A separately mountable cable box comes complete with its own fixings, allowing it to be mounted before installing the drive. This allows the cables to be glanded and made off without the drive obstructing the operation. The cable box can also be left in place when the drive is removed for repair or service, keeping the cables held neatly in the wall. This prevents damage to the cables, avoids a possible trip hazard and allows the drive to be replaced more quickly.
Simple plates make it a straightforward task to attach UK steel wire armoured cable glands to the drive.
Wall mounted drives are now available up to 250 kW, giving access to a wide range of powers in a compact drive. This means there is no need to move up to a cabinet mounting to use these higher powers, making the installation more cost-effective and occupying less space in the control room.
IP55 variants are now available in the same size as IP21 drives. This gives the ability to mount large IP55 rated drives anywhere in the plant, so making energy saving retrofit solutions more viable for more applications, particularly those that demand a high level of protection for the drive.
Larger power modules with ratings up to 560 kW can now be cabinet mounted. New cable management panels make cabinet installation even easier and more cost-effective than with previous ABB drives, as there is no need to design and manufacture shrouds. Wheels on the cabinets also mean the units can be moved quickly and safely.
These higher rated modules can also be turned through 90 degrees, allowing installation in previously difficult to use spaces.
All these features are available on the new ABB general purpose drive, ACS580, which also retains all the labour saving installation features of previous ABB drive products. Commonality of mounting means that the ACS580 can be used as a direct replacement for ABB’s earlier drives.