Dirt: The Silent Servo Killer

Dirt’s unsightly, but a little dirt never hurt anybody, right? You’re not going to work yourself into the ground fighting an uphill battle against dirt and dust. It’s impossible to keep your servo motors squeaky clean. Your servos are going to get dirty, so you might as well just accept that fact.

That’s the reasoning, anyway. The problem is that dirt can do more damage than you realize. A little bit of dust can quickly become a strange, filthy blanket of beige that coats your cooling fans like Spanish moss. You don’t have to be a neat freak, but it’s important to keep servos clean and remove dirt buildup.

Dirt can cause servos to overheat

Over time, dirt and dust can cause overheating. Your machinery has to work harder as filth builds up on machine parts, which can cause your servo to overheat.

Dirt may also clog airways, preventing proper airflow. This too can cause your servos to get too hot.

Overheating is a real problem. Your servo may overheat and appear fine, but overheating can reduce performance and cause accelerated wear on machinery over time. You may find that overheating warnings occur with increasing frequency. Don’t dismiss these error codes.

Dirt can jam your servos

Not only can dirt cause overheating, but it can also jam up your servos. Fans are especially susceptible to failure due to dust and dirt. It doesn’t take an Indramat specialist to know that a fan that stops blowing leads to an overheated servomotor.

Dirt can cause vibrations

Dirt can put a wobble in your machinery. Industrial motion control relies on precision, accuracy, and consistency. Dirt and grime can cause vibrations in your servos, which can in turn decrease performance, cause alignment issues, and damage machinery.

Clean, inspect and maintain your servos

Proper maintenance is key. Keep your servos clean, and inspect your servos during maintenance. We offer preventative inspection and maintenance, and we can help you if your neglected servos are starting to revolt. Call 479-422-0390 for Indramat servo repair.