New ac drive designed for machine-tool buildersNew ac drive designed for machine-tool builders

Schneider Automation is introducing at Hannover Fair a new generation of ac variable-speed drives, called Altivar-58, with packaging options that are particularly attractive for machine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

"This is our third generation of flux-vector control drives," says Product Manager Pierre-Yves Cornu, "but it is the first to be designed especially for the complex, demanding, and specialized needs of the OEM machine tool builder." Cornu says Schneider's experience with sensorless flux-vector control has allowed engineers to greatly improve the dynamic response and speed ranges (1 to 100).

The power range of the drives is from 0.37 to 15 kW, which covers nearly all variable-speed ac motors used in machine tools and factory equipment. For OEMs who export their products to the international market, the ability to connect to different supply voltages and frequencies is important. The Altivar-58 can be supplied from single-or three-phase 200 to 240V sources, or three-phase 380 to 500V sources. All models work with either 50 or 60 Hz. Operating range, without derating, is from -10C to +50C.

The Altivar-58's three OEM packages are:

- A drive mounted on its own heatsink for wall mounting or mounting in a ventilated enclosure;

- A drive mounted on a baseplate for mounting directly on a machine frame using the frame structure to absorb the heat;

- A completely equipped, ready-to-install version in an IP-55 enclosure that combines a circuit breaker, the Altivar-58, and an upstream contactor to isolate the motor from the drive.

SCHNEIDER AUTOMATION, 89 bd. Franklin Roosevelt, , Rueil-Malmaison, France