WEG has successfully installed three 1,000 HP motors for one of the world's top producers and distributors of agricultural products, in a plant located in the United States. The motors are applied in a grind mill, which produces starches and sweeteners from corn. These motors serve not only as an equipment upgrade but provide critical ingredients for many of our everyday food.

WEG’s engineering expertise is the reason for the fruitful upgrade in the equipment. After many failed attempts to rebuild the existing motors with a third party, the customer called in WEG engineering to research the failing motors. After studying the history of the existing motors, WEG engineers asked questions not previously considered such as the extreme summer temperature ranges, thus causing the consideration for a 50°C ambient temperature motor design.

Our team changed the rotor material from aluminum to copper bar providing higher efficiencies with less heat generated. With reduced thermal build-up, the motors run at a cooler temperature, consequently extending the motors life-time while increasing the overall reliability. To ensure equipment longevity, WEG’s replacement motors are an insulation class H versus the existing motors class F. WEG also added vibration monitoring to aid in early detection of motor potential failure or malfunction, all preventing motor down time.

Our team was able to make these motor upgrades while keeping the same frame size, eliminating foundation work on site. Our new motors were able to drop right into place, minimizing installation costs and down time. WEG is committed to sustainability across our business and this project did not fall short in taking care to design the most efficient motors for the grind mill application. Thank you to our engineers and their capability to think outside the box to create solutions not just for our customer, but also for the food industry as a whole.