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Charlotte Stonestreet
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Highly flexible & reliable VSDs
20 October 2016
A new range of variable speed drives with a host of innovative features to enable simple and reliable control of traditional and emerging motor technologies through 630kW, has been unveiled by motion control specialist Yaskawa.

The powerful GA700 AC drives combine intuitive interaction, high flexibility with outstanding reliability and ease-of-use for applications ranging from simple fans and pumps to high-performance test dynamo meters requiring precise regulation.
Whether the application requires hard-wired discrete, analogue, or advanced network control, GA700 AC drives are designed for simple network integration and support all the major industrial communications and connection topologies (ring, star, line etc.) enabling adaptation to various automation networks.
They are network compliance tested and offer a network of up to 5 drives with a single communication card. They feature built-in protocols, such as RS-485 MEMOBUS / Modbus and 115.2 kbps communication speeds.
One of the main objectives in developing the GA700 range was to produce a ‘one for all’ drive offering precise and tuning-less motor control with one drive controlling any induction, permanent magnet or synchronous reluctance motor and with the quickest, easiest set-up.
This is achieved thanks to an intuitively designed keypad and tactile user interface with self-guiding navigation menus and start-up wizards. In addition to this are powerful PC compatible configuration tools (DriveWizard and DriveWorksEZ) for logic programming, monitoring and troubleshooting. DriveWizard is an offline / online parameter and drive configuration tool for easy and intuitive set-up, maintenance and troubleshooting. If offers users editing, storing and file comparison functions in addition to online trending via a highly functional oscilloscope feature.
To further enhance the programming experience DriveWorksEZ offers an icon-based, simple drag-and-drop graphical environment. This adds programmable functions to tailor the drive to meet specific machine / application requirements without the need or associated cost of external controllers, such as PLC’s or other hardware. Mobile device connectivity is achieved using a built-in USB port or wireless communication with a Bluetooth LCD keypad option.
The integrated functional safety of the GA700 drives (meeting SIL3 STO standards) with 2-terminal pin STO as standard (Safe Torque Off) gives users peace-of-mind as it provides the right tools for risk reduction, without the need for external devices such as motor relays.
Despite being loaded with features the GA700 makes best use of available panel space thanks to its flexible design and minimum footprint, largely due to optimised heat management which results in up to 50% smaller footprint compared to previous drives.
The drives are globally certified to meet a wide range of application standards and compliance levels, such as UL/cUL, CE, TUV, EAC, RCM and KC, with compliance to RoHS.
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