Press movement affecting dryer belt speed

[sqslabs]

Yep, you read that correctly.  And I know this is likely a job for an electrician, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone had ever come across an issue like this or has any guesses as to what the cause could be.

Long story short, we've always had issues with our dryer belt speed jumping around significantly and recently isolated the issue to the press.  When the press is off, the dryer belt runs exactly as it should.  When we turn the press on (without starting the cycle), the dryer belt slows down significantly.  When we start the cycle, the belt cycles between slow and fast with the press.  If the press is stopped and I activate one of the safety bars, the belt speeds back up like when the press is off.  It also speeds up when the press is in the lift position during a cycle or setup.

We've been dealing with this for a long time and haven't been able to map our dryer properly due to the issue.  If anyone has seen anything like this, or has any ideas to what the problem could be, I'm all ears.  The press is an RPM and the dryer is an Adelco.

Thanks much..

 

[jvanick]

get a voltage meter and check your voltages on your dryer and press with each on/off.

if you're seeing a significant voltage drop on either... ESPECIALLY if you're running either or both on 220V.. stop and get a qualified electrician in.

voltage swings could indicate a problem with your neutral or current leakage somewhere that you don't want it.

[cbjamel]

Almost sound like on same circuit. Make sure they are split on 2 separate circuits.

Shane

[Gilligan]

Almost sound like on same circuit. Make sure they are split on 2 separate circuits.

Shane

Technically it's all on the same circuit. :p

[cbjamel]

Yea i know.?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[sqslabs]

Thanks, sounds like I should just get an electrician in to get it sorted out.  I just realized that although the dryer has a handwritten sticker on it that says 240v, the manufacturer specs for it are listed as 220v which could account for the issue.  I did give the specs from the manufacturer to the electrician when the equipment was hooked up to begin with, but he didn't mention anything about it.  I also have another panel that I could run the dryer from if needed.

Maybe I've just had bad luck with contractors, but the more I deal with people who do this kind of stuff, the more I realize that many have no clue what they're doing.  Then again, I pretend I know how to screen print every day. 

[jsheridan]

It sure was a sight to see.. with the safety bar pushed in the belts went double speed.. pull the bar out and back to normal.

Didn't have a volt meter when there but something tells me the dryer control panel was setup for china.. 220 50 hz where we run 230 60 hz. that might be where the pulse is coming from.

[jvanick]

what press do you have there?  -- and how's it wired/fed ?  220v 3phase?

also.. any buck/boost transformers anywhere?

[sqslabs]

Didn't have a volt meter when there but something tells me the dryer control panel was setup for china.. 220 50 hz where we run 230 60 hz. that might be where the pulse is coming from.

Yeah I'm thinking the same thing.  Wondering if moving the dryer connect to my other panel would solve the problem or make it worse.

what press do you have there?  -- and how's it wired/fed ?  220v 3phase?

also.. any buck/boost transformers anywhere?

RPM.  The manufacturer specs say 208-240 3phase.  No buck/boost transformers anywhere.

[jvanick]

is your dryer 3phase as well?

get that volt meter out and check your voltage legs, especially on the dryer when the press is on/off.

if the dryer is 3 phase:

measure between phases 1+2, 2+3, and 1+3... if there's a neutral on any of your gear, measure both between neutral and ground, as well as neutral on each of your phases.

do all that with the press on/off and make a chart.

[sqslabs]

is your dryer 3phase as well?

get that volt meter out and check your voltage legs, especially on the dryer when the press is on/off.

if the dryer is 3 phase:

measure between phases 1+2, 2+3, and 1+3... if there's a neutral on any of your gear, measure both between neutral and ground, as well as neutral on each of your phases.

do all that with the press on/off and make a chart.

Thanks Jason, I'll bring my volt meter in tomorrow and will test them out.  The dryer is 3-phase.  It says 240v on a handwritten sticker on the unit, and the manufacturer specs say 220v.  There are unfortunately no other badges on the unit.  It was originally made for a DTG shop in China before it was shipped to the states.

[jvanick]

60hz/50hz could account for this, but not the variation.  The frequency of the power shouldn't change regardless of what's going on.. unless for some weird reason your press VFDs were back-feeding to the panel, which would be bad as well.

I'd be more concerned about voltage drop (or raise).  if you're seeing either, it could be a backfeed situation, or loose/missing neutral where it needs one... or if you're seeing a voltage drop it could be a wiring problem in the meter, panel, or even the transformer coming into the building.

[244]

60hz/50hz could account for this, but not the variation.  The frequency of the power shouldn't change regardless of what's going on.. unless for some weird reason your press VFDs were back-feeding to the panel, which would be bad as well.

I'd be more concerned about voltage drop (or raise).  if you're seeing either, it could be a backfeed situation, or loose/missing neutral where it needs one... or if you're seeing a voltage drop it could be a wiring problem in the meter, panel, or even the transformer coming into the building.

The problem has nothing to do with the voltage or the hertz. The manufacturers of your equipment should know what is going on.

[IntegrityShirts]

That's weird. Especially that you notice it in only the belt speed. Does the fan on the dryer slow or change in sound while the press indexes? Sounds like something's unbalanced in the panel or the incoming service. Aren't almost all belt motors run through a transformer down to 24V? And aren't those step-down transformers only running off one leg of power, not 3 phase?

[sqslabs]

60hz/50hz could account for this, but not the variation.  The frequency of the power shouldn't change regardless of what's going on.. unless for some weird reason your press VFDs were back-feeding to the panel, which would be bad as well.

I'd be more concerned about voltage drop (or raise).  if you're seeing either, it could be a backfeed situation, or loose/missing neutral where it needs one... or if you're seeing a voltage drop it could be a wiring problem in the meter, panel, or even the transformer coming into the building.

Makes sense.  I'm gonna get an electrician out here to run through everything, and it will not be the one who hooked everything up in the first place.  Will keep the thread posted.

The problem has nothing to do with the voltage or the hertz. The manufacturers of your equipment should know what is going on.

I will be contacting them as well.  If this is a common issue I'm hoping they would.

That's weird. Especially that you notice it in only the belt speed. Does the fan on the dryer slow or change in sound while the press indexes? Sounds like something's unbalanced in the panel or the incoming service. Aren't almost all belt motors run through a transformer down to 24V? And aren't those step-down transformers only running off one leg of power, not 3 phase?

I just tried listening to one of the fans while the press was going and it was tough to tell because I could also hear the press.  I felt like I could hear a change, but it could have been a placebo.  I did notice that while the press is cycling, the belt speeds up during index and then slows back down when printing.