On the 5th December Inverter Drive Systems (IDS) played host for the ABB AVP Drive Expert Day. The day was a mixture of technical training, new features and best practices. We hosted fellow AVP’s Sentridge Control and Central Group and were joined by ABB Drive Experts: Andy Preston, from ABB UK and Arnold Taddeo and … Continue reading →
Don’t make the mistake of dismissing VSDs as nothing more than motor controllers, says ABB’s Carl Turbitt. To use a drive merely to start and stop a motor and alter its speed is to miss the huge cost saving potential built within the product. Panels containing control gear for air handling units, fans and pumps … Continue reading →
Most users buy a variable speed drive (VSD) to start/ stop a motor and make it go faster/ slower. Very few know about the other functionality within their drive. Stuart Foster, UK Water Manager – Drives, ABB Limited, gives an insight. 1. Adaptive programming Some VSDs contain a feature called adaptive programming. The programme is … Continue reading →
Thirty years ago, DC motors were the workhorse of industry when variable speed was required. These were found in many applications including mine winders, extrusion applications and the steel industry. However, they needed a maintenance schedule including regular brush changes and carbon removal from the windings. Every so often, a major overhaul was required in … Continue reading →
At the Smurfit Kappa facility in March, Cambridgeshire, there are three reel transport systems to carry heavy drums of paper into the corrugator machine that produces cardboard. When one of the systems travels empty, everything is fine; however, when it travels carrying a heavy drum of paper the momentum from the load may cause the … Continue reading →
When a motor is started is draws a large amount of electric current as it accelerates to full speed. This sudden demand for current can lead to voltage dips and other undesirable effects. The Difference Between A Soft Starter And A Variable Speed Drive Soft starts and variable speed drives can both be used to … Continue reading →
In this article, Blaise Ford, MD of Inverter Drive Systems, answers a question we are frequently asked: Are Inverters Phase Sensitive? Blaise explains: “Inverters take single or three phase mains, rectify it and then chop it up again to give variable frequency, variable voltage output. The three phase rotation, brown-black-grey or brown-grey-black, is lost when … Continue reading →
A steel castings manufacturer in the West Midlands who predominantly supplies the highly cost sensitive, automotive industry with precision castings is set to make significant energy reductions, achieving notable cost savings by fitting ABB Inverters (variable speed drives) across its manufacturing operation. These energy and cost savings were highlighted during a free Energy Efficiency Motor … Continue reading →
How to use an Inverter for HVAC noise reduction In this video Leon Ball, Industrial Technical Account Manager for IDS demonstrates how to use an inverter for HVAC noise reduction. The demonstration rig Leon uses in this video is our Balloon Rig, which is made up of an inverter, a motor, a fan and trunking … Continue reading →
A fruit juice manufacturer in the east of England has the potential to substantially reduce their energy consumption and the associated costs by fitting ABB Inverters (variable speed drives) across its manufacturing operation. These potential savings were discovered during a free Energy Efficiency Motor Audit. Juicy Energy Savings for Fruit Juice Manufacturer The inverters will … Continue reading →
