MechChem Africa July-August 2020

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

Same-day VSD solution for East Rand client

BI product manager, Andries Barnard, talks about Varispeed VDrivePlus and AlphaDrive-Micro VSDs.

among others. A major advantage for end users, and one of the best-selling features of the cast iron range, is that the feet are remov- able and interchangeable, making it a highly ćH[LEOH PXOWL PRXQW PRWRU BI, a member of the Hudaco Group, is a leading distributor of bearings and power transmission products in Southern Africa. With its customer-focused approach, BI is committed to delivering value to all its stake- holders, while offering quality solutions that make a real difference to optimising plant availability and turnaround time. www.bearings.co.za

W hen a manufacturing fa- cility on the East Rand in Johannesburg required an urgent replacement variable speed drive (VSD) for an extraction fan in its welding facility after the existing drive broke down and halted production, it turned to leading supplier BI (Bearings International) for a solution. “Not only did BI have a 75 kW VSD available ex-stock, its technical department assisted the customer with the installation, integration and commissioning of the new drive so it couldbebackupand runningon the day it was supplied,” says product manager, Andries Barnard. ê7KH 9'ULYH3OXV LV VSHFLĆFDOO\ GHVLJQHG for variable torque applications and ease of LQWHJUDWLRQ ZLWK H[LVWLQJ FRQWURO FRQĆJXUD - tions,” Barnard explains. VDrivePlus and AlphaDrive-Micro VSDs are electronic mo- tor control solutions from Hudaco Group Company, Varispeed, available fromBI as part of its integrated solutions approach. The Varispeed’s VDrivePlus ranges from

0.4 kW to 400 kW and is available in 240 V and 400 V versions. This advanced VSD fea- turesmotor control basedonDSP technology, togetherwith ‘smart’ auto-tuning. Additional IHDWXUHV LQFOXGHćH[LEOH LQYHUWHU FRQWURO GXDO high-resolutionanalogueinputsandfreemap- SDEOH , 2 FKDQQHOV The AlphaDrive-Micro VSDs are smaller and compact frequency inverters in the 0.2 to 5.5 kWrange and are also available for use with 240 or 400 V input supplies. Together with the VDrivePlus, these VSDs offer the best performance-to-cost ratio on the mar- ket, without compromising on quality and reliability. VarispeedVSDs are readily supplemented with electric motors from the Bauer range from BI. “With our range of cast iron and aluminium motors, we can assist customers with a wide range of drive solutions from N: WR N: DW DQG 9ë Barnard adds. Applications include pumps, conveyor belts, sanding machines, cooling towers, crushers and pedestal drilling machines,

VDrivePlus VSDs from Varispeed, available in South

Africa from BI, feature motor

control based on DSP technology, smart auto-tuning, ćH[LEOH LQYHUWHU control, dual high- resolution analogue inputs, and free mappable I/O channels.

July-August 2020 • MechChem Africa ¦ 17