Guide To Suppliers

For a number of years, fan systems specialist WITT Group has been using Vacon drives, supplied by York based Vacon distributor, Mutex UK. So when WITT engineers wanted to build a test rig, it called on Mutex for advice on selecting the best VSD for the application.

Vacon UK has introduced a range of space-saving, high power density ac drives. These liquid cooled enclosed units offer 25 percent lifecycle cost savings compared to air cooled drives.

When Vacon's Stephen Takhar considers the future of industrial ac variable speed drives, he sees no radical changes on the horizon, but he does foresee numerous small but important developments.

Drives manufacturer, Vacon and Finland-based lithium-ion-iron-phosphate battery systems manufacturer, European Batteries have agreed to co-operate in the field of technology that combines the use of battery systems and ac drives in the same electrical system. The two companies share the view that the field of energy production will be more and more fragmented in the future.

Vacon will announce a new product family of compact ac drives at the electric automation fair SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 in Nuremberg, Germany on November 22 2011. Optimised for the needs of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the new product range comprises three new products: Vacon 10, Vacon 20 and Vacon 20 Cold Plate. The existing Vacon 10, available in the power range of 0.25-5.5kW, has a re-designed user interface and more functionality.

Drives manufacturer Vacon and global computer security provider F-Secure have teamed up to pursue computer security research in industrial automation applications. The companies decided to co-operate following the widely publicised Stuxnet malware reports of recent months. Although the Stuxnet malware does not directly infect Vacon's ac drives, the company regards this incident as a very important lesson for the whole industry to learn.

A Vacon 800kW drive is helping to improve the manoeuvrability of the 70,000 tonne liquid natural gas transport ship, LNG Abuja. The drive, which was fitted and commissioned by marine power plant expert, Wartsila Automation of Montrose, has a key role to play in the operation of the vessel’s bow thrusters