The global site of the UK's leading magazine for automation, motion engineering and power transmission
28 March, 2024

LinkedIn
Twitter
Twitter link

Tuning-free VSD promises a 6% efficiency boost

18 October, 2016

Yaskawa has released a new range of general-purpose variable-speed drives that can control induction, permanent magnet (PM) or synchronous-reluctance motors without needing any tuning. The GA700 drives, which were previewed at the 2015 SPS IPC Drives Show in Germany, incorporate a “smart power saver” function claimed to boost the efficiency of induction motors by 6% at 20% speed, as well as improving the efficiency of PM motors by up to about 2%. Another function, called MPTA (maximum torque per ampere), minimises the current drawn, according to the load.

The drive, available initially in ratings up to 630kW, 400V, has built-in components that are normally offered as options. This includes braking units up to 75kW, EMC filters, and DC reactors up to 22kW. Despite this, an optimised heat management system results in a footprint that is claimed to be half the size of previous drives.

The VSDs are designed to integrate easily into networks and support the main communications and connection topologies (ring, star, line and so on). Up to five drives can be networked via a single card. The drives support communication speeds up to 115.2kb/s and have built-in support for RS-485, Modbus and Yaskawa’s Memobus.

A keypad with a high-resolution display and a tactile interface provides self-guiding navigation menus and start-up wizards. A Bluetooth option can be used to communicate with mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. An app is available for setting up, controlling and troubleshooting the drive, and for storing data in the cloud.

Also available is a pair of PC configuration tools:

Yaskawa’s GA700 drive can be controlled and analysed wirelessly from a smartphone using a Bluetooth link

•  DriveWizard is an offline/online parameter and drive configuration tool for set-up, maintenance and troubleshooting, and provides trending via an oscilloscope function.

•  DriveWorksEZ is an icon-based, drag-and-drop graphical environment that adds programmable functions to tailor the drive to specific applications without needing an external controller.

The GA700 has a built-in Safe Torque-Off function that complies with SIL3 / Pl e. It is protected to IP20, and IP55 versions are planned.

The Smart Power Saver function is said to improve efficiencies at low speeds for induction and permanent magnet motors



Magazine
  • To view a digital copy of the latest issue of Drives & Controls, click here.

    To visit the digital library of past issues, click here

    To subscribe to the magazine, click here

     

Poll

"Do you think that robots create or destroy jobs?"

Newsletter
Newsletter

Events

Most Read Articles