As the year comes to a close and a new one begins, delivery schedules reach their annual peak. Recently, Honest Automation has successfully completed the installation and commissioning of multiple motor automation production lines and motor manufacturing machines, which have now been delivered to customer factories.

 

 

At the same time, intelligent motor manufacturing is entering a new phase defined by higher automation, greater flexibility, and stricter quality standards. Today, smart motor production equipment is no longer designed merely to replace manual labor; it has become a critical foundation of a motor manufacturer’s core competitiveness.

However, in practice, we see a common challenge across the industry: despite significant investment in advanced equipment, many manufacturers are unable to fully unlock its potential or achieve the expected production performance.

In many motor manufacturing facilities, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) remains below 60%, accompanied by frequent breakdowns, long changeover times, and even safety incidents caused by improper operation. In most cases, these challenges are not rooted in the equipment itself, but in a lack of systematic understanding and scientific management of equipment across its entire lifecycle.

This article is intended to provide motor manufacturers with a comprehensive High-Efficiency and Safe Use Guide for Intelligent Motor Manufacturing Equipment. It goes beyond basic operating instructions by integrating engineering principles, data-driven thinking, and lean manufacturing concepts—helping companies move from simply “using” their equipment to truly “using it effectively,” and ultimately maximizing the return on their equipment investment.

 

1. Building the Right Foundation: Correct Selection and Proper

 

Installation Enable Effective Use

Defining “Intelligent Motor Manufacturing Equipment”

Modern intelligent motor manufacturing equipment—such as automatic winding machines, insertion machines, laser welding systems, and end-of-line testing stations—has evolved far beyond standalone machinery. These systems function not only as high-precision process execution units, but also as real-time data collection nodes and edge-level intelligent decision points.

Across the entire motor production process, each piece of equipment plays a critical role in quality control, cycle time assurance, and data accumulation, making it an integral component of a manufacturer’s overall production and quality management system.

Precision Equipment Selection: Match the Process, Not Just the Specifications

Equipment selection in the early stages is not about pursuing the highest speed or the most impressive specifications, but about ensuring that the equipment’s capability envelope truly matches real production conditions. For example:

Servo motor winding requires high dynamic response, making closed-loop tension control accuracy a key evaluation criterion.

High-mix, low-volume production calls for fast changeover capabilities and robust process recipe management.

High-voltage motor testing equipment must meet stringent safety and compliance requirements, particularly in areas such as insulation withstand voltage and partial discharge detection.

For this reason, we recommend that manufacturers engage in a process–equipment joint evaluation with the equipment supplier during the early product development stage. By sharing real product portfolios, annual capacity plans, and future technology roadmaps, companies can ensure that equipment investments deliver sustainable long-term value rather than short-term gains.

From Installation to Production: The Operating Environment Determines Equipment Lifespan

Even the most advanced equipment can underperform if installed in a substandard environment. Based on practical project experience, we summarize four critical environmental dimensions that directly impact equipment stability and service life:

Temperature and humidity: Recommended operating conditions are 20–25°C with 40–60% RH to prevent condensation and related failures.

Cleanliness: For winding and insertion areas, a cleanroom level of approximately Class 10,000 is recommended to prevent insulation degradation caused by dust contamination.

Power supply: Voltage fluctuation should be controlled within ±5%. The use of voltage stabilizers and independent grounding is strongly advised.

Network infrastructure: Industrial Ethernet interfaces should be reserved, with support for OPC UA or MQTT protocols to enable data connectivity and future system integration.

In addition, proper planning of safety clearances—ensuring clear separation between operating zones, maintenance aisles, and material buffering areas—forms the physical foundation for stable and continuous production.

 

2. Intelligent Operation: Standardization Combined with Smart Daily Practices

 

Safe Start-Up and Shutdown: Safety Comes First

Before the daily start-up, operators should perform a three-step safety check to ensure stable and safe operation:

Mechanical inspection: Confirm that no foreign objects remain in moving or working areas.

Electrical inspection: Verify that all electrical connections are secure and properly seated.

Safety inspection: Ensure that safety devices and interlocks are correctly reset and fully functional.

Establishing disciplined start-up and shutdown procedures is a fundamental step in reducing operational risks and preventing avoidable equipment incidents.

Materials and Tooling: The Hidden Efficiency Bottlenecks

Even the fastest equipment will suffer significant OEE losses if frequent downtime is caused by mismatched wire specifications or worn tooling. We recommend establishing clear tooling calibration and inspection cycles, and proactively replacing tooling by leveraging built-in tool wear monitoring and early warning functions within the equipment.

Data-Driven Operations: Making Problems Visible

Equipment today is not only an execution unit, but also a diagnostic instrument for production. Through real-time dashboards, manufacturers can continuously monitor key indicators such as cycle time achievement, first-pass yield trends, and energy consumption curves.

More importantly, batch-level traceability enables manufacturers to retrieve complete production records by entering a motor serial number—including equipment parameters, operator information, and environmental data at the time of production. This provides objective, data-backed evidence for root cause analysis and quality improvement.

 

3. Proactive Equipment Care: From Reactive Repairs to Preventive Protection

 

A Four-Level Maintenance Framework for Visible and Predictable Upkeep

Daily: Clean guide rails, inspect lubrication points, and listen for abnormal noise.

Weekly: Tighten electrical terminals and test safety circuits.

Monthly: Measure ballscrew backlash and recalibrate sensors.

Annually: Perform comprehensive accuracy verification, software upgrades, and electrical aging inspections.

By structuring maintenance activities into clearly defined levels, equipment health becomes visible, manageable, and predictable—significantly reducing unplanned downtime and extending service life.

Fault Response: Fast, Accurate, and Safe

When an equipment alarm occurs, operators should strictly follow the “three prohibitions” to ensure both safety and effective troubleshooting:

Do not reset alarms blindly, as this may conceal the root cause of the fault.

Do not bypass or short-circuit safety circuits, which is illegal and poses severe safety risks.

Do not disassemble equipment beyond authorization, as precision components require specialized tools and recalibration.

Adhering to these principles helps prevent secondary failures, protects personnel safety, and ensures that faults are resolved accurately rather than temporarily suppressed.

 

 

4. Value Uplift: From Standalone Machines to Line-Level Synergy

 

Deep OEE Optimization Across the Production Line

Downtime losses: Is unplanned downtime taking up a high proportion of total losses? Optimize maintenance strategies to address root causes.

Performance losses: Is the actual cycle time below the theoretical benchmark? Review process parameters or inspect for mechanical wear.

Quality losses: Is the rework or scrap rate increasing? Trace process parameters and the quality of incoming materials.

By breaking OEE down into actionable loss categories, manufacturers can move beyond surface-level metrics and implement targeted improvements that drive real performance gains across the entire production line.

Flexible Manufacturing in Practice

In response to the growing trend of high-mix, low-volume production, modern motor automation equipment is designed to support rapid changeovers, enabling quick transitions between different motor models with minimal downtime.

Additionally, through I/O signals or Profinet communication, equipment can be seamlessly integrated with robotic systems and AGVs, enabling automated material handling and unmanned workflows between processes.

 

5. Safety Culture: Zero Incidents as the Foundation of Efficiency

 

Non-Negotiable Inherent Safety

All equipment is designed in compliance with CE and GB safety standards and is equipped with multiple layers of protection, including safety light curtains and safety PLC systems. Any form of safety device bypassing or circumvention is strictly prohibited.

Strict LOTO Implementation

Before any maintenance activity, lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures must be executed to ensure complete energy isolation. This includes a structured seven-step process: preparation, notification, shutdown, isolation, lockout, verification, and maintenance execution.

Conclusion: Delivering a Continuously Evolving Productivity Solution

Selecting a piece of intelligent motor manufacturing equipment is just the beginning of the partnership.

Honest Automation is committed to being a trusted partner in production efficiency. Through scientifically designed usage guidelines, intelligent operation and maintenance services, and continuous knowledge enablement, we help manufacturers transform equipment potential into tangible gains in productivity, quality, and competitiveness.

Proper usage is the starting point for realizing ROI, while deep collaboration forms the foundation for long-term mutual success.

We invite you to explore Honest Automation and join us in advancing the next chapter of intelligent motor manufacturing.