Mastermover Provides Drive System For Nissan

Nissan Manufacturing UK (NMUK) has invested in a bespoke drive system from Mastermover for moving press dies from production to maintenance bays. Rob Rolfe, die-maintenance team leader at NMUK, said: 'Mastermover's solution entailed integrating a Mastertug MT-20 drive unit onto the outside of our three existing press die trucks.

'An operator drives the trucks via a wired pendant control. 'If there is a fault on the drive system, we can easily and quickly detach the drive from the truck by simply removing a single pin. He added: 'We then replace the drive with one of the other two, less critical Mastertug drive units.

The Mastertug can pull, push and steer wheeled loads from 50kg up to 25,000kg. It is designed to get all the traction it needs by using a coupling system to transfer load weight to the drive wheel. For NMUK, Mastermover removed the tiller arm from the MT20 and devised a coupling system between the MT20 and the die truck.

OEMDynamics Enhances Linear Belt Drive

OEMDynamics, a division of Animatics, has announced enhanced features on the HLD 60-H3 actuator. Due to its harmonic principle, the H3 belt achieves a gear reduction equivalent of up to 40:1 without the need for a gearhead, which means it takes up less space and weighs less.

The HLD60-H3 can achieve lengths greater than 3m without attributable losses in performance and can therefore be used in a wide range of applications. The actuator features a sturdy and seamless magnetically retained seal strip and meets European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

WEG Motors Drive Brazilian Theme-Park Attractions

WEG motors, inverters and soft starters are allowing the safe operation of equipment at the Beto Carrero World theme park, located in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Most of the equipment at the BCW uses WEG motors, inverters and soft starters for its motive power. For example, electric motors provide the drive functions for the rides and attractions. WEG products are also used on water pumps, compressors and other ancillary equipment.

Hugo Loth Neto, the operations director of Beto Carrero World, said one of the main problems was the development and assembly of the drive centre of the big wheel. He explained: 'It has four motors, each one of 7.5HP. 'Another challenge was the development of the Water Empire project, with six motors of 150HP in the water pumps, a wet transformer of 1,000kVA and a dry one of 1,500kVA.

'In addition, the latest attraction of the park, the rollercoaster Firewhip, also relies upon WEG equipment: it has a static AC/DC converter of 130kW 380V, with a DC motor of 130kW.' Edilson Doubrawa, financial administrative director of the BCW, said: 'One of the major advantages for our enterprise is a supplier of high technology products right next door.

'This means that we do not have to import all of our drive and control equipment, along with all of our rides and attractions, from Europe. 'Another key advantage is service: with WEG right on our doorstep, its engineers are quick at providing the necessary solutions and service required for our equipment.'.

Mechatronic Drive Solution Earns SEW-EURODRIVE Recognition For Product Innovation Of The Year

SEW-EURODRIVE, a global leader in drive engineering, has been recognized by Frost and Sullivan for its pioneering work in the development of the world’s first truly mechatronic drive system. The company cited SEW EURODRIVE MOVIGEAR®, which integrates motor, drive and matching drive electronics in a single compact housing, with its Product Innovation of the Year award.

“Thanks to pioneering new technology – including single line installation – MOVIGEAR offers a number of benefits over conventional drive solutions” said Frost and Sullivan industry analysts Suman Bhaskar and Kaushik Ghosh, who conducted the European market survey that singled out SEW’s innovative drive. The award cited the compact design, high overload capacity, short commissioning and start-up times, low noise emissions and smooth housing design of MOVIGEAR, predicting that it will also mean lower installation and energy costs for customers.

In contrast to current decentralized automation technology, which relies on two separate cables for energy and communication, the single line technology deployed with MOVIGEAR uses one cable, reducing the complications and cost of on-site installations. This simplified system structure can reduce the duration of startups from weeks to a matter of days.

MOVIGEAR provides a combination of energy-efficiency, hygienic protection and functionality within a single drive that has never been achieved before. It is designed for use in a wide range of horizontal conveyor applications, including automotive assembly, food and beverage, airport logistics and package and parcel handling.

“The positive market response has encouraged us to broaden our marketing activities for MOVIGEAR in preparation for release in other countries, including the U.S.,” said Dave Ballard, U.S. engineering and marketing manager. The company successfully implemented MOVIGEAR systems into several European projects for the automotive and beverage industries in 2007.

Frost and Sullivan pointed out that MOVIGEAR can reduce overall costs for customers, even though component costs are slightly higher than those for conventional drive solutions. This is due to the high-quality network characteristics and control concepts of the design. These reduce startup time considerably and minimize monitoring and maintenance tasks.

“Our experience in developing and field-testing the pre-integrated MOVIGEAR System has confirmed the benefits of mechatronic engineering,” said Ballard. “We’re taking electronic components out of their comfort zone, where they could be exposed to vibrations, higher temperatures and humidity, so we’ve had to redesign every component, from microchips to heat sinks to housings, to ensure reliable, long-term performance.”

By creating a pre-integrated drive system which functions within the enclosed environment of a housing, MOVIGEAR components are matched to application requirements. Since each component operates more efficiently, the resulting drive system uses less energy. That, along with lower maintenance costs, will lower equipment operating costs.

High Z vs Low Z - Optimized Drive Reactors

Line Reactors enhance the performance and protect variable frequency drives by providing impedance. Impedance, or Z, in an electrical circuit is a measure of the total opposition to current flow. “Low Z” line reactors provide a lower amount of impedance, while “High Z” line reactors provide a higher amount of impedance. This article addresses the use of line reactors on the line side of variable frequency motor drives, not the output side of drives.

When to use “Low Z” Line Reactors?

1. Variable frequency drive applications where a reactor is desired to prevent the possibility of drive problems associated with minor line voltage surges. Drive damage or fault conditions are not expected but could result. In virtually all applications, an inductor in front of the drive can be a measure of protection to extend the service life of the drive. Many low horsepower “micro” drives are proved as a low cost option for motor speed control or perhaps phase conversion. These are cost effective entry-level devices in the drive market. Many of these drives are designed without the use of reactors, filters, or chokes. This condition makes them vulnerable to damage due to line fluctuations, surges and spikes. A simple, low cost reactor can be used to protect the drive and the process from problems and interruptions.
   
2. New and existing drive applications where a reactor is desired to help mitigate voltage and current harmonics where system harmonics are a minor concern.
   
3. Drive protection and harmonic mitigation is desired with a minimal effect on line voltage feeding the drive.
   
4. Drive applications where rapid speed changes are desired. The reactor will help smoothen the current surge.

When to use “High Z” Line Reactors?

1. Drastic line voltage surges and swings are seen on the line that have resulted in drive fault trips or perhaps even drive damage.
   
2. Maximum harmonic mitigation is desired without going to a passive harmonic filter.
   
3. Line voltage tends to be near the high limit of the drive input rating and tempering is desired to prevent over-voltage trips during operation, and the condition is not severe enough to warrant a transformer tap change or the use of a different transformer. The line reactor is not a voltage transformer but can assist in softening the incoming power when the drive is feeding current to the motor.
   
4. The use of a single line reactor is required for multiple motors operating at the same time. If the application does not allow the use of individual reactors, a single high impedance device can be used to gain some drive protection and harmonic mitigation.

Can you have too much impedance?

The answer to this question is yes. Impedance is desirable to help stabilize and smoothen mild changes in line conditions as well as mitigating harmonics. This applies to both line voltage and current issues. Excessive line impedance may result in an excessive drop in line voltage along with drive faults. The line reactor is a good device to address line harmonics being initiated by the non-linear power supply such as the VFD. It is not, however, a replacement for a harmonic trap filter which may be required to reduce line harmonics to an acceptable level. There are other issues involving excessive impedance that is best suited for a more comprehensive system evaluation.