AC & DC drives are common choices among companies seeking to improve efficiency and control of their applications.
These drives are used to regulate the speed and torque of industrial machines; since these machines need to operate at varying speeds and forces depending on their specific duties, the inclusion of a drive is crucial.
Each drive type offers users unique capabilities and an abundant array of control options to vary the supply of horsepower and speed to your machine; additionally, both AC & DC drives have a history of proven results.
Before choosing a drive, you must consider several factors: application, environment, horsepower requirements, sequencing, and others. Though these drives are similar, each has its respective characteristics and applications.
Drives experts should be consulted to help ensure the correct drive is selected for the right application. Renown offers a selection of AC and DC drives, and also provides repair services for AC and DC drives leveraging its team of experts to properly specify, commission and tune your system.
AC Drives
AC drives control the speed of electric motors in an energy-efficient way. They have solid-state inverters that adjust the voltage and frequency needed to vary speeds. To maintain a constant relationship between voltage and frequency, AC drives rely on the volts per hertz (V/HZ) ratio.
AC drives are an ideal choice for:
- Damp, corrosive, or potentially explosive ambient motor environments
- Applications requiring smaller and lighter motors
- Controlling multiple motors with a single unit
- Motors that don’t need regular maintenance (because of inaccessibility)
AC drives can provide tight speed regulation and high dynamic response in applications that include material handling, metering, web processes, and more. From the very small to extremely large, Renown represents, services and commissions AC drives for your application.
DC Drives
DC drives use converters to change AC current into DC current. Changes in speed can be made by either increasing or decreasing the voltage being fed from the drive to the motor. DC drives are a cost-effective choice for medium to high horsepower applications.
DC drives are an ideal choice for:
- Dry, mostly clean ambient motor environments
- Applications that require a broader range of changing loads
- Motors that need to reach speeds of 2,500 RPM
- Starting torques that exceed 150%
DC drives also allow the use of different motor enclosures, including DPG, DPG-FV, TENV, or TEFC.
When the time comes to choose a suitable drive, Renown Electric can help. We are a leading supplier of AC & DC drives from top manufacturers—Renown partners with companies including Teco Westinghouse, Weg, Control Techniques and many others to provide our clients with high quality components.
In addition to supplying AC & DC drives, Renown can also provide shop and field services to support these products.
Click here to learn how you can reduce maintenance and operating costs by installing variable frequency drives using SaveONEnergy incentives.
