Good design practice for drives extends life and reduce costs

Good design practice for drives extends life and reduce costs       

   
Machine makers today have to design for increasing cycle rates, higher operating times and perhaps fully automatic 24 hour operation.  Ambient conditions and increased powers demand more effective cooling.  The machine designer has to balance the warranty offered by the drive supplier, which may be two years excluding wearing parts, against increasing customer demands for reduced Life Cycle Costs (LCC) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).  How can drive products such as motors, brakes, gearboxes and frequency inverters achieve longer life under conditions of increased usage?  Lenze have applied design and sizing expertise to these products and achieved this target.

Electric motors are seeing a trend to increase operating speeds under inverter control.  What was a running speed based on 50Hz frequency can now be 70Hz, or even 87Hz with the corresponding increase in power and heating.  One of the weak points is the shaft seal between the motor and the gearbox.  Through a joint project with the seal manufacturers, Lenze have optimised this seal achieving lower surface pressure and a life increase that can be from 3000 to 9000 hours.