Yaskawa America Releases New Industrial Microdrive
Recently, Yaskawa America announced its latest variable frequency drive for industrial applications, the GA500.
What features does this inverter have and how can it be helpful in industrial applications?
The Role of VFDs
Variable frequency drives are a key component in modern industrial systems as they can take an input power source and convert it to drive a motor at a specific speed and torque.
Gears can be used to adjust the output speed of a motor but these are sometimes difficult to maintain. Not only can VFDs control motors to specific speeds and torques they can also be used to perform monitoring tasks and can be integrated into automated environments via networking.
Considering that up to 25% of the global energy generation goes into motor systems for industrial use it is no surprise that VFDs are globally important so using the right one for the job is critical.
Yaskawa Releases New Microdrive
With the increasing importance of industrial automation, intelligent systems, and the use of networks, Yaskawa released a VFD that aims to continue its commitment to producing relevant modern drive systems that are sustainable and flexible.
Their latest VFD, the GA500 Industrial Microdrive, is a VFD that is designed to offer a minimum of 10 years of continual operation and be relevant in global markets by being RoHS2 compliant.
The RoHS2 compliance coupled with the TUV safety rating allows customers to integrate the GA500 into any machinery and be assured of compliance for the most stringent safety ratings as well as guarantee long term operation.
The GA500 is capable of providing up to 40HP, is able to work with multiple AC power sources including 240VAC single-phase, 240VAC three-phase, and 480VAC three-phase.
But the drive system is also able to be powered by a DC input source and is UL rated for such operation. The GA500 is capable of driving multiple AC motor topologies including induction, permanent magnet, and synchronous reluctance which ensures that the GA500 is relevant to all industrial applications.
The GA500 includes a short circuit current rating of 31kA RMS symmetrical, conforms to multiple certifications including CE, UL, cUL, TUV, and RCM, requires no power programming, and is up to 30% smaller than its competitor devices.
GA500 Pairs with Tablets and Mobile Devices
For those who want to use the GA500 to replace a VFD, you will need to know where it fits in the family of VFDs produced by Yaskawa. The GA500 is an ideal complement to the GA800 as a high performance, compact Microdrive.
Yaskawa GA500 Microdrive. Image used courtesy of Yaskawa.
Just like other VFDs produced by Yaskawa, the GA500 can be programmed using the DriveWizard application that allows for use with tablets and mobile devices while the Drive Cloud allows for settings to be backed up and have instant access regardless of location.
The GA500 is a VFD that continues the trend of networked VFDs that are required to comply with ever more stringent regulations while being smaller than the competition and being economical. The use of cloud technology allows for data to be monitored and backup remotely which can allow engineers to monitor systems remotely.
The GA500s ability to use multiple power sources allows for it to be easily integrated into most industrial systems and the networking capabilities of the GA500 ensure it is ideal for intelligent industrial systems.
Do you use VFD's similar to this one?
Featured image modified and used courtesy of Yaskawa.
