Micro-Inverter optimizes production control, management.

Yaskawa Electric America, Inc. Oct 31, 2007

Press Release Summary:

Built with hybrid heat sink design, V1000 adjustable frequency drive allows for side-by-side mounting capability that lets multiple 3 x 6 in. drives be monitored/maintained from one enclosure. Product offers variable horsepower (1/8-25 hp) and torque as well as 2 msec scan cycle. Software and download abilities let users fully control all aspects of drive functionality. Removable terminal board with memory, installed with each drive, facilitates replacement of data from old drives.

Original Press Release:

Yaskawa Electric Addresses Industry Need for Micro Drive with Macro Approach

New V1000 Inverter to add new level of control for today's industrial facilities

WAUKEGAN, IL (Sept. 19, 2007) - Industries strive to control the machinery that drives their production. In an effort to increase efficiency, production departments aim for newer, smarter drive technology. With this in mind, Yaskawa, the leading manufacturer of industrial adjustable frequency drives, introduces the V1000. As the world's smallest adjustable frequency drive, the V1000 has the largest menu of performance-enhancing and efficiency wielding features available.

While micro-drives have been around for years, the challenge has continually been to build a smaller drive that still delivers bigger, safer and more responsive performance. This is where the V1000 excels. Although small in stature, it has the ability to perform at a high level.

With space being at a premium, the V1000 was designed for more control in less space. The V1000's compact frame combines a patented hybrid heat sink design, making it the only drive with side-by-side mounting capability. This allows for multiple drives to be monitored and maintained from a single enclosure. This exclusive design also provides motor control systems with an increased responsiveness and improved energy efficiency due to the heat sink's innovative heat dissipation process.

To optimize motor speed and efficiency, the V1000 offers variable horsepower and torque. At the high end, it offers 25 hp, which is 150 percent more than similarly sized invertors. On the low end it offers a mere 1/8 hp. The combination of V1000's horsepower range and one of the industry's best startup torques allows facilities to match speed with function to better ensure operational efficiency. The ability to quickly accelerate or decelerate without delaying production can save users valuable energy dollars.

In addition to superior performance, the V1000 has the fastest drive decision making ability in the industry. The unit features a two-millisecond scan cycle, providing the immediate response time needed to maximize production efficiency.

"Our new V1000 drive not only improves the way businesses control production, it redefines the way they manage it," says Todd Ammerman, product manager for the V1000. "We engineered the V1000 to be more responsive and efficient, but above all it's designed to help companies operate smarter in producing everything from paper and chemicals to food and beverages."

Helping users work smarter is one of the V1000's defining traits. Its software and download abilities allow users to fully control all aspects of the drive's functionality and often eliminate the need for a programmable logic controller (PLC). Users can implement the V1000's program into their system very easily using software and an optional Yaskawa "Y" stick. A unique concept, the "Y" stick serves as a jump drive that allows users to easily load new operational instructions from a user's computer to all V1000 drives located throughout a facility. Yaskawa also provides on-site training to help users build and manage their production and maintenance programs more effectively.

For added protection and convenience, each drive is installed with a removable terminal board with memory. This makes replacing data from old drives easy, as no rewiring is necessary. Once the system is fully functional, the V1000 has full data maintenance monitors to ensure any deviation in electrical parameters is adjusted before a variance in speed can occur.

Yaskawa also engineered the V1000 to help facilities operate safer. It added a safety input EN954-1 Safety Category 3 and Stop Category, which automatically stops the motor faster at the first sign of trouble. These safety improvements eliminate the need for external wiring and contactors. Environmental standards for the V1000 are in compliance with the RoHS standards, ensuring that safety is delivered beyond the product's shelf life.

"Our people are obsessed with helping customers keep their businesses moving," says Mike Knapek, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Yaskawa. "If an AC drive fails, or a piece of equipment goes down, it almost always means money lost for our customers. Our solution was to build a drive that allows you to manage your operation smarter."

Yaskawa Electric Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer of AC drives, servomotors, motion controllers and robotics. The company was established in 1915 and has more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Yaskawa is best known for its commitment to quality and continues to develop new solutions to help production departments everywhere run smarter. For more information about Yaskawa's array of solutions, visit www.yaskawa.com or call (800) YASKAWA (927-5292).

V1000 Product Fact Sheet

Compact Current Vector Drive features:

New power ratings - From fractional to 25 horsepower, this range is ideal for facilities looking for one family of drives that covers a broader range.

New Open-Loop Current Vector Control - With this new innovative control method, the V1000 supplies leading edge technology for precisely controlling a motor open loop.

Smallest in the world - At roughly 3" x 6", the V1000 is the first drive ever to offer side-by-side mounting capabilities, which is made possible due to a patented hybrid heat sink design. It all adds up to more control in less space.

Dual ratings - Heavy Duty (150 percent overload for 60 seconds) and Normal Duty (120 percent overload for 60 seconds) on all drives means the V1000 can be effectively applied to outputs that do not require the added power load. (i.e. fans, low-power pumps, etc.)

Faster processing - How well a drive performs on a difficult application process may be dependant on how fast the drive can process the external information. At two milliseconds per scan cycle, the V1000, tanks to dual CPUs, offers the fastest response time in the industry. This means the drive reacts to a change in application almost instantaneously.

Function Block Diagram programming - Customize your drive for any application with DriveWorksEZ(TM) Standard or DriveWorksEZ(TM) Pro visual program. Customization with this program makes visualization of the custom motion process easy for the user.

Reduction in actual mechanical parts - Fewer mechanical parts reduces the opportunity for mechanical failure. The V1000 is an industry best 30 percent smaller than the competition.

Y-Stick - This option connects to a USB port on a PC and can be used as a copy unit to transfer parameter settings between V1000 microdrive models. It can also be used with DriveWizard(TM)Plus to store and quickly change parameter settings.

For more information about the V1000 or to learn more about Yaskawa's array of solutions for motion control and efficiency, visit V1000.yaskawa.com or call 414-727-9582.