Vacuum pump malfunction

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Stuart Douglas
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Vacuum pump malfunction

Post by Stuart Douglas »

Just wondering if anyone else had had an issue with their pump dragging on startup. I have the Busch pump that was sold with our machine and it will drag until it pops the breaker on the first startup of the day. If I turn the vacuum switch on the CNC table ON, THEN start the pump (so it is pulling through the spoil/table board) it will fire up every time. It will restart if its been on even for just a minute or two at some point during the shift. Ambient temps are always between 65-70F, and the pump is operating on OEM synthetic oil. I wonder if there is a bleeder valve or something under the table that is not functioning properly. The Motor for the pump tests within parameters and the filter is clean and connections are tight. :?
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Jeremy Schiffer
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Re: Vacuum pump malfunction

Post by Jeremy Schiffer »

Without opening the vacuum ports, it's like trying to crank a car while it is in gear. We always open the vacuum ports on the table before starting the pumps - in our case, they will pop the breaker every time if we don't. It's much better to start the motor under as little load as possible, which you do by opening the ports for as much free airflow as possible.
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Stu Douglas
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Re: Vacuum pump malfunction

Post by Stu Douglas »

Jeremy, that certainly makes sense, and that's the protocol for doing it from here on out. I agree it likely will prolong the lifetime of the unit. It just seemed strange to me that we had been doing it the other way for so long and then suddenly it would not work that way. An industrial sparky I know said that perhaps one of the windings was failing, but I had the motor tested (used a Meg'r?) and it tested fine. Time will tell, I'm sure. I just wanted to see if there was a hivemind solution that I hadn't thought of yet. :)
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