Wood

Lumber and Timber 

In nearly every possible lumber application, we have a control system to operate it. With our softstarts and Variable Frequency Drives, we can utilize our high torque capability, coupled with the ability to start and stop quickly to maximize operation time by minimizing the wait for transition periods. Even when maintenance is required on the equipment, we can stop that bandmill or chipper in a fraction of the time, allowing blade and tooth change out in a shorter period of time. We can follow the log from debarking, all the way through the kiln.

Conveyors

Conveyors move towards energy savings

Conveyors:

      Horsepower:  Up to 2,000

      Savings:  Up to 25%  (Depends on duty cycle.)

Conveyor applications range from the smallest parts conveyor to the  world’s largest, bringing phosphate ore 62 miles across the Saharan desert for loading onto ocean bound ships.  Conveyors move material from one location to another on wheels, rollers, screw, belts, or slats.  Conveyors are constant torque applications which means the torque stays the same regardless of speed – and energy used is proportional to speed.

These applications may be started across-the-line but starting large motors across the line in remote areas can lead to low voltage conditions which can adversely affect other electrical equipment at the site.

Drives dramatically reduce starting inrush current and facilitate smooth starts to avoid losing or damaging product.  Soft starting extends conveyor life and reduces maintenance by eliminating the wear and tear of jerking the machine into operation.

AC drives operate conveyors at the most desirable speed for the process.  Reducing the speed is a great way to reduce the number of starts and stops while saving energy.  Slowing the conveyor by 20% can save nearly 20% of the energy used to operate it.  Changing speeds can also help develop a constant feed rate into the next operation and avoid jams while optimizing output.

Conveyor Solutions

Conveyors may be used to raise or lower the product  great distances.  When heavy items are lowered more slowly than the conveyor ‘s friction would naturally allow them to fall, the motor acts as a generator and returns energy to the drive which may then  dissipate it to dynamic braking resistors, share it with other drives over a common DC bus or regenerate it back to the power line.  All three provide braking torque to keep conveyor speed under control.  Each has advantages in different situations. The first system is simple but dissipates heat which may increase air conditioning load.  The latter two reduce the electric bill every month but add initial cost.  Control Techniques can evaluate your application and help you decide which is best for your situation.   

 Look for down feeding conveyors with regenerative potential for maximum energy savings.

 AC drives improve power factor (>0.95) and lower demand to further lower your energy bill.

Microcon Technologies  helps you document energy savings by including a kWh energy, run-time, and running energy cost meters in the drive!  Measure­ment is the first step towards improvement.

 Microcon Technologies  has the latest energy savings and integrated control technology.  The included PLC functionality and PID controller can eliminate external controls, even for relatively complex load sharing or redundancy capabilities. Powerful net­working options provide a simple path for integrat­ing individual drives into larger systems.

Contact Microcon Technologies for assistance in identifying energy savings opportunities in your facility. Call (905) 602-4770 or e-mail: service@microcontechnologies.com

Cranes & Hoists

Lifting your bottom line

Crane & Hoist:

      Horsepower:  ¼ - 2,000

      Savings:  Up to 10%  (Depends on duty cycle.)

Crane & Hoist control achieves new levels of speed and smooth operation using Control Techniques AC and DC drives.  Cranes & hoists raise and lower materials in construction, metals, paper, transportation, and many other industries within the manufacturing sector.  The application demands drive reliability and hoist specific control features such as brake control and 115 Volt inputs & outputs.

 Cranes and hoists traditionally used large DC contactors for energizing motors and magnets.  This resulted in rough start-stop control, jerking of the load, spectacular contactor arcing, and high maintenance requirements on equipment.  Today’s AC and DC drives provide smooth S-ramping and faster run speeds to achieve superior speed, control, and accuracy.  

When a crane or hoist is lowering it’s load, the motor acts like a generator and sends power back to the drive.  This energy was traditionally dissipated with a large brake or sent to resistors and transformed to heat.  DC drives reduce energy loss by regenerating the energy back to the power line.  AC drives improve regeneration efficiency to 97% at unity power factor.  This becomes significant energy savings on a busy crane.  The generated energy can either be shared over a common DC bus to other drives or regenerated back to the power line.

 It is easy to underestimate the value of smoothly accelerating and decelerating the load.  This demands less energy, reduces stress on the crane and hoist machinery,  and improves safety.    Risk of damage to the load is significantly reduced.

Crane & Hoist Solutions

Productivity is improved as operators are able to more quickly and accurately position the system to pick up loads and lower them to the preferred location.

 Microcon Technologies  can evaluate your application and help you decide which variable speed solution is best for your situation. 

 Microcon Technologies  provides metering in the drive to monitor the amount of energy being used. Available kwh energy, run-time, and running energy cost meters help document energy and cost savings.  Powerful networking options enable you to share this information with your PLC or other systems.

 Even greater cost savings can be achieved using our unique, embedded PLC functionality to manage local I/O.  Most crane & hoist control can be implemented within the drive to further simplify the installation.

 Contact Microcon Technologies to help lower energy costs in your facility. Call (905) 602-4770 or e-mail service@microcontechnologies.com.

   VFDs, DC & Packaged drives 

• Available up to 2900 hp

• Global voltage ratings (115/230/480/575/690Vac)

• Global standards (UL/cUL/CE/C-Tick/ISO9002)

• Compatible with standard NEMA B motors

•  NEMA1 / UL Type 1 options

• On-board PLC functionality

• Wide range of I/O option modules

• All major fieldbus connectivity options (Profibus, Ethernet, EtherCAT, DeviceNet, more)

• RS485 Modbus RTU standard O Industry leading warranties

  Minimize Operating Costs

• Ease of installation 

• Energy savings with overhauling loads – regenerative braking/common DC bus Controls

Control Techniques’ Performance Advantages

• AC Control (Open Loop Vector, Closed Loop  Vector, Rotor Flux** and Servo control modes) plus DC control

• Brake control

• Motorized potentiometer control

• 8 preset speeds standard– expandable with PLC option

• Built-in dynamic braking transistors

• Regenerative braking option

• Common DC bus connections

• 120-240V I/O interface option module

Total System Protection

• Very high quality—Product reliability 

• Easy setup - hoist specific menu 

• Smart-Card programming backup 

• Rotational or static auto tune (No need to uncouple motor) 

• Last 10 trips logged

* Features vary by model range and options fitted. Contact your local sales representative for assistance  in product selection.

** Rotor Flux Control (Encoder-less closed loop vector) provides exceptional speed and torque

Contact Microcon Technologies for assistance identifying any of our products suitable for your facility. Call (905) 602-4770 or E-mail: service@microcontechnologies.com