducts.Customers can specify the level ofknowledge their staff require to deal

with on-site faults and we will adaptcourse contents to meet these needs.As it is important for trainees to gainhands-on experience, group sizeswill be limited to allow time for thisactivity.Courses are available on request andcustomers can be confident in thequality of our training as we are aLenze Authorised PerformancePartner.Please contact our service managerMichael Limb on 01484 453399 forcourse details.

New service: Technical ManagerFraser Lynch at the training wall

Pumped up byenergy savingsA customer was delightedwhen energy savings of 40per cent were achieved afterour engineers installed newpumps in a sports stadiumswimming pool.The stadium firm wished toreplace the recirculatingpumps for its main pool andinvited Westin Drives totender for the work.The pumps were reachingthe end of their life and thecasings were rusted almostto cracking point. Our technical servicesengineers suggestedreplacing the old star deltastarters with an energy-saving variable speed drivepanel.A 33% energy saving wascalculated, giving a pay-back period of 14 months onthe new panel.The proposal was acceptedand we were given the jobagainst stiff competitionfrom other companies.

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A question of balanceBalancing shafts and rotors is a vitalpart of ensuring the enduring reliabilityof rotating equipment. Yet it still isn’taddressed by most service companies.We receive for repair a lot of equipmentthat’s clearly been ‘repaired’ by anothercompany. Often, it is obvious that nobalancing has been performed, whichmay explain why the unit needsrepairing again. Connor Earnshaw, right, one of ourtechnical services engineers, can beseen performing vibration analysis andthermal imaging, inset, on a repairedmotor, after re-balancing.