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Acquisition yields tough AC drives family

10 June, 2008

The Finnish drives-maker Vacon has launched a range of AC drives designed for use in harsh environments, where dirt, dust, humidity and liquids may be present. The X drives are based on a range originally launched in 2005 by US-based TB Wood`s, whose AC drives business Vacon acquired last year for $29m. The drives will continue to be sold in the US under their original SE2, X4 and X5 names.

Vacon X drive

The rugged drives (above), announced at Vacon’s annual conference in Estonia in June, will be available in IP66 enclosures up to 75kW and in IP55 up to 132kW. They will be targeted, in particular, at applications in the food and beverage, materials-handling, and water and wastewater treatment sectors.

"From simple applications, to those requiring advanced communications, the Vacon X series offers an increasing level of performance and features for the industrial environment," says Vacon executive vice-president, Heikki Hiltunen. "Capabilities ranging from simple press-and-run keypad operation, to a real-time clock, advanced PLC functions or a USB interface, are available."

The new drives are said to be suitable for applications where data collection, flexible interfacing, and automatic sequencing are required.