How DB keeps electric motors running

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    • Close-up of the rotor of an electric motor with blades and openings
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    To ensure that the motors of electric locomotives remain operational for as long as possible, the Dessau vehicle maintenance depot has introduced a technical process to extend their life span in the long term. The principle is simple: when the insulation system of an electric motor has suffered substantial damage, the coils of the motor, which are firmly encapsulated in impregnating resins, must be to replaced.

    Old motors reconditioned

    The resin compounds on the coils can be thermally dissolved at temperatures of over 400 degrees Celsius in a special hot air oven. New coils are then inserted into the electric motor and impregnated. The motor is then ready for its next use and no new motors need to be purchased.

    On average, the Dessau Maintenance Depot successfully reconditions around 240 electric motors every year. This saves more than 500 tons of steel and around 40 tons of copper per year compared to purchasing new motors.

  • Three old electric motors are stacked on pallets in a factory hall.
  • An employee wearing protective clothing and a mask uses a tool to remove the old windings in the electric motor.
  • Two electric motors stand on a pallet before the resin compounds are thermally dissolved in a hot air oven.
  • A depot employee uses a brush to apply insulating paint to the coils of the electric motor on the motor housing.
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