Toshiba Low-Voltage Motors— #1 Hands Down

Motor evaluation event

Durability is the hallmark of a superior low-voltage motor. But what are the design and construction features of certain manufacturers’ motors that make them more durable than those of other manufacturers? At the Great Plains Technical Services (GPTS) Motor Evaluation Event, 120 GPTS customers tore down, inspected, and graded induction motors from various manufacturers in an effort to answer this question. Attendees ranged from plant managers to maintenance personnel in industries such as power generation, food processing and oil and gas—people with insights into what keeps electric motors ticking year after year.

Here’s what attendees did at the event using the five evaluation criteria listed below:

  • Bearings: Compared bearing sizes (drive and non-drive ends), checked how well retainers held bearings and grease, and graded end-bell physical durability and rabid fits.
  • Seals: Graded seals on type, durability of material, and ingress protection rating.
  • Fans and shrouds: Removed fans, noting ease or difficulty of removal and installation. Inspected for durability and air flow generated by size. Also graded physical durability of the fan shroud.
  • Windings: Inspected for rigidity of blocking and rigidity of coils, stray wires crossing coils or touching phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground, and varnish coat.
  • Conduit box: Inspected for metal type used, seals provided and space for terminal connections. Also evaluated the number of leads relative to volume provided.

Given that most motor failures are mechanical, bearings were weighted double: the maximum scale for bearings was 10 points, while for all others it was five, for a total of 30.

Results

The overall average score for all manufacturers was 18 out of 30. Toshiba’s motors scored 29—50% higher than the overall average score. The competition was not even close! Men against boys! 

What is it about Toshiba low-voltage motors that makes them so superior?

Toshiba EQP Global Series motors

Bearings: Toshiba uses oversized 300 series bearings on both the drive and non-drive ends of all motors, allowing for higher load capabilities. Compared with competitors with smaller bearings, Toshiba bearing life is up to 10 times longer. Big bearings are—big!

Fans: Optimized external cooling fans reduce windage losses and help motors operate at cooler temperatures. Toshiba’s fan design incorporates a tough glass-reinforced nylon, non-sparking, and corrosion-resistant material, providing efficient cooling and extending motor life.

Conduit box: Toshiba’s conduit boxes are oversized and include neoprene gaskets, NPT conduit entries, permanently marked leads, and are rotatable at 90° increments.

Windings: Windings designed with a good insulation system increase the dielectric strength of a motor, which is important for ASD applications. By incorporating Class H insulation materials into its windings, Toshiba’s EQP Global Series motors have a wide thermal margin and extended motor life.

Seals: Toshiba’s EQP Global SD and 840 motors have a dual-seal design that allows for an ingress protection rating of IP55. Their EQP Global 841 motors have a standard protection of IP56 with the help of labyrinth seals on both the DE and ODE.

Craftsmanship: Skill at making things

The Cambridge Dictionary defines craftsmanship as “skill at making things”. This concise definition says it all about Toshiba production of low-voltage motors. Toshiba International Corporation—Toshiba’s premiere manufacturing base in North America—has been refining its skill at making electric motors since 1970 and, in the process, has since developed a proud tradition of producing the most reliable, robust motors in the market.

Toshont Power Products has the utmost respect for this tradition, as well as Toshiba’s passion for innovation. These core elements of Toshiba’s DNA have given rise to the lowest cost-of-ownership low-voltage motors in the industry, helping Toshont to become one of the largest and fastest growing Toshiba distributors in North America.

Click here to contact Toshont’s low-voltage motor professionals and learn how we can help you optimize your company’s operations.

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