Retrofit of a Mangle for North Yorkshire based Textile firm

​We love a good before and after opportunity... on this occasion, here is another great retrofit by our team – this time we worked on a Mangle in a North Yorkshire based Textile firm.

Here you can see a 40+ year old 9.5kW Elektra-Faurndau variable speed brushed AC motor direct coupled to a W.Bothner & Co gearbox. The motors commutator had failed badly resulting in the speed not varying as it should.

Whilst this would no doubt have been repairable, it wouldn’t be a 2 minute job and the machine would have to be down whilst it was in the workshop.

A retrofit was opted for. We therefore assembled a WEG 5.5kW IE3 motor with Force vent kit with a Radicon K-Series Helical Bevel gearbox. To vary the Speed a WEG CFW500 IP66 inverter was used and controlled from a potentiometer on a dancing arm – this created a very efficient system.

We were able to maintain the shaft centre height so no major modifications were required other than the existing coupling machining to suit the new shaft and 4 new holes for the feet. The old unit can now be repaired as a spare for another machine.

Before

After