Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation is launching the new communication-enabled DS7-SWD soft starters. Eaton’s DS7 soft starter series covers the rating range from 1.5 to 100kW/400V. The series now includes soft starters with an integrated SmartWire-DT communication interface.
Soft starters are increasingly being used to implement star-delta starter solutions. This applies to replacements as well as new installations. They are particularly suitable for applications such as pumps, fans and conveyor belts – applications for which finance and space are limited. Besides the continuous torque and the elimination of current peaks, soft starters have an additional advantage: Unlike switchgear solutions, users require only a single device, and the width of the device has also been matched to the assigned circuit-breaker. This means that the DS7 soft starter takes up considerably less space than its mechanical counterpart. The DS7 series is a comprehensive series from 4 to 200 A and covers the rating range from 1.5 to 100kW/ 400 V. Moreover, Eaton has particularly adapted devices up to 32 A to its contactor range so that DS7 soft starters have identical terminals as contactors of the same rating. The entire range of expansions for the contactors is also available for the DS7.
DS7 soft starter devices with an integrated SmartWire-DT interface are now in the soft starter portfolio. The innovative SmartWire-DT communication and connection system is an integral element of the Eaton Lean Solution strategy and completely opens up new saving potential and application fields to users.
The outstanding benefit of Lean Solutions is not only clear to see on account of the significantly reduced wiring effort, but also due to the planning and engineering effort involved – this can be reduced by up to 70 percent. SmartWire-DT also offers noticeable improvements with regard to system availability and safety. Combined with PKE motor-protective circuit-breakers, it offers enhanced drive monitoring (condition monitoring and remote maintenance). Process relevant data like the actual motor current, thermal load and operating states can be monitored continuously and analyzed without any costly I/O technology. The comprehensive diagnostic options of the individual SmartWire-DT stations enable plant operators to make well-timed interventions in the production process – before any unplanned downtimes occur.
These features open up new functions for the DS7 soft starter, that were previously not possible for a low-cost soft starter and that were reserved for considerably more expensive devices series. The PKE+DS7-SWD combination fully protects the DS7- SWD from overloads, offers an adjustable current limiting function and signals – almost “incidentally” – the thermal utilization to the higher-level controller.
The SmartWire-DT interface allows DS7 soft starters to be parameterized from a central point. Control commands can also be sent to the devices via the network and diagnostic data can be read from them. The device is controlled via three selectable profiles: Firstly, a simple Start/Stop profile,which is known from the PKE motor-protective circuit-breaker + contactor combination, secondly, an 8-bit profile for the soft starter, which is likewise also provided for the variable frequency drives and offers more options; and thirdly the control profile that is the similar to the Profidrive profile. This opens up the full range of functions of a soft starter – up to a current limiting function controlled by the PLC. The parameters of the DS7-SWD can be read and written at any time via acyclic services, irrespective of the selected profile.
The mechanisms for reading and writing all the device parameters of the DS7-SWD use the parameter channel described in the Profidrive profile for the drives. This offers a standard parameter access for the first time, not only to variable frequency drives but also to soft starters. The settings of the potentiometers on the DS7-SWD can also be overwritten, such as if a change made remotely by the machine operators has to be excluded.
The DS7-SWD offers a detailed diagnostics system that offers far more than conventionally wired devices: Besides a fault memory known to the variable frequency drives, the DS7-SWD offers the detection and reporting of nine different device faults, and a further 35 messages for communication faults. Related PLC function blocks are provided for all profiles for the DS7-SWD to ensure simple handling.
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