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  • Bear Varimixer getting warm

    Posted by coffeegeek on October 28, 2020 at 8:38 am

    The top lid of our 40L Bear Varimixer gets very very hot. I greased the two wheels which has grease nipples with a grease gun (molybdenum disulfide, MoS2). Not sure if this is the correct fat. And I sprayed silicone on the belts and in the slots of the wheels. They called me again today, and told me it is still hot (I can’t compare if the greasing made a difference since I’m not on site). Any insight on this?

    I also noticed it won’t run smooth at 5. It squeaks and makes noises if I pass 4.6-4.8 (they never put it to 5, they stop before the point of noise). I’m not sure if this contributes to the heat (that the wheels/springs has to be adjusted / calibrated). It’s been running 3-5 times a week since october 2015 (no service/maintenance).

    A few weeks ago, the circuit breaker tripped. They tried to flip it a few times without luck. When I came to the site, it worked again. There was slight corrosion around the poles in the 3-phase plug, but nothing indicating a short/high ohms conduction. I suspect water in the socket, which by the time I arrived had dried up. It was after this visit I noticed the top lid was very hot, and I greased it.

    fixbear replied 3 years, 2 months ago 2 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • fixbear

    Member
    October 28, 2020 at 9:18 am

    Are you sure where the heat is coming from. IR cameras work great for this and today they even come in some cell phones.

    Not knowing if it is a friction, bearing or power problem is hard to narrow down from here. Amp check each phase for equal loading. The other thing to keep in mind, is the possibilities of harmonics in the power system. 6th and 7th generation will make a lot of heat in a motor.

    Mechanical noise can come from the vars-sheave bearing and key being worn.

  • fixbear

    Member
    October 28, 2020 at 9:40 am

    okwestern, Varimixer is very specific on lubrication type and spec. The following from their manual;

    Grease Types:-Grease for the pulley set shafts: Lubriplate # 1200-2-On repair of the planetary head: Grease the toothed wheel and the toothed rim with Nye Gel 868VH,(PN 868VH), the needle bearings in the planetary head must not be lubricated with this type of grease, they should be lubricated with PN Sapphire 2. Do not use any another type of grease than the one stated here.-On repair of the attachment drive: Fill the attachment drive with Tribol Molub 860/150-0, (PN 860/150-0)

  • coffeegeek

    Member
    October 28, 2020 at 9:47 am

    Thanks for the quick response (as always) 🙂

    I’m not sure where it comes from, only that the top lid is very very warm. I’ll try if I can get a IR camera. I’ll also check the phase loading.

    From your expertise, 5 years without maintenance, what is most likely to cause the heat? I mean, does one part usually stick out as wearing out more than others?

  • fixbear

    Member
    October 28, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Loose or worn belts. Or both.

  • fixbear

    Member
    October 28, 2020 at 10:38 am

    I forgot flour in the motor cooling system.

  • coffeegeek

    Member
    January 2, 2021 at 6:35 am

    A follow up (I hate when people ask for advice, but ghosts after the problem is solved). The problem was in the connection to one of the phases. It was completely lacking contact, so replacing the cable solved it. Apparently the motor was struggling to turn with only 2 of 3 phases connected.

    Happy new year and thanks again for all your good advice!

  • fixbear

    Member
    January 3, 2021 at 7:38 am

    Nice to hear from you on this. Lost phase should have made one heck of a shake in a mixer. Normally they won’t even start.

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