Company Announcement - Robust reliability, high specification and efficiency are intrinsic to the new range of scraper winch electric motors from Regal Beloit South Africa. These heavy industrial motors have been specially designed and engineered to withstand the extremely aggressive underground mining environment. “Scraper winch motors probably take more abuse than any other type of electric motor,” says Regal Beloit Sales & Marketing Director, Hilton Fortmann. “The removal of rocks and other materials loosened by blasting, places tremendous strain on these motors; frequent stop-starts lead to overheating which drastically reduces the motor’s life cycle. In addition, motors take quite a beating when hauled out of the mine for repairs. This is also a costly process in terms of labour, maintenance, downtime and production losses.”

In today’s tough economic climate, the future of plants and mines rely on sustaining high production levels and customers and end-users have to be relentless in keeping operational costs and downtime to the absolute minimum. Regal Beloit’s scraper winch motors are the reliable and efficient solution. Designed to meet high efficiency IE1 and IE2 specifications and available in 37kW 4 Pole, 55kW 6 Pole and 75kW 6 Pole, these motors perform reliably, require little maintenance and are competitive priced to ensure low cost of total ownership and an excellent return on investment. These IP55 H class (180°C) motors boast a large selection of unique operational features to help extend product lifecycle and increase Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Mean Time Between Repairs (MTBR). The heavy duty, fully processed, fabricated steel construction and high quality lamination silicon steel can withstand ambient temperatures of up to 400°C without the risk of reduced efficiency. Fortmann points out that this is especially important on the African continent where heating processes during motor rewinding and repair is not always done in a controlled kiln environment.

All motors are vacuum pressure impregnated (VPI) and stators are fully wedged throughout the range to protect against premature winding failures. The motors are fitted with world class, premium brand bearings and feature a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) compatible insulation system. The fan is fully enclosed and protected by a 10mm thick plate; a 10mm thick grid prevents ingress of foreign matter. The motors are also available with copper bar or die cast aluminium rotors for better heating and prolonged life.

Fortmann stresses that the life expectancy, efficiency and performance of a motor, in other words, the motor’s integrity, can be severely compromised by poor maintenance and repair. “Securing the integrity of our entire electric motor offering is therefore paramount and the only way to achieve this is to take ownership of our motors’ repairs and maintenance.”

With these objectives in mind, Regal Beloit took a decision to invest in a fully-equipped service and repair facility in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. Newly established Black Female-Owned Level 4 BEE company, Regal Empowered, is responsible for all electric motor repairs, including VPI, at the 3 200m2 facility which complements the company’s Middelburg branch. “As an OEM, we are the experts; we know our products, how they are manufactured and how they should be repaired, right down to the correct fitment of the right bearings. Because we repair to OE quality, we are able to offer a 24 month warranty (excluding bearings) on all our motor repairs,” explains Fortmann and adds that there are plans to roll out of more service facilities in strategic areas around the country.

Recommending and supplying best quality products, on-time off-the-shelf delivery, reliable after-sales service including condition monitoring and large stock holding capabilities - Regal Beloit is perfectly positioned to offer complete end-to-end customer solutions under one roof.