Purchasing an Above NEMA motor—as in a motor that is not a standard “NEMA” electric motor—requires careful consideration. Whether you are installing a new application and need corresponding equipment, are in search of a surplus motor, or the time has come to replace your existing motor, there are several things to keep in mind when purchasing an Above NEMA electric motor.
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HECO can help guide you throughout the entire process, from finding the right motor to purchasing, installing, and servicing it. Knowing five key pieces of information will make the process and whatever Above NEMA motor you end up with more suitable for your application.
Let’s begin by defining what an Above NEMA motor is.
Above NEMA motors are not your everyday, on-the-shelf motors that every distributor has in stock.
Above NEMA motors, or ANEMA motors, are typically larger than 449T frame NEMA motors that have shaft heights of 11 inches or less. The smallest sized ANEMA motors start at a shaft height of 12.5 inches.
The size of the motor is dependent on the horsepower and speed that the application requires. For example, in a pumping system you might need to deliver a certain flow of water at a certain pressure. Based on the pump curve, which shows you the best efficiency point a pump operates at a certain horsepower and speed, you or the OEM will specify what size motor is required.
Whether you are looking at a pump curve, fan curve, or any load curve, understanding your application is critical to knowing what size motor you need.
Once you’ve defined the power requirements for the motor to drive the application, now you need to determine what electrical requirements the motor needs to satisfy.
If this is a new application, you will have more freedom to deliver the correct voltage and current to the new motor. However, if you are replacing an existing motor, the replacement motor will need to be able to accept the existing supply voltage and current already available.
With any NEMA or ANEMA electric motor there is a certain tolerance for current and voltage that you can fall within, expanding the available electric motor replacements from exact 1-to-1 replacements to those that can accept existing voltage and current within its tolerances.
Mechanically, whether you are replacing an existing motor or finding a new one, you need to determine if the new motor will fit in the envelope that the old motor had. In most industrial situations, there is existing infrastructure such as pipes that could limit your ability to put a physically larger motor in place of the old one. As such, you need to understand the existing physical environment and the dimensions you need to work within.
Inside the existing envelope, you are going to have mounting components to fasten the motor to the existing base. Finding a replacement motor that has the same bolt pattern as the existing motor is ideal, but new bolt holes can be drilled in the base to accommodate slight differences. If the replacement motor’s bolt holes do not line up with the existing bolt holes and you can’t make modifications to the base, the cost to accommodate for the new motor will drastically increase.
Once you’ve confirmed the motor will fit in the existing envelope and bolt into the existing base, you’ll need to verify that the new motor’s shaft length will be the correct size to effectively couple to the existing application. On many motor drawings, the correct shaft length can be verified by comparing the distance from the front bolt hole to the end of the shaft of the existing motor versus the replacement.
Next, you need to check the bearings on the two motors. The replacement motor needs to have the same bearings of equal or larger size as the existing motor to ensure compatibility as different applications require different types of bearings.
There are many other mechanical specifications that need to be met to effectively replace an existing motor. Starting with these considerations will help you narrow down your options and allow vendors such as HECO to more quickly and accurately find a perfect drop-in replacement.
Electric motors operate in a number of different environments, including those that are wet, dirty, or are in close proximity to hazardous materials. Electric motors are designed to withstand the environment they will operate in, with different enclosures to protect their internal components against the environmental stress to which the motor will be subjected.
Understanding what environment you need to place the electric motor in will determine what enclosure you need to look for. There are two general types of enclosures, open enclosures such as Open Drip Proof (ODP) and totally enclosed enclosures such as Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled (TEFC).
For example, if you are looking for an electric motor to be installed in a chemical plant where contaminates are a factor, it would be a good idea to select a motor with a TEFC enclosure to prevent contamination from damaging the internal components of the motor.
Beyond enclosures, you need to determine what accessories such as seals or filters are needed based on the environment you are placing the motor in. While enclosures protect the motor, a potential entry point for contaminates for totally enclosed motors is located around the shaft where the shaft exits the end bell. If the environment is harsh like in a chemical plant, it would be a good idea to place a seal around the shaft to prevent contaminants from damaging the motor.
If you are replacing an existing electric motor, you will want to find a replacement with an equal or greater level of environmental protection than the one you are replacing.
Beyond the characteristics of the electric motor you are looking for, it’s important to consider the attributes of the vendor supplying the motor.
The company is the world’s best low voltage motors supplier supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
While price and lead time are important things to consider, there are other factors you need to take into account when selecting an electric motor vendor. These other considerations can have a significant impact on whether the motor will end up being the most reliable motor for your application.
When you are in the quoting process for a new or replacement ANEMA motor, you should be asking for motor drawings and factory performance data to confirm the mechanical, electrical, and environmental fit of the motor. You do not want to risk investing significant money into a motor without confirming the motor’s attributes.
Furthermore, while you can take all the mechanical, electrical, and environmental factors into consideration and choose a motor whose specifications fits your application, it’s imperative to select a motor vendor or manufacturer that has a proven track record of manufacturing/supplying reliable ANEMA motors that are similar in size to the motor you are looking for.
Choosing the correct motor vendor that will offer you the best options for your application is critical in the procurement or replacement process.
Knowing what to ask for in your search for a large electric motor may seem like a lot of legwork, but it will pay off in the end.
We just happen to know a really good supplier of large electric motors who can help you answer the required questions, compare available options, and get your application up and running!
HECO has been in business since , bringing decades of experience and expertise to servicing, selling, monitoring, and storing electric motors and rotating equipment to each project.
Contact us to put our expertise to work for you, your electric motor systems, and your processes.
Motors are used in all industries. In fact, everything that moves and turns is propelled by an electric motor. From small, standard motors found in fans, pumps and conveyors to (very) large motors that drive wind turbines, for example. Large motors usually require customisation, as smaller ones are mostly mass-produced and widely used. Selecting the right motor for your application is a meticulous process, in which a wide variety of criteria play a role. We will list the most important steps for you here.
The first step in choosing the right motor involves determining torque and revolutions per minute. You need this to calculate the desired power. That’s because the motor inside an application needs a certain torque and speed to cause a turning moment. Therefore, the questions you should initially be asking are: what do I need to move, how fast do I need to move it and how heavy is it? To further specify the function of the motor, it is also useful to know whether the motor is just intended to run something, provide constant speed or put something in place. The more accurately you can determine the function of a particular motor, the better the choice of motor type will be. After all, some motors are more suited to a particular function than others.
The next step is determining the installation space for the motor. In some production environments, this space can be quite limited. An example might be AGV systems (Automated Guided Vehicles). Although these should all be able to lift pallets, the space underneath is very limited. In principle, some motors have a higher power density than others. And one type of motor might also be more compact and deliver more power with the same design than another. If space is indeed a challenge, you could look into applying separate parts of a motor, such as a rotor or stator, separately. The benefit of an electric motor is that it comes in different designs and can therefore be mounted in several ways:
The design (or mounting method) is indicated by a European IEC34-7 standard code. This standard defines the dimensions of a motor. These include shaft diameter, shaft length, shaft height and bore spacing. This is particularly valid for standard induction motors. Other engines either follow no or a different standard (NEMA). So, if you have a standard induction motor that meets the IEC34 standard, you should select from electric motor suppliers that are able to supply these IEC34 standard motors.
The frequency of movement produced by the motor largely determines its lifespan. Are we talking about an application that needs to go back and forth once a day, or is it something that runs 24/7? An example might be brush motors. Although these contain brushes for transferring energy, they wear out as they are used more often. Brush motors are nevertheless a great solution for something that needs to move back and forth occasionally, as the brushes will last between 3,000 and 5,000 hours. They are obviously less suitable for applications that run continuously.
A motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. The efficiency between electrical energy and mechanical energy represents the efficiency of a motor. For example, car engines have very poor efficiency. You have to put a lot of energy into them to get back a certain amount of mechanical energy. Efficiency classes range from IE1 to IE4, with the highest number representing the most efficiency.
Applications involving the integration of a new motor may no longer use motors with efficiency classes IE1 and IE2. And from , you will only be allowed to buy IE4 motors. Although these engines are more expensive, the extra costs associated with them are recouped in two years at most, and from then on you can start saving on costs. Companies don’t often see this investment in the short term; however, they usually take action when the current motor needs to be replaced, at which point they see that it can also save them money in the long run.
Steps 1 to 5 deal with the characteristics of the motor itself. But how should you control the motor? What kind of interface should the motor have with your system? If you have a system with a controller, and you want to be able to turn it on/off based on a particular output, or you want to have the option of checking the various statuses, so that you can continuously monitor the performance of the motor, the options in these situations are quite wide. There is plenty of choice between different manufacturers, where some have the option of hooking up to an existing system while others don’t. Here, customisation plays a major role.
In this context, the power system also comes into play. What kind of power system do I have? Can the motor be connected to the mains (AC)? Or is it a battery-powered system? If so, this will entail different demands being placed on the motor. A major trend these days involves controls being increasingly integrated into the engine. The benefit of this is that the whole unit is coordinated and compact. As such, the user doesn’t need to buy a separate control box with cables, which reduces the risk of malfunction.
So far, we have mostly talked about the motor and controls. But that's not all. Most motors have high rotational speed and low torque. As far as most systems are concerned, you want the opposite: high torque and low rpm. Similar to your bike and car, there’s a gear somewhere in between, and this usually comes with the motor. The same goes for the reduction gear, where you again have the same choices. Depending on the application, you should also assess which one is most suitable for it. Lifespan and noise are important in this respect. You can also expand the scope of your search by including the drive in the selection process; after all, even if the motor lasts for years, it won’t be of much use to you if the drive unit breaks down within a year. Selection is certainly important in this respect too; with drive technology often coming without maintenance, it simply has to last for a number of years.
ERIKS represents a number of major electric motor manufacturers. As a result, our range consists of motors that meet current standards and have the necessary quality so that they can be used in any production environment. We make calculations and specialise in programming drive systems so that we can provide our customers with the best possible advice when it comes to choosing a motor that best suits their application. We also create and manufacture completely engineered solutions ourselves. By getting us involved early on in the selection or design process, we will be able to develop solutions with you that lead to cost savings and more efficient production.
Want to know more about how to choose the best electric motor for your application and how ERIKS can assist you in doing so? Contact us - we are happy to tell you more.