Lenze, an automation specialist based in Aerzen in Lower Saxony, recently presented its new compact Motor Drive System IE5/IE7. The drive system performs without sensors even in dynamic applications. The combination consists of the m550/m650 motor, the g500 gearboxes and the current i550 and i650 inverter generation. According to Lenze, it is the first synchronous motor that is as easy to handle as an asynchronous motor. Thanks to its innovative design, it achieves efficiency classes IE5 and IE7. Motor losses can be reduced by up to 60 percent, significantly reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Performance is also impressive: 300 percent overload torque accelerates the motor from standstill to full load.

Motor losses reduced by up to 60 percent

Klaus Dierkes, Product Manager for Electromechanics, is pleased with the excellent feedback from the test customers in the field of intralogistics: “Our customers are primarily interested in lower energy costs and reducing their carbon footprint. This is a very important topic, especially in logistics, and we can now deliver on this.” Reality shows that with the new Motor Drive System, motor losses can be reduced by up to 60 percent. This is achieved by a newly designed permanent magnet synchronous motor. What's more, the motors are the same size or smaller than comparable IE2/IE3 motors.

Impressive performance: 300 percent overload torque

High performance is also important to customers: “We promise a 300 percent overload torque from a standstill and deliver on that. Starting up to full load from a standstill is no problem. The beverage industry, the textile industry, and especially intralogistics benefit from this. This means that the system can be designed more precisely for continuous operation, since it is not oversized, and then immediately delivers the required power.”

Two power ratings

Lenze is offering the new synchronous motor in two power ratings: the m550, with outputs ranging from 0.25 to 11 kW, and the m650, for dynamic applications with outputs from 0.75 to 22 kW. Both motors can be seamlessly combined with the gearboxes from Lenze's modular system. Helical, angular or bevel gearboxes are available for a wide range of requirements. When the first test customers worked with Lenze's new System Designer to configure the motors, the result was a precisely dimensioned drive solution that also included an energy-efficient machine design. The web-based Engineering Assistant shows the energy consumption of the respective application and drive components.

Efficiency in harmony with simplicity

Dierkes looks at the feedback from customers: “Efficiency and simplicity are crucial for our customers. I only have to enter one parameter to set the motor data on the inverter. There is no encoder, so I have less wiring, no settings and fewer components.” The new motor drive system is fundamentally very economical with resources. The sensorless feedback means a budget-friendly chain reaction on the hardware side: no encoder, no expensive feedback system, no expensive cables. Another effect: assembly and installation are quick and safe. This contributes to the reliability of the system.

Integrated power feedback unit

If the engine is controlled by the i550 or i650 motec decentralized inverter, even more hardware can be dispensed with, because braking resistors are not necessary. The regenerative unit integrated into the motec feeds the generated braking energy back into the mains. The i500 cabinet control cabinet inverters can also exchange surplus energy via the DC network and make it available to other axes.

Precise positioning without sensors

Lenze has come up with a new solution for the positioning of goods that is often necessary in materials handling. “We use the SLSM (Sensorless Synchronous Motor Control) algorithm in the inverter to achieve the performance of a closed control loop without a motor feedback system and cabling. This is how we realize sensorless and exact positioning.”

Video