Gates Draftguard^™ Anti-Rotation Device Improves Worker Safety During Maintenance On Fan Drives By Eliminating 'Back Drafting' Which Can Cause Serious Injury

When turned off for maintenance fan drives can rotate backwards, generally by reason of air movement across the fan blades. Draftguard^™ anti-rotation device secures the drive from spinning backwards during maintenance operations as well as protect the entire system from extreme shock loads during start-up, causing unnecessary wear of the motor components, drive frame and potential belt breakage.

What is Back Drafting?

• With the fan turned off or in the event of broken belts, air movement over the fan blades causes the fan and pulleys to rotate in the opposite direction.
• Clearly, this creates a safety critical situation for maintenance people working around the moving fan drive components.
• Commonly used, mechanical solutions of wrangling the drive by wedging screw drivers, bars or even using timber to brake the free- wheeling fan can create other serious safety issues including potential damage to the drive components.
• Restarting a fan drive whilst the fan is free-wheeling backwards can induce massive shock loads on the components, potentially causing instant belt failure and accelerated wear to the belt drive, fan and structure.

Benefits of Gates Draftguard^® Anti-Rotation Device

• Prevents “locked out” machinery from rotating.
• Improves worker safety.
• Prevents back drafting / wind-milling of fans.
• Eliminates hard starts during wind-milling.
• Avoids damage to belt drive, motor, bearings and structure during startup.
• Maintenance free bearings, greased for life assembly.
• Universal, versatile mounting plate.
• Flange plate counter bore accommodates ½ inch shaft protrusion without spacers.
• Adapts to clockwise or counter-clockwise operation easily.
• Compact, thin design fits under most drive guards.
• Draftguard^™ disengages whilst fan drive is in operation resulting in no wear to the drive or components
• Bright yellow color stands out for safety.
• Small investment to mitigate risk to employees and equipment.

For more information please contact us directly on +61 3 9797 9688 or submit an enquiry HERE.