Why the choice of motor can decrease a production line’s power consumption

There are several factors that affect the power consumption in the manufacturing industry. One of them is to choose the right motor for the conveyor line and to operate the motor in the correct way. This helps to decrease the consumption, improve efficiency and, in turn, save money. A suitable motor for the manufacturing industry should be energy efficient, powerful and silent. In this blog article, I will share some tips on how to choose the right motor for your specific conveyor system. Many parts of the manufacturing process can be energy efficient It is becoming increasingly important to save both money and environmental resources in the manufacturing industry. An excellent way to do that is to cut down on the electricity consumption. There is a lot of equipment in the manufacturing industry that has the potential to be more energy efficient, such as ovens and machines. Also, the production flow solution has a large potential to decrease the overall energy consumption. A motor with fixed speed vs a motor with variable speed In order to decrease the power consumption of the production flow solution, it is crucial to choose the right motor with the right control system. There are two different motor types to choose from: a motor with fixed speed where the only control is on and off, or a motor with variable speed that can be adjusted to run with desired speed. An asynchronous motor needs to run at full capacity An asynchronous motor with fixed speed constantly runs at the same speed and cannot change or be adapted to the production. When choosing a motor with fixed speed, it is important to not choose a motor that has too much capacity. Many actors in the manufacturing industry are worried that the motor will not be sufficient in the long run. Therefore, many choose a larger motor in case the production, or the products, will change in the future. This could mean that the manufacturers only use a small part of the motors’ capacity and, therefore, buy a more expensive motor than they actually need. Also, a motor that is not used to its full capacity is a lot less energy efficient compared to a motor that is used to its full capacity. However, a fixed-speed motor with the right size can operate with high efficiency. In order to choose the right fixed-speed motor, one must know that the same speed and load will be maintained at all times during production, which can be a challenge in the manufacturing industry. The advantages of fixed speed motors are that they have a lower purchase cost and have a simple design, which makes them robust and less prone to break down. One advice is to have a simple control with a sensor that actually stops the motor when no products are on the conveyor. A variable speed motor is adaptable to the production needs A motor with variable speed, that can be both an asynchronous motor and a synchronous motor, is adaptable to the production needs which helps save energy. A variable speed motor with some extra capacity for a specific production can still maintain its efficiency since the motor can be adjusted to the production instead of the other way around. In addition, a control system can analyze the movements of the products on the production line and vary the motor’s speed. Consequently, its electricity consumption varies based on its load. The control of the motor’s speed leads to higher efficiency. This could mean, for example, adjusting the speed of the production line to allow a sufficient number of products to enter the machines at the right time, instead of constantly running the production line at the same speed. A variable speed motor is initially more costly compared to a fixed speed motor since it always contains extra components such as a well-developed control system. One advice when controlling a line with variable speed is to avoid situations where products accumulate on the conveyor, as accumulation is one of the biggest reasons for energy waste.

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