English
All induced flow fans fit into two overarching types/categories: centrifugal induced flow fans and vertical inline induced flow fans. Both of those types of induced flow fans are available in belt drive or direct drive configurations. While belt drive induced flow fans offer many safety, adjustability, and motor changeout advantages, some clients want direct drive exhaust fans on their buildings.
Motor changeout on a direct drive fan of any type can be a time consuming, dangerous, and difficult task. You need to have access to the fan equipment and you need adequate room in the area. With induced flow fans, that means the fan must be laid down in the roof or penthouse and disassembled for removal and replacement of the motor.
Direct drive induced flow fans typically have to be removed from the system (and oftentimes removed from the roof itself) to change the motor and/or rebuild the fan. That can result in extensive downtime for the building and the system. For centrifugal induced flow fans, M.K Plastics offers two unique options in the industry: we make centrifugal induced flow fans in both fiberglass and coated steel construction.
For the fiberglass Axijet® M.K Plastics induced flow fans, we offer EZ-4® construction. This is a direct drive centrifugal induced flow fan with the impeller physically attached to the motor shaft. The motor pedestal assembly is track mounted, the drive side of the fan casing can be unbolted, and the motor pedestal assembly can be pulled away from the fan for easy access to the impeller. The impeller can be removed and the motor can be changed without removing the fan from the foundation, system, or building.
For steel fans, we reach the same goals somewhat differently—we offer a Swingout fan construction where the drive side of the fan assembly is on a door-type arrangement. The drive side of the casing unbolts, and that drive side is hinged on the fan casing. It swings out/open with the fan in place to provide access to the impeller for removal and motor replacement.
Once the motor is replaced on the EZ-4®, the track mount assembly is simply pushed back and bolted into place. On the Swingout fan, the Swingout door is closed, the latches are secured, the fan balance can be checked, and the fans can then be put back into service. Both options provide access to separate the impeller from the motor without having to remove the fan from the system or the roof.
Of course, no solution is perfect—there are minor tradeoffs with either the EZ-4® or Swingout construction. These fans do require a slightly larger footprint than a conventional fan. There is also a modest price increase for accessories that include these features. When you change the motor in a direct drive fan, you must expect inherent contact with the direct drive airstream fan component, which may or may not be an issue for a given application.
The EZ-4® and Swingout options for M.K Plastics Axijet centrifugal flow fans provide motor changeout in a much easier and less time-consuming range. Contact MK Plastics today for more details about the unique and innovative features that we offer.