Eco-design: If you are making the switch, then do it right

New motor platform from Lenze: Migration assistant makes switching to the m500 series easy

As the new Ecodesign Directive comes into force throughout Europe in the summer of 2021, the energy efficiency of standard asynchronous motors, in particular those designed for continuous operation, will have to continue to improve. To make the transition a success, Lenze has started by compiling easy-to-understand basic information as well as a complete checklist for OEMs and machine operators. The specialist in drive and automation technology is also launching a new motor platform with the m500 series. An intelligent web-based planning and conversion tool will be coming in the summer of 2020. Lenze has set itself the goal of making the switch to the new m500 motor generation as easy as possible for its customers and to further optimize the machine with its consulting services in one fell swoop.

The new m500 motor platform is designed to be future-proof as a drive solution that can be used worldwide and which is primarily intended to be combined with Lenze gearboxes of the g500 family and the i500 inverter series. Lenze will be making a software tool available as of this summer to ensure that the switch to the new generation goes well, especially with regard to the Ecodesign Directive. The material number of the old drive is all that it takes – and the system uses the available data to propose how the motor being replaced can best be exchanged in conformity with the standard.

Another valid point: if you are making the switch, then do it right. For the OEM, this means that the effort required for the replacement and design modifications should be worthwhile to improve the machines with drives precisely attuned to the tasks they perform.

Savings in energy consumption of 20% to 50% can be achieved in the drive system, depending on the machine type and the specific requirements, if the machine is viewed holistically. The use of components with high efficiency forms the basis for this. However, the greatest potential can be exploited if the drive dimensioning and motion profiles correspond to the actual process requirements. The use of inverters to adjust the power or feeding the brake energy into the DC link are further possibilities for optimization. Lenze's new motor platform also offers the opportunity for standardization. The motors, which can be used all over the world, enable machine builders to significantly reduce the number of drive variants and thus cut process costs.

In this way, the motor replacement is not only driven by the need to comply with the Ecodesign Directive, but is also a way to generate sustainable improvements in efficiency and functionality. 

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