Feature

Adaptive and enhanced programming puts you in control

The ability to program variable speed drives quickly and simply opens a vast range of possibilities to help you get more control of your process, improve quality and cut production costs, says Andy Preston, UK drives product manager at ABB.

03/09/2018 09:47:45

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The classic image of a variable speed drive (VSD) is an electronic box connected to a motor to control its speed. It’s true that many VSDs are used in this way, ensuring that the speed of a motor
matches demand. With motors responsible for some 65 percent of the electricity used in industry and with the need to cut energy costs, VSDs employed like this can have a huge impact on a company’s costs and and throughput.

Yet simple speed control is only half the story. Modern VSDs offer a huge degree of flexibility, allowing users to build them into sophisticated control systems that improve product quality, increase production time, cut maintenance costs and make
operations faster and safer, as well as reducing the overall component count in a project.

VSDs have always offered some flexibility for the user to control the operation of the drive by altering the values of its parameters. This
is restricted, as each parameter has a fixed set of choices or a setting range. Although they make programming the VSD easy, the level of customisation available from altering parameters is quite limited.

Read the full article in the September issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.