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Drive panelHistorically DC drives and motors were fitted because they were the only way to accurately control motor speed. DC motors are simple to control and provided accurate and fast torque control along with high dynamic speed response.

However there are a number of drawbacks to using DC motors which include; reduced reliability due to the fact that brushes and commutators wear down and need regular servicing; a greater financial investment as DC motors can be costly to purchase along with the need for tachometers, encoders for speed and position feedback.

While a DC drive produces an easily controlled torque from zero to base speed and beyond, the motor’s mechanics are more complex and require regular maintenance.

So what can you do to improve performance and reliability and reduce costs?

Converting your DC Motor to AC has a huge number of advantages including reduced running costs and substantial energy savings.

The evolution of AC variable speed drive technology has been partly driven by the desire to emulate the performance of the DC drive, such as fast torque response and speed accuracy, while utilising the advantages offered by the standard AC motor.

The main advantages of using AC Motors are their compact and simple, yet robust design, along with reduced maintenance requirements and lower running costs.

DTC the world’s leading AC motor control Model

The revolutionary DTC technology developed by ABB, field orientation is achieved without feedback using advanced motor theory to calculate the motor torque directly and without using modulation. The controlling variables are motor magnetising flux and motor torque.

With DTC there is no modulator and no requirement for a tachometer or position encoder to feed back the speed or position of the motor shaft.

The dynamic speed and torque accuracy of DTC drives will be 8 times better than any open loop AC drives and comparable to a DC drive that is using feedback. DTC produces the first “universal” drive with the capability to perform like either an AC or DC drive.

APDS have years of knowledge and expertise using both DC and AC motors and have seen first-hand the huge benefits of making the conversion from DC to AC. We are willing to work closely with customers to upgrade from DC to AC with a full turnkey solution.