Soft Starter delivers pump and torque controls.

Press Release Summary:



Featuring alphanumeric backlit LCD with remote mount option, ASTAT XT Soft Starter uses advanced digital technology to protect and control AC motors ranging from 8-1,400 A and 230-690 V. Acceleration and deceleration of motor from full speed are precisely controlled, minimizing mechanical wear and tear. With max ambient temperature rating of 50°C, soft starter avoids overpressure at end of acceleration phase and suppresses water hammering at stopping phase.



Original Press Release:



ASTAT XT Soft Starter Delivers Sophisticated Pump and Torque Controls for Reduced Mechanical Wear and Tear



Offers easy-to-use full-featured LCD display with remote mount option

Plainville, CT - OEMs, system integrators, industrial end users and consultants who wish to reduce mechanical wear and tear and lower peak energy charges associated with motor loads for their pumps, fans, compressors, material handling, blowers, chillers, conveyors and machine tools, will welcome GE's new ASTAT XT Soft Starter. The solution features sophisticated pump and torque controls, 16-line alphanumeric backlit LCD display with remote mount option and cost-saving benefits.

Soft Start vs. Traditional

Instead of the traditional means of reduced-voltage starting using autotransformers, reactors, or resistors, the ASTAT XT Soft Starter is a reduced-voltage starter that uses advanced digital technology to protect and control motors. Since the acceleration and deceleration of the motor from full speed are precisely controlled, the ASTAT XT Soft Starter reduces mechanical wear and tear.

"Customers are demanding easy-to-use, cost-competitive soft starters, and GE meets the demand with its ASTAT XT," says Paul Bunnell, Drives & Soft Starter Product Manager of GE Consumer & Industrial's electrical distribution business. "Its full-description LCD display and features such as torque control, pump control and energy savings allows GE to compete effectively in today's marketplace."

Offering motor protection with IEC Class 10 or Class 20 and NEMA Class 10, Class 20 and Class 30 overload, the ASTAT XT Soft Starter delivers reliable performance and smooth acceleration for a range of standard AC motors (8A-1400A and 230V-690V). This smooth performance reduces mechanical shock to the driving system, resulting in extended component and motor life along with lower peak energy costs.

The ASTAT XT Soft Starter, which is light-duty and heavy-duty rated with a maximum ambient temperature rating of 50°C, offers sophisticated pump controls to avoid overpressure at the end of the acceleration phase and suppresses water hammering at the stopping phase. The torque controls produce results close to linear speed without tachometer feedback. Also, the ASTAT XT Soft Start's built-in bypass terminals allow easy installation of an external bypass contactor.

Simple Interface, Setup and Operation

Its backlit LCD screen, which delivers full descriptions of parameters, makes the ASTAT XT easy to use. In two rows of 16 alphanumeric characters each it displays the function selected and the value of the setting and/or monitor. Selecting and changing parameters is completed with the arrow keys. It delivers, via any one of four selectable user languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish):

o Data Readouts (Line Voltage, Motor Current, etc.)

o Fault Diagnostics (Overload, Overvoltage, Undercurrent)

o Statistical Data (Elapsed Run Time, Fault Recording, Trip Event, etc.); and

o Parameter Settings (Acceleration Time, Starting Voltage, Motor FLA).

In addition to its full-featured LCD display with remote mount option, energy saving modes and separate bypass terminals, the ASTAT XT Soft Starter offers:

o Communication networks including Modbus RTU, factory-installed DeviceNet or optional Profibus DP;

o In-Line or Inside-Delta operation to easily replace Y/D starters and allows the unit's rating to be reduced by as much as 1.5 times;

o Generator Supply to help minimize the negative effects caused by the generator voltage fluctuations during starting

All ASTAT XT models from 950A and up must be operated with a bypass contactor. Standard Warrant of 12/18 months. UL, cUL and CE approved.

For more information, please visit www.geelectrical.com.

GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and ecomaginationSM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile(TM), GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater(TM), Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Entellisys®, Tetra®, Vio(TM) and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

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