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New soft-starters reduce motor maintenance and electricity costs

23rd February, 2004 ......Baldor has introduced a range of AC electric motor soft-starters providing the means to reduce the wear and tear that conventional direct-on-line starting can cause, and reduce the peak demand currents that can impact electricity bills.

Two types of soft starter are offered: an intelligent soft starter with keypad control - offering a high degree of programmability to optimise the starting profile for particular applications; and a low-cost unit available in forms suitable for standalone connection or retrofitting inside existing motor cabinets.

These new modules for controlling three-phase AC induction motors prevent the torque surges that can cause mechanical damage, and the generation of shock waves in the system being driven - such as a 'water hammer' in the case of a pump for example. They also limit the large inrush currents that can cause voltage drops and impact electricity bills, by increasing the peak starting current that the electricity network has to supply. Baldor's soft starters are useful in a wide range of applications including the smooth control of conveyors, efficient operation of pumps and compressors, and the prevention of damage that large loads can cause in equipment for crushing, grinding, mixing, etc.

Baldor's high-end solution, the MD Series, offers an advanced solution to starting three-phase AC induction motors. Fully programmable, using either the front-mounted keypad and LCD supplied as standard, or an optional remote 32-character keypad, users can optimise a pre-programmed starting profile to suit their particular application. They can choose from a list of common profile types such as pumps with a kick start, high torque loads, conveyors etc. Alternatively, they can program a completely custom profile. A further novel feature is the ability to dynamically optimise the power factor of the motor when it is running at partial loads, a common scenario in many fixed speed applications - providing a return on investment. It achieves this by measuring the power factor at start up, and then adjusting the firing angle of the power control devices to improve the power factor as the load decreases. The MD Series is available in a range of variants for controlling loads from 9 to 900A (4 to 900kW), for 208-460V, 400-575V or 500 to 690V, 50/60Hz three-phase motors.

For simpler applications, Baldor's SM Series provides a switch-selectable choice of 10 pre-programmed soft starting profiles - suitable for a range of common applications including compressors, pumps, fans, conveyors, crushers and mixers. These modules have an electronic 'shear pin' to protect against over-currents. Users can choose from models spanning a 5 to 242A (2.2 to 132kW) range, for 230V or 400-460V, 50/60Hz three-phase motors. The modules come in either IP20 forms for mounting inside cabinets, or an IP43 enclosure suitable for external connection.

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