# Motor Modification With Ulma Doctor



## Ulma Doctor (Aug 18, 2015)

Hi All,
i had a project that came into the shop.
I have fixed this type of machine many times before, a Biro BCC100 Chicken Portioning Slicer.
it's basically a 3/4 hp 56 frame 115v  single phase 1750 rpm motor with a 8" stainless steel blade attached to the motor for dismembering chicken and sometimes i've seen the machine used equally well for fish.
it will literally cut a chicken into it's major parts in seconds with a skilled operator, no knife is needed- the machine is a really cool rotary knife!

The little machines Achilles' heel is that the motor specifications were incorrect for the job, in my opinion.
there is no provision for drive shaft sealing. the machine is washed down daily after production and the soaps that they use accelerate bearing decay and ultimately cause bearing failure after a year or so.
I replaced the bearings about 9 months ago in this particular machine, but this store gets a lot more volume than stores in the region and subsequently has a shorter service interval.
i felt that there should be a seal on the shaft, if for nothing else, to give a few extra months of up-time.
here's the photographic evidence...


the seal pictured mid picture, left is a single lip .625" id x 1.125" od x .250" thick.
the end cap is only relieved for the driveshaft , the bore being .6875",
it will need to be punched out to 1.120" to fit the seal with a lot of interference fit.
I chucked the endcap up in the Hercus 9x22 and punched it out.


the bore ended to be 1.121" id, excellent for a .004" interference fit!

the bearing size for most 56 frame motors with a 5/8" shaft is 6203zz- C3.
i replaced both front and rear bearings prior to reassembly.



i inverted the seal to keep water from entering the motor.
i polished the motor shaft and lubed the seal and shaft with my favorite synthetic Mobil 1 grease and reassembled the motor.
i gave the motor and seal a quick shot of paint to minimize corrosion


i reassembled the rest of the machine and gave a test..
the motor works flawlessly and now has an added layer of protection for the motor bearing nearest the drive end against overspray.
the motor's service life will be extended, for a lot longer this time 

as always thanks for reading,

i hope this inspires others to make lemonade from lemons...


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## brav65 (Aug 18, 2015)

Nice work Mike I like lemonade!


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## brino (Aug 19, 2015)

brav65 said:


> I like lemonade!



New chunky chicken style! MMmmmmmmm.


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## David VanNorman (Aug 20, 2015)

I believe Baldor makes a stainless motor and most likely has external grease fittings. I would check into .that.


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 20, 2015)

yes sir,
baldor does make washdown motors.
unfortunately the equipment manufacturer didn't spend the extra money to incorporate the baldor washdown motor into their product.


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## Bill Gruby (Aug 21, 2015)

Way to go Mike. Keep up the good work.

 "Billy G"


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## ogberi (Aug 23, 2015)

That's certainly a scary looking machine.  I would hope that steel mesh gloves are required safety gear.  I get the not so subtle feeling it'll dismember a hand just as easily as chicken.  

Excellent work on the mods, and I never would have thought to reverse the seal to prevent water ingress.  Makes sense, though.  Curious how long it'll take the seal to wear the shaft.  That looks like a tool that'll be turned on at the start of shift and off at the end.


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi ogberi,
thanks for reading and for your kind words.

it is a very scary machine, especially when the blade is out of balance due to worn bearings 
they make all kinds of horrific noises during operation.
You know, i would think the same thing about the steel mesh gloves being used-
the interesting part is that i have not seen 1 operator use safety gloves while operating these machines, i have worked on these machines for roughly 20 years.
the machine would quickly claim a finger just as it would a leg quarter- the machine is not to be played with- it means business.
I keep my hands way away from it while it's running, that's for damn sure.

Heres a video of a skilled operator at work. scares the crap out of me watching the video!
I don't know this guy or have any connection to him or the production of the video-
 but he knows how to use the machine as good as any operator i have seen!





the oil seal seals on the inside of the lip, reversing the seal will have a better shot of keeping contaminants out.
i surmise the shaft will last a year or more, then i'll speedy sleeve the shaft and do it again and again until the motor fails.
i'll be modifying every BCC100 motor that comes across the bench 

surprisingly,
the machines seem to be used for short periods of time ranging from 1 hour to 3 or 4 hours depending on the purveyor.

i hope that any of the ideas may be useful to you or others at some time.


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## ogberi (Aug 23, 2015)

Watched the video. 

Hell.  

No.  


Let me repeat that.   No. Damn. Way.   

Table saws are scary.  They're just waiting for an opportunity to remove an appendage.    That chicken mangler.....   No.  Just..... Nope.  You can see it *WANTS* to remove some body parts.  And I doubt it'd even bog down when doing it.     Nah.  No way in heck I'd go anywhere near one of those things.  Fix it, maybe, stand way off to one side and make sure it runs, yep.  Sharpen the blade?  Very carefully.    But cut chicken or other meat on it?    Nope.  Nada.  Not doing.


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## David VanNorman (Aug 23, 2015)

Dang you would think that metal gloves would be the order of the day. The seal will help . Great idea.


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 23, 2015)

ogberi said:


> Watched the video.
> Hell.
> No.
> Let me repeat that.   No. Damn. Way.
> Table saws are scary.  They're just waiting for an opportunity to remove an appendage.    That chicken mangler.....   No.  Just..... Nope.  You can see it *WANTS* to remove some body parts.  And I doubt it'd even bog down when doing it.     Nah.  No way in heck I'd go anywhere near one of those things.  Fix it, maybe, stand way off to one side and make sure it runs, yep.  Sharpen the blade?  Very carefully.    But cut chicken or other meat on it?    Nope.  Nada.  Not doing.



my sentiments exactly...


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 23, 2015)

P.S.
the motor is equipped with a start capacitor, should the motor bog down -
the start cap will send a charge to the motor and send it right back up to speed.
i really haven't heard one of these machines bog for more than a fraction of a second , even the toughest of product.
scary efficient dismemberment


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## JimDawson (Aug 23, 2015)

I just watched that video, OMG .  Not me, would never happen.


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## jpfabricator (Aug 23, 2015)

Feet, wing, wing, thighs, thumb, leg, leg, breast, pinky, backbone,  breast, DONE!

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## mattthemuppet2 (Aug 23, 2015)

it's only scary because you don't use one for several hours a day, perhaps every day. I worked in a turkey factory when I was a teenager working through college and they did all the cutting and boning by hand, with insanely sharp knifes. They did where steel gauntlets though. Some crazy stories from that job - had a water fight with my supervisor so as punishment he put me on the temperature detail. Every pallet of turkey in the dispatch chiller was checked frequently and if it went above a certain temp I had to drag the pallet through the factory (in the midst of summer mind) and put it in the -40C blast freezer, opening up all the trays so it cooled back down again. Working on a foot of ice, in an icestorm with my nostrils freezing shut, only to have to pull a ton of turkey back through a 30C factory. That's why I went to college...


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 24, 2015)

that's why they say, "Don't be a tool, stay in school!"


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## chips&more (Aug 24, 2015)

Geez, thanks for the permanent nightmares and cold sweats!


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## mattthemuppet2 (Aug 24, 2015)

Ulma Doctor said:


> that's why they say, "Don't be a tool, stay in school!"



yes indeedy and that wasn't even the worst job that I did before and during college. Had some fun times and met some _really_ interesting people though. Certainly gave me a better perspective than alot of the kids I'm teaching now.

Another funny thing from that job - one of the huge and scary guys (I dunno 6'6" and 300lbs?) used to call me Professor as they all knew I was going to university the following year and now I AM a Professor


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## Bill Gruby (Aug 24, 2015)

They better pay that guy good money to cut chicken that fast. Osha would have a field day watching him for 60 seconds.

 "Billy G"


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## ogberi (Aug 24, 2015)

mattthemuppet said:


> it's only scary because you don't use one for several hours a day, perhaps every day. I worked in a turkey factory when I was a teenager working through college and they did all the cutting and boning by hand, with insanely sharp knifes. They did where steel gauntlets though. Some crazy stories from that job - had a water fight with my supervisor so as punishment he put me on the temperature detail. Every pallet of turkey in the dispatch chiller was checked frequently and if it went above a certain temp I had to drag the pallet through the factory (in the midst of summer mind) and put it in the -40C blast freezer, opening up all the trays so it cooled back down again. Working on a foot of ice, in an icestorm with my nostrils freezing shut, only to have to pull a ton of turkey back through a 30C factory. That's why I went to college...



Oddly enough, one job I had that I didn't mind was working on an internment crew.  Yup, I used to bury people for a living.  Hours were good, pay sucked, got to be outdoors all day, and was strong as an ox.  OSHA hated some of the things we did, too.  Gave up that job for a career in IT.  Don't miss the dirt, though.


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 24, 2015)

Bill Gruby said:


> They better pay that guy good money to cut chicken that fast. Osha would have a field day watching him for 60 seconds.
> 
> "Billy G"




Hi Billy G, 
the machine is osha approved. NSF, UL and a CSA listings too.
but scary as all get out ,none the less

as far as the operator's safety gear, i'm not sure about steel mesh and rotary cutting devices- there maybe a loophole there


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## markba633csi (Nov 28, 2016)

That machine in the video doesn't look like a Biro to me- anyway it looks like there should be a guard piece around the blade, I don't see that in the vid..
Mark S.


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 28, 2016)

markba633csi said:


> That machine in the video doesn't look like a Biro to me- anyway it looks like there should be a guard piece around the blade, I don't see that in the vid..
> Mark S.


good eye, after studying the machine again- i believe you may be correct.
it's either a dang good copy, or a really early Biro
but you are also correct, there should be a gate that keeps the blade covered until the operator opens the cutting gate with the product


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## Uglydog (Nov 28, 2016)

I wonder if gloves would be even more dangerous?
Would it be like wearing gloves around an endmill?
Would it potentially catch and instead of just cutting off the finger pull the hand in and wrap around the blade?

Daryl
MN


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 28, 2016)

to my knowledge, workers can't use gloves around rotary cutting machines here in California
i think for the very purposes you have stated 
gives me the shivers to think of one getting wound up.....


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## markba633csi (Nov 29, 2016)

That infernal gadget is giving me the creeps,  I'm gonna turn everything off and just sit here with my cat. LOL
MS


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## Silverbullet (Dec 2, 2016)

Mankind is good at making things to work for good only to made evil by thoughts and deeds. I look at it as a time money saving device. Even saving the operator from being cut by his own knife when cutting chicken. How many of you have ever done any butchering  well I've done it all my life on game animals and large quantities of beef and fish and chicken. This machine would be a real asset to have doing venison and others. Cutting the legs and separating the meat from the cartilage . YUPP only be afraid of your thoughts not the machine.


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## sanddan (Dec 2, 2016)

mattthemuppet said:


> .....................That's why I went to college...



LOL, well said!


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## markba633csi (Dec 3, 2016)

That better be tomato sauce on my chicken! Or is it? LOL
MS


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## eugene13 (Jan 7, 2017)

that's the scairest machine I've ever seen


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 7, 2017)

eugene13 said:


> that's the scairest machine I've ever seen


i agree, my junk wants to crawl back inside whenever i hear one being used
it makes like a sword swishing sound, the sound is amplified if the bird is frozen


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