Customer's Challenge

During a routine maintenance inspection, an elevator motor shaft in a commercial building in Singapore’s CBD was found to have excessive wear and chipped damage at the bearing mounting area’s edge. The building management’s protocol only allowed one elevator to be shut down at a time for maintenance, putting the client, who is the maintenance contractor, in a difficult position. They needed to propose a repair procedure to the elevator’s Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and get approval before proceeding, all within a very short timeframe.

Solution

As a trusted partner, Metal Machines responded quickly by assessing the site and brainstorming solutions. Within a day, two technical proposals were developed and submitted to the OEM. The OEM approved the option of inserting a new sleeve for the motor shaft.

With the OEM’s specifications in hand, Metal Machines deployed a site team equipped with a Climax PL2000 Portable Lathe to machine the motor shaft on-site. Simultaneously, another team worked in our workshop to fabricate the new sleeve. Precise calculations were made to shrink-fit the sleeve to the motor shaft, eliminating the need for final machining, thereby saving even more time for the client.

The entire repair process was completed within 3 days, and the client was extremely satisfied with the quick response, effective solution, and cost savings.

Benefits

Metal Machines’ on-site repair solution allowed the client to avoid costly alternatives like welding overlay or replacing the damaged shaft. This approach minimized elevator downtime, ensuring the building’s occupants faced minimal inconvenience. The project was executed efficiently, providing a cost-effective solution that met both the client’s and OEM’s stringent requirements.