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Invertek will make drives for SEW

01 May, 2005

Invertek will make drives for SEW Eurodrive

The Welsh drives-maker Invertek is to produce small drives for the German giant SEW Eurodrive based on its Optidrive technology, which has recently reached its third generation and has been expanded to include a dedicated HVAC version (shown below).

Under their deal, SEW and Invertek will co-operate on the design, development and supply of easy-to-use, low-cost AC drives. They plan to develop drives that combine Invertek`s expertise in power electronics and software-controlled frequency converters, with SEW`s experience of high-performance drives and automation systems. SEW will sell the first product of the collaboration under the Movitrac LT name

Invertek already supplies badged drives for other companies, including Moeller in the UK and TB Woods in North America.

The latest version of the Optidrive offers new features, including the ability to deliver 100% torque at 0Hz without overheating, and without needing a feedback device. The Optidrive Plus 3gv offers eight preset speeds and is said to regulate speed to better than 1% over its entire range. It is available in ratings from 0.37-160kW.

The new dedicated HVAC version, the Optidrive VTC, incorporates: internal PID; a duty-assist function; automatic energy optimisation; and communications support for Modbus RTU, BacNET and LONworks.

At last month`s Hannover Fair, Invertek was also showing production versions of its "drive-on-a-plate" (above) which uses printing techniques to apply circuits and components directly onto a metal plate to produce a compact, rugged drive for OEMs. The Compact Optidrive is being produced in 0.75kW and 1.75kW versions and, according to Rhydian Welson, Invertek`s sales and marketing director, the company is already talking to several large potential customers for the technology.

Invertek, set up in 1998 by several former employees of Control Techniques, now has about 40 employees and expects to produce round 60,000 drives this year. It has subsidiaries in Spain, Australia and the Czech Republic.