Manufacturer Lenze has released important information about the last order / discontinuation of GnG Gearboxes – AC Motor type - MD-MH-M550AP and its alternative products. Westin Drives can still supply the GST, GSS and GKS series until August 1 this year with deliveries scheduled until April 2025. New replacement products will also be available from us. For further information, please contact Richard Bruffell in our Sales department. The full details, including discount offers, are contained in the document below from Eric van den Brocken, Manager Director of EMEA West.
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Tony Ormondroyd retired last week after 50 years with the Westin Group, a remarkable display of loyalty. He joined WS Westin as a 15-year-old and, during a five-year apprenticeship, received a thorough grounding in electric motor rewinding and repairs. Work in those days was plentiful, partly because a number of West Yorkshire mills – woollen, worsted, yarn spinners and shoddy – were still operating. "Mills were one of our biggest customers. In those days, electric motors weren't cheap, so if anything burned out you got it repaired," he says. Eventually, he was promoted to foreman and then to workshop manager, a role now held by his son, Steve, whose potential was spotted by his dad. In more recent times, Tony has been the logistics manager for Westin Drives. Retirement offers a busy life. He likes fishing, he's keen on history and historic places – and freedom of the road is provided by his Royal Enfield motorbike, a modern replacement for a 1950s model he once owned. And, with eight grandchildren, he's almost a professional grandfather. We wish him a long and happy retirement. The new HMI, above, with the Siemens PLC, right and the old control panel, above. By Adam Daffern, Technical Services Manager A manufacturer of boiler cylinders needed a quick fix when an old Siemens S7-200 PLC broke down on a critical machine. Our engineers were quickly on site in Wakefield to repair the unit and have the company back in production the next day. To safeguard the machine's long term operation, we planned a retrofit of the PLC, to parts that aren’t obsolete. A Siemens S7-1200 PLC was selected, as this was the closest modern replacement to the original along with a Unified four-inch HMI. Our technical services engineers studied the operation of the machine and prepared the new PLC program off-site to allow for a quick swap over. The retrofit was undertaken in a morning’s downtime, and the machine was back up and running for the afternoon shift to continue production. The customer was happy with the service, commenting that our new program managed to save a bit of time per cycle of the machine which allows more production throughput. By Steve Ormondroyd, Workshop Manager Although we are renowned for rewinding electric motors, our work often extends beyond that. For example, we recently rewound an alternator stator which had failed. It came from a small boat and was driven by the boat’s engine. Unfortunately, because of a seal leak on a coolant pump, the alternator suffered water ingress which caused the windings to blow to earth. As our pictures, above, show, it's now back to as-new condition. The pictures below show its condition on arrival at our Service Centre. We have also just completed the urgent rewind of a three-phase brake which is mounted to a large overhead crane. Westin Drives has introduced two ranges of WEG industrial alternators to complement the industrial motors and controls we already stock and distribute. WEG, one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial electrical products, recently launched the range to the European market. The alternators are ideal for the supply of continuous prime and standby power. Popular applications include generator sets, UPS systems, data centres, mining and petrochemical. Our two WEG ranges are the G Plus Line – extremely cost effective and easy to maintain – and the AG10 Line, which delivers increased power density due to innovation in the electromagnetic design. We can help to ensure that the correct alternator for the application is supplied. Availability is usually ex stock and we are confident that our customers will be delighted with the quality, pricing and support. Our modern custom built workshop can also provide a repair and rewind service. We would welcome any enquiries for your alternator requirements. Two of our experienced apprentices, Oliver and Charlie, put the finishing touches to five Radicon motor gearboxes, ordered by a returning customer in the incineration sector. To ensure swift progress between order and delivery, the lads built the gearboxes from our stock, under the supervision of Richard Bruffell. By Oliver Lowe Technical Sales A regular customer needed urgent help. A failed gearbox had caused a line to go down in the works. Our engineers specified as a replacement a new unit from our Radicon stock. Within four hours the unit was assembled along with a WEG 2.2kW motor and prepared for delivery to the customer. Because of our large stock, we are able to specify alternatives to most brands of gearboxes. Instead of a wait of four to six weeks from the manufacturer, we can build and deliver them with speed to minimise downtime. All our gearboxes come with a data plate with all the relevant information and a specific reference number, so they can be returned to us at any time for additional support. Having issues installing a drive on site to control your geared motor? We can help. Members of our Technical Service department will be pleased to visit your site to specify and set up the inverter drives to your specification. Steve Ormondroyd, Workshop Manager Here's part of a 4kW Friedrich vibrator motor that we received for repair. After dismantling and inspecting it, significant electrical and mechanical damage was found. The windings had failed, both the male and female spigots were significantly worn and the bearing housings showed evidence of wear. We could have repaired this vibrator to the best of our ability, and that may have been more cost-effective than replacing it. But there is always an element of risk in doing such significant mechanical repair work on a vibrator motor – and on this occasion we decided the risk was too great. Due the massive mechanical stresses these vibrators are subject to, any mechanical weakness will quickly lead to failure. For us, clear and honest communication with the customer – perhaps, on occasion even talking ourselves out of a job – is the best policy, It helps to establish a good working relationships and build trust which is critical. So we have offered to replace the vibrator motor with a new model and we await the customer's response. By Steve Ormondroyd, Workshop Manager We recently repaired a 200kW WEG compressor motor which was removed due to increasing vibration. During routine bearing failure analysis, evidence of electrical discharge was found – despite an insulated bearing at the non-drive end. This had causing fluting on the raceways, the cause of the increasing vibration readings We can only speculate that some damage to the insulating coating was allowing the current to pass through the bearing and causing the raceways damage. The motor was subjected to our usual high standard of repair and extra care was taken when fitting the new SKF Insocoat bearing at the N.D.E to ensure the insulating coating wasn’t damaged. We also fitted an additional grounding brush there. This motor can be returned to the customer safe in the knowledge that it will run correctly for years to come. Lenze has announced the phasing out of its 8400 frequency controller series. The last chance to place an order is December 31, 2025, with the final delivery two years later. Spares can can be ordered until December 2030 if materials are available. The phase-out covers the following products:
Lenze gives the following reasons:
For the future, Lenze is recommending the standard Lenze i-series controllers: i5xx frequency controllers, suitable for in the control cabinet and in the field, the multi-axis i750 and i950 servo controllers. Westin Drives is a Lenze Distribution Partner. If you have any questions about present or future Lenze products, please contact Adam Daffern, our Technical Services manager, on 01484 453399. |
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