Kluge motor issue
Thanks for all the great info on this site. I have learned a lot just from reading on here. I searched quite a bit and while there are motor and speed control threads I didn’t find one exactly relating to my issue. So here is what I have going on.
My press motor runs slow and is short on power. Its running on 220 power and has a floor mounted speed control. I cleaned the motor com and brushes but its still the same. Normally when you start it it runs better at first and starts running slower and less powerful the longer its running. Shut it down for a while and it will be a bit better when you start it again. What in the world is going on with it? Ideas or pointers?
Thanks again for the neat site and all the info!
Those Kluge auto transformer control/motor setups don’t like running slow. Ideally you should be able to run the control at 1/2 speed.
Lubrication is essential in keeping things moving, but lack of lubrication can create enough friction to bog the motor down at slow speeds. Still, with the feeder in good working order, I don’t see a lot of need to run slow, especially at it reduces the efficiency of the air pump on the main crank.
If you have stripped the feeder from the press (which many have done to their Kluges), then you cannot really run them at half speed on the controller, as that tends to be too fast—since the load of the feeder/pump is absent. If you running such a press, you may well consider a variable speed control and three phase motor and make the factory motor/control available to others who are running full stock machines.
Yes there is no feeder. If anyone needs feeder parts let me know….
But as for the speed, even at full speed it won’t run. I’m thinking that full speed on the control is prolly 1/4 or less what it should run at half normal speed. If that makes since. It’s very slow. If you have it set off contact it will run. But set to contact it struggles badly to stay in motion even when set at full power….
One or two extra (possibly unhelpful if so apologies) pointers, and not being privy to your speed control systems and only our U. K. systems to go on, if the motor slows down after short time frame, but does not stop completely, or knock out your overload device(s) would imply part of the system is possibly being influenced, by expansion etc i.e. are the bearings iffy and allowing the rotor (armature) to get too close to the field coils, (which has to be close tolerance and critical) check the bearings perhaps? next possibly visual check (in safety) condition of resistance coils in speed controller, how many apparently working,or not, and are any making or breaking under load? and possibly with the assistance of a good sparks, check the drag on the mains supply from standing start to serious slowing down, to establish where the electrical load is breaking down, and if possible check with the help of a second party standing by your electricity supply (with every other appliance turned off briefly) watch the meter pulsing against a stopwatch and see at what point the frequency of the pulses increases, a good sparks should be able to put his finger on the problem without even seeing the situation.
So I checked it over. Changed belts to a little longer one. And it ran much better! Why would that be? Seems it just less tension on the motor. There is some play in the bearings. Maybe it needs rebuilt. Anyone have a source for brushes and parts for these old motors? Thanks, Zach