New Tenso-set™ Auto-Tensioning Motor Base with Patented Quick Release Revolutionizes V-belt Mainte
Browning’s new Tenso-set™ Series 600 horizontal sliding motor base with optional quick release (QR) is an industry first for V-belt drives, enhancing technician convenience and belt drive efficiency by automatically maintaining belt tension for extended periods and allowing quick belt changes in just minutes. Available for NEMA motor frame sizes 56 to 286 and IEC equivalents, the base reduces service visits for re-tensioning and can help maintain efficiency by preventing belt slippage. The clever design is a drop-in replacement for standard motor bases and can quickly pay for itself in reduced travel and site visits for technicians, and energy efficiency for building owners.
“This new motor base is a voice-of-the-customer solution that addresses two common V-belt issues: repeat visits to re-tension belts and time-consuming, cumbersome belt-replacement,” said Don Sullivan, Marketing Manager for Browning. “Technicians said repeated site visits to re-tension belts are a drain on time and resources. They also said correct V-belt installation would be more likely if the job were faster, easier and safer. Maintenance techs said they often try to save time by prying a new belt onto the sheaves, risking personal injury and damage or rupture to the cords of the belt.”
The new base operates just like a standard motor base, utilizing a jackscrew to adjust and hold tension on the belt. However, the new design includes a coil spring inside the screw housing that pushes against the carriage to maintain tension as the belt wears or seats itself further into the sheave groove. “This feature helps eliminate the need for frequent belt re-tensioning, including the first 24 hours of run time, which saves the maintenance staff at least one service call, but more important it prevents energy waste over time for the building owner as it compensates for some of the normal belt wear and mass change.”
In addition, the QR option for the base allows release of all belt tension after just a few turns of the tensioning screw. “Typically, it takes 50 to 60 turns of a wrench to release the tension for a belt replacement,” said Sullivan. “If you’re working with a rooftop unit in the middle of summer, it can be a long process in cramped quarters, so people try to cheat and pry the belt onto the sheaves which, by now, are probably adjusted for maximum belt tension, adding even more effort and a clear safety risk.” The QR base has a patent-pending lever design that releases the motor carriage from the base after a few turns of the tensioning screw, allowing the carriage to release tension and slide forward several inches, which gives the slack in the drive to quickly and safely change the belts. The lever covers a cutout in the motor frame that allows the head of the tensioning screw to pass through. After belt installation, the carriage can be slid back and the sliding lever closed to retain the head of the screw for tensioning.
Browning Series 600 horizontal motor mounts feature heavy steel construction. They are sized to fit NEMA frame sizes 56 to 286 and IEC equivalents. Emerson can produce custom sizes to application requirements.
In addition, Browning offers free mobile apps for efficiency calculation, selection, troubleshooting and GPS locating of belt distributors. These can be accessed here.
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Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2013 were $24.7 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com
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