Getting good servo motor repair shouldn’t be complicated or intimidating. You need that motor back up and running and there are lots of choices out there to get it repaired. Some good, some not so good. Typical servo motor problems include failed windings, broken shafts, seized bearings, non-functioning brakes, and bad encoders or resolvers.
What makes for good servo motor repair? Besides a good price and fast turnaround (those are expected!), here’s a short list of some things you should ask about and expect from the best servo motor repair shops:
- Tests and troubleshoots the entire motor
- Inspects the entire motor
- Steam cleans and/or solvent cleans the armature
- Rewinds and dynamically balances the armature
- Checks the bearings on every motor
- Tests the encoder on every motor
- Checks for slippage on brake motors
- Tests magnet assemblies for proper torque output and remagnetizes in-house
- Records test data including winding waveforms, feedback signals, reverse generated voltage readings, shaft and encoder alignment data
- Replaces the lip seal – it usually needs to be replaced even if the problem is elsewhere in the motor
- Verifies assembly tolerances
- Test runs the motor and verifies that vibration levels are within the manufacturer specifications
- Repaints the motor – if it’s being rebuilt, it should look practically new when you get it back
- Offers a warranty on both parts AND labor
Make sure the motor repair shop you select can run the motor to test it and can run spindle motors at full speed. The repair shop should have custom-built test fixtures to perform in-depth initial back drive testing and critical alignment. Water cooled and/or oil-air lubricated motors should be tested for extended periods of time. Each rebuilt motor should be checked to make sure that it conforms to the factory assembly tolerances, not just the industry norm for general purpose motors before it is returned to you.
Major servo motor manufacturers include: Allen Bradley, Cincinnati Milacron, Fanuc, Haas, Matsura, Mitsubishi, Mori Seiki, Okuma, Siemens, Yaskawa, and many others.
ACS Industrial Services is a third-party industrial electronic repair shop with facilities in Hunt Valley, Maryland and Hickory, North Carolina and an expert servo motor repair team.