ABB has extended the operational warranty of its M3000 range of motors by 50%, to three years:
"This decision is a logical consequence of the position we have taken for a long time, that high quality of materials and high standards of manufacture result in high reliability of the motors," says Steve Ruddell, general manager, electrical machines at ABB. "The move shows that we are willing to put our money where our mouth is.
"Since the M3000 series was introduced in 1999, we have received very few warranty claims," Ruddell continues. "The M3000 has been designed for demanding and continuous duty applications, such as those found within the process industries. These are applications where ABB has very long and broad experience. We have therefore been able to take these exacting requirements into consideration when designing the motors."
The high efficiency of the M3000 motor gives low losses and a low running temperature, which, combined with high quality materials, results in high reliability. Although the function is guaranteed for three years with the warranty, ABB expects the motor to last much longer than this. Given the correct maintenance, 10-20 years of reliable service can reasonably be expected. However, an important part of regular maintenance is bearing re-lubrication and replacement at the prescribed intervals. The warranty period has deliberately been kept shorter than the first bearing replacement interval to avoid any confusion.
Premature failures provide important feedback:
"From our point of view, any premature motor failures provide important feedback to our continuous R&D activities, enabling us to improve our manufacturing processes and materials selection. By increasing the warranty we are hoping to capture information around premature motor failures," Ruddell adds.
The extended warranty will apply world-wide to all motors in the M3000 series. The necessary documentation for making a claim is delivered with each motor. Any claims should be sent to the local ABB office.
ABB's M3000 series provides a full range of motors in eff1, the highest European efficiency class, and aims to minimise life-cycle costs through energy efficient operation, high reliability and long service life. The range encompasses aluminium, steel and cast iron motors from 0.055 to 710 kW (IEC frame sizes 56 to 400).
Contact: Steve Ruddell
ABB Ltd.,
9 The Towers, Wilmslow Road,
Didsbury, Manchester M20 2AB
Tel: 0161 438 3204
Fax: 0161 448 1066
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.abbmsp.co.uk