RF-30 Motor Fan Needed

tbirdrv

tbirdrv

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Apr 11, 2021
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Long story short, I'm looking for a replacement plastic fan blade for a 30 year old no-name 2 HP motor, that I'm pretty sure is original equipment on my vintage Rong Fu RF-30.

I was running my new-to-me 1992 RF-30 mill/drill when the part I was milling popped out of the cheap (soon-to-be-replaced!) drill vice under load. When that happened the motor instantly started making a terrible noise until I got it shut down. Upon removal of the fan cover I found that all of the blades of the plastic fan were broken off and laying in the bottom of the cover.

Apparently sometime in the prior 30 years a bolt found its way into the motor cover, and must have sat there watching the fan blades zooming by for decades, until the moment my part snapped out of the vice with a jolt, popping the bolt up into the fan, then all hell broke loose!

So, if anyone happens to have an old motor laying around because they have a nice VFD installed, I sure could use a fan blade.

Other than this issue I think I lucked out and found an very nice, gently used machine.

I currently have a TouchDRO display kit that came yesterday, and I'm waiting for the DRO scales and 5" mill vice to arrive any day now.

Thanks,

Tony

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Personally since you have all the parts I’d weld them back on. the plastic welder that Harbor Freight carry’s does a really good job. I have a plastic tub on my wheelbarrow that had crack in it. I welded it up and it’s holding up like new even with heavy use. There is literally no stress on the fan. Just a thought…
 
Cut a disk of aluminum sheet. About 60 thou thick should do it. Make several cuts from the edge in, about 30 degrees off the tangent, then bend the tabs up to 90 degrees. Bolt it up in place of the plastic.

All the blades do is spin the air, so that centrifugal force pushes it to the outside where holes allow it to flow through the motor. There is nothing particularly aerodynamic about it.
 
That's what I would do- make another one out of aluminum. Leave the bolt out this time :)
 
Thanks for all the great ideas. I'll give plastic welding a try. If that doesn't work I'll try making one out of aluminum and if that doesn't turn out too cool, I may try 3D printing one.

I did notice last night that the marking on the head of the bolt also match the markings on one of the motor attaching bolts. So it probably has been in there a long time. I plan on leaving it out for now. ;>)

Tony
 
All the suggestions above are good - I would probably just 3D print one. I guess it boils down to what you have laying around the shop...
 
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