ABB controls cut energy consumption
An
ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Sep 5, 2008
Controls based on a variable speed drive from ABB have cut the energy consumption by one third on an injection moulding machine at McKechnie Automotive and Engineered Plastics.
McKechnie, a manufacturer of engineered plastic assemblies, looked to improve the efficiency of its injection moulding machine as part of a wider drive to save energy.
'We carried out a Pareto analysis across the whole factory and found that this machine was particularly inefficient because of the way it was being operated,' said senior process engineer, Rob Howlett.
'We contacted Halcyon, who designed a control system that they said would save around 30 per cent.
'We arranged a three-month trial and found it actually saved 33 per cent.' Apart from the latest models, most injection moulding machines are hydraulically operated and often waste between 20 and 50 per cent of the electrical power they consume.
This is because the hydraulic systems typically pump a constant amount of oil around and dump any excess back to the sump.
In contrast, a variable speed drive can control the speed of the pump motor to deliver the precise amount of oil needed for each sequence in the injection moulding cycle.
The panel, delivered by Halcyon, combines an ABB industrial drive with an interface from Powermiser, which provides a link between the new drive and the existing injection moulding machine motor.
The entire project, including full installation and commissioning, is set to deliver a pay back of less than two years.
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