New "washdown duty" three-phase AC motors

Washdown-duty motors - now with added autophoretic! The new generation of easy-clean motors for food/pharma machinery gets even tougher.

The new generation of easy-clean motors for food/pharma machinery gets even tougher.

Baldor has released a new generation of "washdown duty" three-phase AC motors for clean-area automation builders.

Among the new features is an exterior finish that is five times more resistant to corrosion and chipping, through the use of the advanced autophoretic surface preparation process.

With over one million washdown duty motors shipped, Baldor leads the world in this motor application sector, which applies a range of special protection features to motors to withstand the rigours of pressure cleaning using caustic solutions.

The motors are widely used in clean environments such as food and pharmaceutical packaging and processing lines, or in hostile operating situations.

Among the features Baldor applies to optimise motor durability are protected windings, stainless steel shafts, specialised lubricants, glass-filled propylene external fans that are impervious to cleaning agents, and high performance gaskets and seals.

Baldor now adds a number further enhancements to the specification, the most significant of which is an autophoretic surface preparation process before the exterior paint finish is applied to a motor.

This form of preparation, which uses a charged primer that penetrates easily into niches, coats complex shapes easily.

It provides an excellent surface for the subsequent special FDA-approved paint finish - which is applied to both external and interior body surfaces.

The durability of the new finish has been extensively tested before release using a range of methods including ASTM B117 and IP65.

The ASTM test subjected the surface finish to a 5% salt spray at an elevated temperature of 35C.

This test is typically performed for just 96 hours, however Baldor put its new generation of washdown duty motors through 672 hours of testing (28 days).

Additional new features include a completely revised design of the drain-plug system for removal of condensate which provides options for every motor orientation, and the use of a higher-specification and proprietary wire for the motor coil windings which is 100 times more resistant to voltage spikes and assures reliability with inverter drives.

Baldor holds a stock of commonly-required washdown-duty motor sizes at its European logistics centre - spanning D71 to D132 IEC frame sizes - and also offers the complete range of NEMA variants for automation exporters, and a fast-turnaround service for application-specific motors.

Baldor additionally offers two further categories of washdown duty motors: paint-free and all-stainless, to provide automation OEMs with a comprehensive choice.

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