At IMHX, Lenze (Stand UK4) is demonstrating two of its unique products with a particular focus on cost savings for conveyor drives.
The Lenze Smart Motor and the new i500 range of variable speed drives both give new options for the manufacturers and operators of horizontal material conveyors. Costs can be reduced on installation, commissioning and maintenance.
The Lenze Smart Motor is designed for parcel and pallet conveyors. It can be readily combined with a range of in-line or right-angle gearboxes to achieve rated output speeds from 5 to 800rpm. One particular benefit to both manufacturers and end-users is the ability to reduce the number of geared motor variants needed in an installation.
Compared to a standard four-pole motor, the Smart Motor can be set to run at any speed from -65% to +80%, so a single geared motor can replace several gear variants. This means reduction in acquisition and stock-holding costs.
Set speeds can be easily adjusted on site, and the Smart Motor comes with 400% starting torque and adjustable start/stop ramps.
The new i500 range of frequency inverters makes commissioning and diagnostics faster through flexible communication options. Engineers can set parameters and access data through a channel that is easy for their installation. The simplest option is through a plug-in keypad which has a easy to understand phone-style file structure. For a more remote data transfer using free-of-charge software and standard or real-time buses, a USB connection is provided.
Where commissioning the inverters is best done at a distance from the control cabinet, a WLAN module is available for wireless access using an Android smartphone and a free app. Thus the i500 inverters can be easily checked and adjusted to conveyor performance requirements, saving time on site.
Also the i500 range is particularly compact, with a width of only 60mm suiting many conveyors, and this reduces control panel sizes. The i500 range is available from stock for one-phase supply up to 2.2kW and three-phase up to 75kW.