It is important to make a clear distinguish between motors and drives. A motor is the electrical device that generates rotational force used to power a machine. A drive is the electronic device that harnesses and controls the electrical energy sent to the motor. The drive is responsible of feeding the motor with electricity, so by varying the amount and the frequency of it, control the motor’s speed and torque.

There are two types of drives:

• standard  drive for controlling speed and torque only;
• servo drive for controlling speed and torque, as well as positioning machine components used in applications that require complex motion.

There are two major categories of motors, depending of their power supply type: AC and DC. Both of them have theirs benefits and downfalls, but since each application has its own requirement, both types are used.

There are two general types of AC motors used in industry: induction motors and synchronous motors. Either type may be single phase, two phase, or three phase.

DC motors are used for applications where smooth and precise control over a wide range with or without quick speed reversals is needed.

Electric motors consume more than half of the world’s electricity. Considering the fact that  the cost of energy is rising steadily, the current focus in today’s industry is to replace inefficient constant-speed motors and drives with microprocessor-based, variable-speed drives. The new motor-control technology could  reduce the energy bill with more than 30% compared to the older drives. Indeed, the new  variable-speed drives increase the initial cost of the assembly, but the forecasted energy savings and increased motor functionality should easily offset those initial expenses within a few years.

Generally speaking, the drive unit could bring the following advantages:

• Controlled Starting Current;
• Reduced Power Line Disturbances;
• Lower Power Demand on Start;
• Controlled Acceleration;
• Adjustable Operating Speed;
• Adjustable Torque Limit;
• Controlled Stopping;
• Reverse Operation;
• Motor Protection;
• Braking Capabilities;
• Energy Savings.

Of course, each application will implement only a few of these features, depending of its requirements and to maintain the cost level down. Based on this the drives can be splitted into the following main types:

• Soft Starters;
• Variable Speed Drives;
• Servo Drives;
• Stepper Motor Drives.

Depending of the motor power there are drives of different sizes. Also the computing power of each drive unit will vary widely, varying from simple units which implement just a basic task (for example soft starter) to complex mathematical calculation required to maintain the output of the driven motor as close as possible to a specific path (for example variable speed vector drive). Also each unit can be designed either independent (stand-alone) or as a part of a computer controlled network (via different communication interfaces) of devices required to implement very complex automation tasks.

Our team of highly qualified technicians can perform professional motor drive repair for all kind of motors. We have the experience required, and also the test equipment needed to find the problem of any  unit, regardless of its complexity. After the fault is found we will provide you an estimation of the repair cost, leaving you to decide if the repair will be done. Usually the repair cost is less than 50% of the price of a new unit.

After the approval, we will repair the motor drive and test it to assure the customer that the unit will comply with all the manufacturer specified characteristics. We will guarantee our repair with up to a full year warranty.