This year sees the introduction of two new Telemecanique Altivar inverter
families from Schneider Electric. Launching this month is the Altivar 71
constant torque drive, ranging from 0.37 to 500kW, and in September we
shall see the introduction of a variable torque drive family for pumps
and fans, the Altivar 61. Both offer closed loop or sensorless flux
vector operational modes.
The 71 is the first Telemecanique drive to have common styling throughout
the power range. Another common feature is the detachable graphical user
interface, which connects to any 71 series drive, via the front panel,
for programming and cloning. This interface uses clear messages and
graphics to aid programming and customisation, and provides access to
more than 150 application related functions within the drive.
New power circuits feature the latest trench type IGBTs, which pass
higher currents with less heat production. Indeed, these components can
produce up to 15% less heat than previous generation components, allowing
a significant reduction in the volume of the drive housing of between 30
and 50% for ratings of 75kW and above. Other performance gains include
220% over-torque capability, 1,000Hz output frequency, a 2ms response to
logic commands, built-in PID and IEC 61131-3 compliant PLC, and a power
removal safety feature that meets EN954-1 Category 3 and IEC/EN61508 SIL
2 requirements.