Supplier Storefronts for Application: Motor Drives

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By offering deep technical expertise to support the latest products from the leading suppliers in Energy and Power Technologies, Richardson RFPD is uniquely positioned to help customers meet the challenges of changing markets.

In today’s heavily industrialized world, there are many industrial processes that depend on high-quality, powerful motor drives to supply power for any given industry’s precision motors and machines. These machines can be as large as the motors driving large thrill-rides at our local amusement park, or as small as the computer-driven lathe making mechanical parts for just about anything: clocks, engines, planes, heart-lung machines and dental equipment. In every case, the specialized power driving each of these machines needs to be dependable—and it needs to be the specific “type” of power that the individual load (the motor) requires to do its specific job.

For some precision motor drives, the designer must consider specifically how the load (the motor) starts-up, how it stops and changes speeds, how it operates during ‘steady-state,’ and even how it shuts-down safely—especially if power is lost unexpectedly. These industrial machines, then, are not simply plugged-into a convenience outlet for their power. These machines are provided various amounts of controlled power (DC or AC), depending on the individual requirements of the machine. This specialized power is derived from high-voltage three-phase electrical power, such as that provided by a utility company to a factory.

The block diagram shown on the Our Products and Services tab offers ideas and information to help you design a specialized Motor Drive circuit that meets your specific needs.

For more detailed information on this application, please refer to the application notes and other design resources found in the Technical Resources tab.