1st Quarter 2016Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The ten millionth ABB low voltage drive rolled off the production line at ABB’s Beijing factory in November. The ten millionth drive is going to Wuhan Guide Electric Co in China, a system integrator manufacturing electric control systems for port cranes.
Drive number 10 million is an ACS880 industrial drive, part of ABB’s all-compatible drives portfolio. Compatible with virtually all types of processes, motors, automation systems and users, they are designed to tackle any motor-driven application in any industry, whatever the power range. The innovation behind all-compatibility is the new drive architecture, which simplifies operation, optimises energy efficiency and helps maximise process output. The ACS880 series consists of single drives, multidrives and drive modules.
ABB developed its first AC drive in the 1970s and today offers the most advanced range of variable speed drives in the world. They cover a wide power and voltage range, including voltages up to 13,8 kV and power up to 100 MW.
Over the 40 years that ABB has been delivering millions of drives to all industries, a huge amount of energy has been saved.
The installed base of ABB drives saved 445 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2014 alone, equivalent to the consumption per year of more than 110 million households in the EU. If that 445 TWh would have been generated by fossil fuel-powered electricity plants, ABB drives reduced CO2 emissions in 2014 by about 370 million tons, corresponding to the yearly emissions of more than 90 million cars.
Understanding standby, prime and continuous gensets WEG Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The increasing reliance of South African businesses on generator sets to mitigate power disruptions highlights a crucial need for proper selection based on specific operational demands. Despite their growing usage, there is still widespread confusion about how to choose the appropriate genset, often leading to inefficient and costly decisions.
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Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The proportion of renewable energies from solar, wind and water is rising continuously. However, sufficient storage options are of the essence to use these energies as efficiently as possible. GKN Hydrogen offers a particularly compact and safe option, low-pressure metal hydride hydrogen storage systems with PC-based control from Beckhoff.
Read more...Axiom reaches new heights Axiom Hydraulics
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
When Rula Bulk Handling could not source a cable tensioner large enough for a new cableway, the engineers knew they had to come up with an inventive solution. After discovering that no such tensioner was immediately available, Rula approached Axiom Hydraulics and ifm to assist with building their own.
Read more...Local range of planetary units SEW-EURODRIVE
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
s SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa actively extends its offerings to customers, the SEW PPK and SEW P2.e industrial gearbox ranges are good examples of solutions that are well suited to the local business environment.
Read more...At least 60 million strokes Horne Technologies
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Designing and constructing compact automation systems is one of the core activities of the Austrian machine manufacturer, STIWA. Its modular LTM-CI system has been optimised for small parts assembly. Linear and rotating micromotors from Faulhaber perform key tasks in these systems.
Read more...Innovative five-axis laser precession scanner
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Motion control specialist, Aerotech has launched the AGV5D, an innovative five-axis laser precession scanner specially developed for laser micromachining. This makes it possible to create high-precision bores, contoured slots and other complex geometries with dimensional tolerances in the sub-micrometre range.
Read more...Minetruck with electric drivetrain combines power and innovation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The new Minetruck MT66 S eDrive is the first of Epiroc’s large-capacity mine trucks to feature the latest generation electric drivetrain. Along with an upgraded and powerful diesel engine, the hauler combines the cost-effectiveness of a traditional mine truck with the productivity of an electric one, without requiring changes to a mine’s infrastructure.
Read more...Modular hydraulic control blocks for brake actuation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Electrohydraulic brake release valves are exposed to extreme loads, and can become uncontrollable in the event of a power failure. The experts at WEBER-HYDRAULIK GMBH have developed a practical, modular solution that ensures the safety of construction machinery, and is also suitable for a wide range of other vehicles with hydrostatic drive systems.
Read more...Modular assembly platform for clean manufacturing Beckhoff Automation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
JR Automation delivers custom automated solutions for numerous industries. It has done this through its scalable, modular automation platform, FlexChassis, which speeds up time to market while cutting costs. The company chose the XTS linear transport system from Beckhoff because of its speed, and modular design that allows for multiple configurations.