2 million standard drives produced

The two millionth ACS550 drive rolled off the production line in April, marking it the first for an ABB drive series to reach the two million unit production mark.

By Source: ABB May 27, 2011

The two millionth unit in the ACS550 standard drive series has been delivered, according to ABB. The drive has built-in features that make it easy to integrate in a wide range of processes and applications, with a s control panel simplifies commissioning, maintenance and accessing drive data, ABB said. A patented swinging choke reduces harmonics, and multiple motor control modes and connectivity to all major automation systems make it easy to integrate into many processes, the company noted.

The milestone “highlights how versatile this drive is for our customers. They appreciate its reliability and flexibility… especially now, when increasing energy savings is a huge priority,” said Pekka Tiitinen, group vice president and head of the low voltage drives business unit.

The drive series has a variant for HVAC applications, the ACH550 — with integral Building Automation connectivity. Demand for the ACH550-associated E-Clipse Bypass has contributed significantly to the milestone, the company said.

Referencing HVAC, Rex Mustain, president of Associated Air Products, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, said, the product line “gave us flexibility to compete with less capable products, positioning us into the market with features and benefits that competitors cannot offer.” The satisfaction with the drives’ performance also is extremely high and fuels further sales, he said.

Another factor to reaching this milestone is the easy availability of the drives. With five factories around the world manufacturing the products, customers can get quick delivery regardless of where they are located.

As for pace, Tiitinen said, “It took us five years to reach the one million mark, and then three years to hit two million.”

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See more about motors and drives at www.controleng.com/motors.

– Edited by Gust Gianos, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com