Motor drives are systems including a motor and the equipment used to control its speed. They are divided in two main groups:
Adjustable speed drives (ASD) having pre-set ranges of speed.
Variable frequency drives (VFD) allowing a continuous speed regulation.
Some of the applications of motor drives are:
Swimming pool filtration systems.
Pressure booster pumps to regulate water pressure in large buildings and hotels.
HVAC systems
Transports: electric and hybrid cars, trains, underground, ships, yacht etc.
Automatic doors and gates.
Both ASDs and VFDs are used in various industrial and civil application but VFDs are increasingly used thanks to the evolution of power electronics technology.
VFDs are made up of 3 main components:
AC motor: the most used is the 3-Phase Induction Motor (3PIM) but Permanent Magnet Sychrounous Motors (PMSM) are increasingly used thanks to high performance magnets on the market.
Controller: it consists of a frequency converter with an embedded control system regulating the output frequency and as a consequence the motor speed.
Operator interface: providing means for an operator to start and stop the motor and adjust the operating speed.
Despite motor drives presence in everyday life designing even the simplest drive system is a high precision work requiring a high quality design as those that we furnish to our customers.
