The use of AC inverters such as Lenze’s SMV drives in general purpose applications is growing rapidly, and Lenze believes today’s small inverters are as simple to commission as wiring a plug and then sending a text message on your phone. Lenze also believes that the number of people who would be able to wire a drive is far higher than is currently accepted, especially if they knew how easy it is.
David Reece, MD of Lenze – AC Tech International, a long standing proponent of the use of small inverter drives in basic general purpose applications, and responsible for the International sales team for the SMV range comments.
“Long gone are the days when you need a lap-top and a degree in electrical engineering to fit and commission a small AC Drive. We need more people to understand that with basic electrical knowledge they can fit, wire and programme a drive to function in a range of modes.”
“Our range of SMV drives will deliver cost effective energy saving by providing precise speed control in previously fixed speed applications, by replacing inefficient mechanical speed variation equipment, providing safe start and stop functions for rotating equipment without mechanical and electrical shock loading, and providing simple demand control loops in a bewildering range of applications.”
“Our drives have been used in applications as diverse as helping to chop wood, pump water through aquariums, siphon wine from barrels, move exercise machines, and blow dry ice; all in very simple set-up modes. Having spoken to many people about their experiences with the products we decided to ‘put-our-money-where-our-mouth-is’ to use an English phrase, and demonstrate exactly how easy it is to fit and wire a drive then make it work, all in a series of short movies.”
With this in mind Lenze will be releasing a series of movies that take viewers through the simple steps of wiring and commissioning a small AC inverter drive for a number of popular applications. The first in this series covers ‘how to wire a drive’ in basic Voltage to frequency (VtoF) mode, and is available to watch here.
The company is making the movies available to OEM customers as well as distributors across the globe, confident that having seen how easy it is, many more people will be happy to use the products.
Commodity level pricing for basic drives has also meant that in energy saving applications the ROI period can be very short; if the fitting and commissioning can be completed quickly and easily, this removes two of the main barriers to sales. Lenze points out that electric motors are sold in their millions every month across the globe and drives are not, so the potential is still huge both in developed markets and new emerging economic regions.