When installing a drive, it’s great to have plenty of space. And this is where small is beautiful – generally speaking, you can always fit a drive more easily into the application when it’s compact. Besides, space costs money. So, the smaller the drive the less space it requires, and the more money you save.
However more compact is not always more beautiful, because easy access for cabling is also a must-have for fast work. This is why electricians value usability testing in optimizing ease of installation in drive design.
It is now easier to install, commission, and service VLT® drives with enclosure size E. Even though the layout is more compact, the new enclosures offer more space for cabling, easier access to terminals, and fewer parts compared to the previous generation product.
By talking to electricians and running wiring workshops in the design and specification phases, the design has been perfected for fast work. Comments from electricians include “it’s good for the drive to be small. But not too small, because otherwise it will be difficult to deal with in cabling”.
So in what ways is access made easy?
- Mains and motor terminals are now placed on the same plane; that means access to mains or motor cables are not disturbed by each other
- The drive provides more cable bending space than what is required in the standards
- Once the cables are installed they need never be removed again in order to service the drive, since all bolts are accessible without removing any parts.
How exactly is cabling made easy?
- The terminals are designed to accept up to 6 wires per phase, which gives more flexibility. If you prefer, you can choose to use more cables with smaller cross section.
- Smaller cables are easier to work with since they are easier to bend. The capital cost is lower and they are a standard product, making purchasing easier.
What were the improvements resulting from the wiring workshops?
- More grounding points, one per phase
- Increased depth of ground plate to make it easier to mount the EMC clamp
- Improvement in mounting holes on the EMC clamping bracket from round to keyhole
- Increased length of the bracket to make it easier to connect
Enclosure size E is available for VLT® AutomationDrive FC 302, VLT® AQUA Drive FC 202, VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102 and VLT® Refrigeration Drive FC 103.
Author: Daniel Freitas, Product Manager, Danfoss Drives
