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More details emerge on new-generation drives

14 May, 2011

At the SPS/IPC/Drives show in late 2010, ABB unveiled a new generation of drives built on a common architecture. At the recent Hannover Fair, the company revealed more details of this major range and its plans for bringing the new drives to the market.


The drives, designed to control almost any type of AC motor, will be available in both industrial (ACS880, shown above) and standard (ACS580) formats. They incorporate high-resolution displays that can be used to show barcharts, histograms and trend graphs to help users to analyse their processes. Safe torque-off (STO) is built in, and other safety functions are available as options.

The first ACS880 industrial drive to become available is a wall-mounted single drive in power ratings from 0.55–250kW, and voltage ratings from 380–690V (with wider ratings planned). Initially, the drive will be available in IP21 versions, with IP55 models due later this year. It will also be sold in Atex-certified motor and drive packages.

Later this year, the industrial drives will go on sale in other formats including cabinet-built single drives, drive modules and multidrives. The modular, built-to-order cabinet drives will initially span ratings from 55–250kW, 380–500V in IP21, 22, 42 and 54 enclosure ratings.

The drive modules, aimed at machine-builders and systems integrators, will include everything needed for a complete single- or multi-drive application. Initially, they will be sold in ratings up to 250kW, with diode supply units up to 850kVA, 380–500V.

The compact, cabinet-built multidrive models will come in the same ratings as the modules. They will use single supplies and DC buses to reduce their size and line power.

The first standard drives to use the new architecture will be wall-mounted versions in ratings from 0.55–250kW, 380–480V. A new permanent magnet DC choke technology is designed to mitigate harmonics effectively in a small, lightweight design.