Case Study
Open loop vector control delivers cutting edge performance
Problem
Frequent tripping and costly downtime to production due to a previous variable frequency drive being unable to deal with load demands was costing the company time and money.
Solution
The Optidrive P2 with open loop vector control was able to provide the dynamic response times required by the application. Optidrive P2 technology delivers 200 per cent torque down to 0.0Hz allowing this unique open loop product to be used without any feedback device in many traditional closed loop applications.
G JAMES ALUMINIUM EXTRUSIONS PTY LTD
The company manufactures aluminium extrusions for applications within the domestic, commercial and industrial markets throughout Australia and South East Asia.
The 650mm diameter saw blade cuts several extrusions at once laid side by side. The profile of extrusion varies causing fluctuations in current and torque requirements during the cutting process. In extreme cases the saw needs to go from almost no load to fully loaded many times during one cutting cycle. With the previous variable frequency drive this led to frequent tripping and costly interruptions to the production process.
The Optidrive P2 with open loop vector control was able to provide the dynamic response times required by the application. Optidrive P2 technology delivers 200 per cent torque down to 0.0Hz allowing this unique open loop product to be used without any feedback device in many traditional closed loop applications.
Only the motor name plate data is required to achieve optimum performance, the drive continuously and automatically determines and tracks the key motor characteristics required for vector control.
Optidrive P2 can be commissioned using the Optistick Smart and Optitools technology. Communication takes place without wires using infrared light to quickly and accurately transfer data.
Boyd Davidson, Electrical Supervisor at G James Aluminium, said that since the installation and commissioning of the Optidrive P2 the saw has proven to be highly reliable with no nuisance trips. Further, the machine now delivers much better cut consistency, far less waste and increased productivity.
The individual customer support provided by Invertek Australasia and the programming assistance from Invertek Drives were also cited as key reasons for choosing Optidrive.
