Solid State Starters

If you’ve got an older motor in your industrial facility and are continuously having to replace contactors, consider upgrading to a solid state starter (or soft starter). These starters can improve operation and save money in the long run.

One benefit of upgrading is solid state starters eliminate the need to replace moving contactors. You’ll save time and money as well as reduce noise that occurs from contacts during operation.

Conventional starters often cause power surges or spikes. This can limit the overall performance of other systems that are being used throughout the facility. With the elimination of power surges, solid state starters reduce the electrical burden on other electrical devices and equipment within the facility. Mechanical torque transients are eliminated as well. These starters are also flexible; therefore, you can choose the current for starting that works best for a particular motor.

How is Voltage Reduced with a Solid State Starter?

The current flowing into the motor at startup can be reduced thanks to a reduction in the output voltage of the starter. This keeps the motor’s startup current within the values it was programmed to handle. Basically a reduced voltage starter delivers any voltage (from 0 to full supply) without the motor’s frequency being changed during the process. Voltage is controlled by an anti-parallel connection, which allows the current to flow in both directions. The best application for a soft starter is to apply it to a motor that does not require high levels of torque during its start up.

Benefits and Applications for Your Facility

There are number of benefits when you consider both the reduction of long term expenses and the saved time when the motor is running more smoothly. Reduced maintenance means less down time for your operation. Another benefit is phase loss protection, which prevents prolonged shutdowns of the motor as well as burnouts. There will be shorter floor-to-floor times due to optimal startup of the motor. The life of the motor will be prolonged because of reduced currents at start up.

High quality solid state starters such as the Opal Pro Series for AC induction motors provide a number of standard and optional features including a standard keypad display, 500% overload for 30 sec standard, multiple communication networks, jog speed, reduced footprint for MCC applications and more.

Soft starters can be used for mixers, wood chippers, car dumpers, conveyors, grinders, wood saws, presses, irrigation systems, pumping stations, shredders, rock crushers and even snow making machinery. View the brochure for details so you can determine which solid state starter is right for your operation.

Resource/Copyright Info: This motor control article about solid state starters or soft starters is under © Copyright of Carotron, Inc., your source for high quality DC and AC motor drives and other industrial motion control products to keep your operation running smoothly.