Machine Shop Equipment is Key When Repairing Electric Motors in Hagerstown Maryland

First Quality ~ First Time

Apparatus Repair & Engineering, Inc.

A.R.&E. is the Premier Electric Motor Sales, Service, and Repair facility in the quad-state region of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. This business began in 1927, and we are proud to continue the efforts of the founding partners who have served the local Commercial and Industrial markets over these many years. Times have changed in the many years since the inception of this business, and A.R.&E. is growing and changing with the times. Today the use of AI, computers, and factory automation is necessary for businesses to remain competitive in the global market, and A.R.&E. is here to assist with those challenges. And we promise our work will be... First Quality ~ First Time.

Open for Business

A.R.&E is Open For Business! Monday through Friday, 8:00AM until 5:00PM, and 24/7 for emergencies. Call us at (301) 739-8285

NEW Location

We're OPEN for business but at a DIFFERENT location. Come to 17500 York Road, Hagerstown, MD 21740 (the Halfway Area) for the same excellent service you've been used to receiving.

Did I Mention We're Open?

Apparatus Repair & Engineering is Open for Business... 8 to 5, Monday through Friday and 'round the clock service for emergencies. (301) 739-8285 gets you all the help you need.

Coronavirus - Covid-19

What the virus looks like under atomic magnification. (Photo courtesy CDC.gov)

Turning the Corner in Asia

Looks like China and South Korea have turned the corner on NEW cases of the virus. That's what Social Distancing will do for us, too. Let's all get with the program.

Latest Worldwide Stats

This chart is the top 10, of 204, countries listed in the world by ranking of total infections. You can click this slide photo to be taken to the full list on the web. While it's not appealing to be #1 on this list, other columns show that our stats are certainly not as bad as some, when you consider our population compared to others.

Did You Hear? We're Open For Business!

Social distancing and use of hand sanitizer is key to protection. (Photo courtesy CDC.gov / Amanda Mills

Social Distancing

This is not some "pie in the sky" theory! This really works! Look at the results in China and South Korea. But EVERYONE has to participate. Beach goers bring the virus BACK to the folks that are fighting in the trenches and ruin everything we're trying to do. Get with the program, folks!

Social Distancing

This is not some "pie in the sky" theory! This really works! Look at the results in China and South Korea. But EVERYONE has to participate. Beach goers bring the virus BACK to the folks that are fighting in the trenches and ruin everything we're trying to do. Get with the program, folks!

There's Hope!

We're in this together isn't just a slogan... it's a fact! We'll get through it but we've all got to do our part. Have Faith, and remember that "We're in this Together".

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Mechanical Repairs

It is not uncommon for what our customer thought was a routine and simple motor repair to turn into something more serious.

We receive a phone call and our customer indicates that the motor went "off line" due to an overload. They attempted to reset the control's overload relay but it happened again in a short amount of time. So we get the motor in the shop and check it out. We find the rotor is "hard to turn". Certainly the bearings are an issue. So we disassemble the motor and remove the rotating assembly. The mechanic finds that the rotor has been rubbing on the side of the laminations. Maybe we're fortunate enough and the winding is still good. But, we check the rotor in the lathe and found the shaft is bent! How unfortunate. Maybe we can straighten the shaft, depending on where it's bent and how severe. Or maybe we need to make a new shaft. In any case, this is NOT going to be a quick, routine, or simple motor repair.

But not to despair, A.R.&E. can do any of the above mentioned "fixes". We have the expertise to press out the old shaft, duplicate it's dimensions on a CAD drawing, and make a new shaft in the machine shop. Once the new shaft is made, it can be pressed back into the rotor and the complete assembly is then "dynamically balanced" to assure extended bearing life when the motor is put back in service.

Other instances of mechanical failures and repairs include cutting a NEW keyway in a shaft when the original one had been "damaged" by a defective coupling bore. And we can make that keyway an "open" keyway or an "enclosed" keyway, whichever you desire, or whatever fits the application properly. There are those applications and instances where an "enclosed" keyway is REQUIRED. We can take care of that for you. And since the "mass" of the metal shaft has changed, this unit will be "dynamically balanced", too.

A more common repair for our technicians is the rebuilding of the bearing housing in the end bell of a motor. If a ball bearing fails, in many cases, it begins to turn inside the bearing bracket and wears the housing to an "oblong" shape or worse. A.R.&E. will re-bore the housing, press in a new steel insert and "re-machine" the bore to the proper size for the bearing being used. The other bearing problem is caused when the bearing gets so hot (when it fails) that it seizes to the shaft of the rotor. If this happens, it may be necessary to "burn off" the bearing (and repair the shaft) or it may be so destroyed that the shaft needs to be cut off and either a complete NEW shaft made OR... we may be able to manufacture a "stub" shaft to attach to the end of the original. That's a little more advanced based on the welding and re-machining that needs to be done, but it can happen. And it can be done in our Hagerstown Maryland shop.

Sleeve bearing repair requires a specialized talent and skill in our industry. Getting the clearances just right takes the knowledge and experience of our most senior mechanics and technicians. Sleeve bearings are "usually" made of brass or bronze, or may be a cast iron housing with "Babbitt" material poured and machined as the actual bore and bearing surface. "Babbitt" is a soft metal alloy that was invented and formulated around 1840. The alloy was a "Tin" based metal (alloyed with Lead, Antimony, Copper, and Arsenic) and as such, with tin being softer, it would "melt" under the frictional heat and actually become a type of lubricant. As the Tin melted, it left "indents" in the base metal and these indents acted as "reservoirs" for the lubricating oil. Babbitt is still used today, mostly in larger equipment and things like high speed turbines. It works well because there are no moving parts, as there is with a ball or roller bearing and high speed is not an issue. However, the design and shape of the "oil ring" in a sleeve bearing is extremely important since it is a primary source for getting lubrication to the shaft and bearing.

So if you feel your situation has to do with a "mechanical" problem, don't be concerned. Give our shop superintendent a call and you'll be guided through the processes that would best suit your timeframe and application. No two failures are the same and different applications require different solutions. We're here to help...