3rd Quarter 2016Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Schneider Electric has announced the availability of its Altivar Machine range of variable speed drives (VSDs), with the Altivar 320 leading the line-up of new drives dedicated to the needs of machine manufacturers in southern Africa. The Altivar Machine range builds on Schneider’s leadership and expertise in machine drives and is designed specifically for machine manufacturers.
It matches a variety of machine throughput requirements and has several benefits. These include open-loop motor control with torque sensitive operation, even at low speed and dynamic accuracy for start/stop applications; closed-loop motor control for applications requiring velocity sensitive operation or precise positioning, and advanced connectivity with automation architecture via all common fieldbuses, even in realtime, with fast task cycle times.
This new range continues the Altivar tradition of robustness and reliability. The drives are designed to provide continuous machine operation in harsh environments with high levels of ambient temperature, dust, electrical interruptions or mechanical disturbances. Machine operating time is also maximised as production changes, maintenance, safety diagnostics, network configuration and system integration can all to be accomplished quickly.
The Altivar Machine range reduces the overall cost of machines with reduced installation costs, with both book and compact form factors reducing machine footprint, whether mounted in a machine frame or electrical cabinet. Fewer additional devices are needed to manage machine safety and repeated sequential movements, as both are managed internally. In addition-engineering and design time are reduced, thanks to the ready-to-use, PLCopen-compliant libraries and tested, validated, documented architectures available through Schneider Electric’s MachineStruxure solutions.
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