Baldor Launches New Ethernet-Compatible Three-Phase AC Motor Drive
Baldor Electric Co. is launching a new range of three-phase ac motor drives. In addition to introducing the flexibility of Ethernet Powerlink and TCP/IP connectivity into the high-power machine building sector, a focus on modularity, combined with novel design features, provides users with significant potential for saving costs.
The new drives – the MotiFlex e100 range – can be used in both centralized control and distributed 'intelligent drive' scenarios for example, in both cases with substantial savings in the electrical power components typically required. The initial launch of MotiFlex e100 provides drives rated for output powers up to 16 A, in five steps of 1.5, 3, 6, 10.5 and 16 A. A selection of higher power versions will follow in 2007.
Compatibility with the Ethernet Powerlink protocol introduces great flexibility into electrical system building. Each drive features an Ethernet hub enabling systems to be built using a simple daisy-chain connection scheme. The high-speed and deterministic Ethernet Powerlink network, operating at 100 Mbits/sec, cuts cabling substantially, and can greatly reduce the costs of building large multi-axis systems. For example, a single Baldor Ethernet Powerlink machine controller can manage systems up to 16 interpolated axes.
Each MotiFlex drive can operate independently, or as part of a shared dc bus system. When operating in a shared dc bus system, power regenerated back into any drive during the deceleration phase of an axis may be utilized by the other axes, saving energy costs. As each drive has a local capacitor bank, an external braking resistor is often not required – because the total capacitance of the system may be sufficient to store the energy without reaching the over-voltage limit.
Unlike traditional shared dc bus systems, Motiflex drive systems do not require a separate power supply unit. Instead, the ac-dc converter stage in each drive is capable of supplying power not only to itself, but also to a drive or combination of drives of the same total rating. For many multi-axis applications, this will often mean that the highest-rated drive will be able to power the rest of the system. The drive's control electronics can draw power from the main ac-dc power supply, or from a 24 Vdc linking system on the front panel. Using the 24 Vdc supply ensures that the control and communications status are maintained if the system is used in an application subject to safety shut downs, where the mains supply is disconnected.
