Drives News

This six-minute video combines some rare engineering cartoon humor with great professional graphics to show how harmonic distortion will cause problems in electrical supply networks. It labels harmonics as the "hidden enemy" attacking your plant with an assault from the very power lines that supply your electricity. You can't see, smell, or hear harmonics — but they will leave a trail of destruction ranging from simple heating of motors or conductors to intermittent tripping of circuit breakers and interference with communications equipment. And, it might be your own variable speed drives that are causing the problem. So, what's the solution? Watch the video.

MICROMO's Micro-Drives M16P gearmotor is a cost-effective drive system. The 16 mm diameter gearmotor comes in 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 volt versions. Speed ranges from 11 to 1,250 rpm and torque can reach 400 mNm. The planetary gearhead has ratios that range from 4:1 to 455:1.

Harmonic current compensation, inductive and capacitive power factor correction, as well as load balancing in one device. Schaffner ECOsine™ Active: find out how it can improve your drive applications.

Parker's global drive offering delivers the solutions you need for demanding applications. Technologies: stepper, servo, AC variable speed, to high-current output DC. Available to over 2,000 HP.

Featured product: AC890PX High Power Modular AC Drive — available to 500 HP, line voltages from 380 to 690VAC, and feature a variety of operating modes.

"These modules are based on the ACS800-U1 standard drives that ABB offers," noted Michael Vallier, product line manager — ABB LV Drives, "but these exclude the drive cover, conduit box, keypad, keypad mounting, and documentation. This allows the OEM and system integrator to buy only what they need — and no more."

This article provides a good example of the difference between a machine that has been designed using traditional electronic cams (or motion profiles) and a machine that uses "event-driven strategies" to control its motion. In the event-driven model, the machine monitors its temperature and position to make real time adjustments, and thus has more flexible motion profiles.

In order for Advanced Coating Robotics' new MACCS 400 machine to selectively spray protective conformal coatings on printed circuit board mounted components — some sticking up as high as 90 mm (3.5 in) from the PCB — the designers created a five axis motion control system combining high-speed throughput with precise spray head positioning to an accuracy of 25 microns.

This new silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFET could be a revolutionary step for variable frequency drives because it can halve the switching losses compared to the silicon transistors in use today and can operate at switching frequencies 3x higher. Its first applications are likely to be in high voltage applications where energy efficiency is critical.

Worried about arc-flash hazards, more plants are converting to high-resistance ground (HRG) electrical systems. The problem for the great majority of variable frequency drives (VFD) is their built-in ground-fault protection won't work with a high-resistance grounded system because VFDs are designed to work with solidly grounded systems. This short article shows how to overcome this incompatibility.

PowerFlex® 755 AC Drive — designed for ease-of-use, integration, application flexibility, and performance to maximize your investment and help improve productivity. Ideal for applications that require safety, high motor control performance, and application flexibility, the PowerFlex 755 is a highly functional and cost-effective solution. From Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation.

For over 40 years, AA Electric has been providing controls and technical expertise to original equipment manufacturers and industrial customers. AA offers customized engineering support services, knowledgeable inside and outside sales assistance. See AA Electric's Lenze/AC Tech Drives brochures.

A cycloconverter is a megawatt-sized inverter that converts an AC waveform from the main supply to another AC waveform of lower frequency without an intermediate DC link. The advantage of using one in this gearless mill drive mining application is that it allows the control system to be replaced without having to replace the motor or transformers.

The U.S. Army didn't want to make big changes in its rocket launcher vehicle — it wanted only to replace the hydraulic system with electric drives because they operate more quietly and don't need to have the diesel engine running. But electric drives are usually small and limited in load capacity. How could they drive a 12,000 lb (5,450 kg) mobile launcher?

This short video demonstrates the capabilities of Galil Motion Controls GalilTools Scope to help tune a servo motor. The software allows engineers to view and measure the system's step response and adjust the PID tuning parameters in order to achieve optimum performance. The video also demonstrates other features such as triggering, data recording, and scope overlay with cursor.

Talk about compact and space saving — this servodrive is only a 1/2 in. (12 mm) wide yet it can drive permanent magnet synchronous motors up to 200 W. It was designed for EtherCAT-based motion control systems. It connects directly with the motor and encoder, and also offers the possibility of connecting to a motor holding brake.

Hitachi America, Ltd. announces the L700 Series of Industrial AC Variable Frequency Drives. Hitachi has broadened the applicability of this series by incorporating the improved sensorless vector (SLV) control algorithm that was first developed for the SJ700 series. The L700 significantly expands on the performance, capabilities, and functions of its predecessor, the L300P.

In applications worldwide — wherever machines are used to package, convey, hoist, rotate, index, or just push it — you'll find Sumitomo Drive Technologies' gear drives. We have a wide range of products to match your specific industry needs — or we'll custom build it to the way you like it.

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Nearly 30% of machine OEMs in the UK are in for a big surprise, according to motor industry expert Robin Cowley of Baldor Electric. They don't realize they must start using higher efficiency IE2 motors in their machines starting in June of this year — and he estimates it takes about three months to prepare for the change.

You'll have to be quick if you want to put in an order for one of these rare 700 HP, $1.1 million two-seater sports cars from Italian-based Pagani Automobili — the company only made 18 vehicles last year and is in no big rush to increase production. The car uses a 6-liter, 12-cylinder engine made by Mercedes-Benz.

Cloud Shock

Cloud computer users can bypass the IT department and directly procure applications and services they want. Do they have enough experience to do this properly?