Posted to News on 21st Dec 2008, 20:24
Fractional-horsepower gearmotors offer higher efficiencies
According to Bison Gear & Engineering, electric motors consume 63-70 per cent of the electricity used in American manufacturing. However, most motor efficiency efforts to date have focused on less than 10 per cent of the total electric motor population: those motors greater than 1HP. In response to customer desires to increase efficiency in equipment employing fractional-horsepower electric motors, Bison Gear & Engineering is introducing its new 107 series Verdant Duty gearmotors in five standard, off-the-shelf models. Rated at 1/20 horsepower (37.3W) at 230V, 60Hz, three-phase, they feature an operating range from 6-90Hz to provide a 15:1 range of adjustable output speeds in applications requiring no maintenance.
The gearmotors feature totally enclosed, non-ventilated (TENV) AC motors constructed with special insulation systems to ensure long life when driven by compact, economic frequency inverters that convert conventional AC single-phase to three-phase power. Employing integral gear reducers with gear ratios from 6.7:1 to 95.5:1, they offer output speeds from 368-1.7rpm with output torques up to 100in-lbs (11.3Nm).
Matt Hanson, Bison Gear VP, Portfolio Management, says: "Our customers require more efficient products, and being able to utilise three-phase over single-phase fractional horsepower gearmotors provides an immediate payback in reduced energy consumption with improved efficiency. These new Verdant Duty products are a wise choice for variable- speed applications such as packaging equipment, machine drives and conveyors. Used in conjunction with Bison's matched inverter drives, customers can also increase their process efficiency and control by employing such features as adjustable acceleration and deceleration, minimum and maximum speed levels and current limiting, as well as DC injection braking."
On 5 December 2008, the new Verdant Duty AC gearmotors were introduced at the annual meeting of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) at the Hotel InterContinental in Chicago, where 'Environmental Sustainability' was a key topic on the agenda.
Featuring UL, cRUus and CE recognition, the RoHS-compliant gearmotors are supported by Bison's Innopreneurial application and design engineering capabilities to customise standard models to meet specific OEM needs. Customers' shortened supply chain requirements are fulfilled by the units being manufactured in Bison Gear's St Charles, Illinois, facilities to high quality standards to ensure dependable, long-life operation.
