Shop Building & Machinery Improvements - Official Work Thread

[Alan Downey]

Ted,

There is no motor in the base. The one you see on top is the main and only drive motor. 25HP, 440/220 3 phase.

[Dwight Winkley]

You need a 50HP 3 phase converter from American Rotary in Monrovia, CA. I would get a bigger converter so you can run more than one 3 phase machines at the same time. till later, dwight

[Gordon Cook]

There is a plan to get a rotary phase convertor for the machine shop to replace the diesel generator for 3 phase power. We have determined that the planned electric service cannot support the current required by the convertor so that issue has to be addressed and the campus wiring plan will need to be modified and installed first.

In the meantime a replacement water pump has been purchased for the generator and will be installed soon, time and weather permitting.

[Keith Taylor]

There is a plan to get a rotary phase convertor for the machine shop to replace the diesel generator for 3 phase power. We have determined that the planned electric service cannot support the current required by the convertor so that issue has to be addressed and the campus wiring plan will need to be modified and installed first.

In the meantime a replacement water pump has been purchased for the generator and will be installed soon, time and weather permitting.

Has any thought been given to using a variable frequency drive instead of a rotary converter.? They supply a true three phase output and are the size of a shoe box.
Keith

[Alan Downey]

More pictures from today. The lathe is up against a door where it's stored, so I couldn't get back far enough to get decent pictures. These two closer up views will have to due for now. Jason and I sprayed rust preventative on the important bits to tide things over before it comes to the shop. To be clear, the ways look "wet" due to the preventative, NOT due to water. Once it gets to the shop we'll mount the Aloris D quick change tool post that had been on the New Haven.





Keith,

Please see my post HERE for a full discussion behind us settling on a single plant wide phase converter. But to briefly summarize why VFD's are an impractical solution for us, most of our three phase machines have multiple (3-4) motors apiece, which would each require their own VFD. We would also need very large VFD's ($$$) to run the main motors on the lathe, vertical mill, horizontal mill, and radial drill. The cost of all the necessary VFD's would outsize the cost and complexity of a single large rotary phase converter to supply all of our machines.

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

Also older motors are problematic on a vfd. The insulation has too low a tempertaure rating. Motors on vfd 's run hotter. Electrician friend told me this.   

[Keith Taylor]

All true, but VFDs have advantages too, like infinitely variable speed control and jog functions. You can tell the motor to turn a quarter turn and stop.

Keith