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Phone-like icons allow drives to be set up in 3 minutes

24 November, 2015

ABB has unveiled two new drives at the SPS IPC Drives show in Germany which, it says, will allow machine-builders to improve the performance of their machines, while cutting the costs of integration and maintenance.

The first new arrival is a family of compact, robust frequency inverters designed for precise motor control in constant-torque applications such as mixers, conveyors and cranes. The ACS380 drives have a menu-driven user interface similar to a mobile phone which, ABB claims, will allow parameters to be set in just three minutes. Adaptive programming provides extra flexibility to meet the needs of different types of machinery.

The IP20-protected drives are initially available in power ratings from 0.25­-5kW from 200-240V (single-phase) and 380-480V (three-phase). ABB plans to expand the family.

The inverters are fitted with EMC filters as standard. All common industrial fieldbus protocols are preconfigured, and the drives can control many types of motor.

The second new arrival is an extension to ABB’s existing ACS880 range of machinery drives that is dedicated to winders, wire-drawing machines, mixers, extruders, cranes and similar heavy-duty mechanical applications. The IP20-protected inverters are aimed at series production applications and have outputs from 0.37-45kW at 230-500V. They include basic position control functions.

ABB's new ACS380 machinery drive can be set up in three minutes

ABB’s DTC (Direct Torque Control) technology is said to result in motor speed control with high static and dynamic accuracy, even without using feedback. Integrated safety functions avoid the need for external security devices.

Additional safety functions can be implemented using plug-in modules. Secure communications between the drive and PLCs are achieved using Profisafe over Profinet. IEC 61131-3 programming provides flexibility when integrating with other automation equipment.

Both new drives support most common types of motor from asynchronous machines to permanent magnet and synchronous reluctance motors. A control panel with built-in wizards, configurable screens, and various display options can be used with both drives.




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