Quick And Dirty Motor Fan

petcnc

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I have an old 0.5 HP induction motor that I plan to use to power my air compressor

P9131373s.jpg

As you can see at the back of the motor there is something missing: The cooling fan.

MOTORs.jpg

All decent induction motors have a cooling fan in a nice cover, to keep the motor healthy.

Induction motor1s.jpg

As my motor will get hot without it, I must make one for my motor to prolong its life.

I cannot make it like the original one. Too much trouble!

I need something quick, and easy to make.

Ok lets design it first with a little help of my machinist’s divider.


Fan.jpg

Piece of cake!

Fan1.jpg

Material: A steel computer cover

Tools: metal cutting shears

P9131357s.jpg

To secure the fan to the motor shaft I machined a cast iron ring to the lathe

P9131360s.jpg

All parts together

P9131358s.jpg

Shaft ready for the fan

P9131366s.jpg

Finished assembly on the motor

P9131367s.jpg

Remote test run (I was away for safety reasons)

P9131369s.jpg

Next thing (AND MOST IMPORTANT FOR SAFETY) is to build the cover for it.


Thanks for reading


Petros
 
yow. I've seen a fan like that, laying in a basket of parts under the lathe in my shop (was my dads). and what looks like the cover for it. It looks like it was on the motor for the lathe, but was off it for some reason (perhaps for shipping and/or fixing whatever problem the lathe was having). I think I will have to add this to the 'to do' list, to reattach the fan to the lathe, and then reinstall the cover.
 
More commonly known s a TEFC style ;)

OMG!
Looking for the meaning of TEFC style I discovered all different types of motor cooling!
So my work was to make my motor from

Totally Enclosed Non-Ventilated (TENV)

to

Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled (TEFC)

He he he!

Thank you Tony for the hint
 
yow. I've seen a fan like that, laying in a basket of parts under the lathe in my shop (was my dads). and what looks like the cover for it. It looks like it was on the motor for the lathe, but was off it for some reason (perhaps for shipping and/or fixing whatever problem the lathe was having). I think I will have to add this to the 'to do' list, to reattach the fan to the lathe, and then reinstall the cover.

It will be healthier for the motor if you do ;)
 
The first job shop I worked in did a lot of electric motor machine work for the motor shop across the road. Welding up and metalizing of shafts and end housings, etc. We also put a lot of fans on. Or fitted replacements, I don't know which. The motor company brought us some rough cast aluminum blanks of various diameters and we bored, keyed, and set screwed them. Bunches actually. I guess maybe they get broken more than I think, or they just knock them off with a hammer when they tear a motor down for rebuild.

Anyway, on the first or second day I worked there, I made my first "on the job" goof up. I was young and a little anxious, so prone to make mistakes anyway. Got the lathe work done, np. Broached the keyway, np. Was told to put a 1/4-20 set screw hole over the keyway. I promptly drilled a 1/4" hole and it didn't hit me until I dropped the tap through it. I got that sick feeling in my stomach and went and told the boss. He just laughed and dug out a 5/16-18 tap for me.
 
Nice job on the fan. Any balance issues with it? Mike
 
Nice job on the fan. Any balance issues with it? Mike

Mike machinist's dividers are very accurate so material is equally distributed all around. I did not notice any imbalance issues while I tested it off the shaft. On the other hand the motor is quite heavy compared to the fan to be influenced...

Thanks for asking

Petros
 
Looks great, Petros! Reminds me of one I did a few years ago, before I had a lathe to make the part that connects the fan to the shaft. Worked well until the shaft bearing seized (unrelated problem).
 
Is that a small mistake on the three small mounting screws Petros? Not a big deal I imagine anyway
Mark
 
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