We get it. Preventative maintenance is costly – both in manpower and hard dollars. However, the cost of NOT doing it can be extremely more expensive.
During a scheduled preventative maintenance call at a customer site, a Decatur Industrial technician was inspecting a DC motor for brush wear, condition of the brush springs, and the state of the commutator. The commutator had extensive wear in the brush path. The brushes facilitate the flow of current into the armature so when excessive wear occurs, the motor has a more difficult time maintaining speed and output.
The commutator had a row that was not being used so we removed the spacer to adjust the brush holders onto a new brush path. This allowed the customer to continue using the motor and prevent it being pulled for reconditioning at a cost of $35,000.
