VFD Control Cranes and Hoists & Variable Frequency Drives
Advanced Electric Overhead Crane & Hoist Control System

Advanced VFD crane & hoist control,Advanced Crane & Hoist system to ensure greater speed adjustments precise load position, longer hoist life. Check now.

Types of Variable Frequency Drive hoist and overhead crane systems are provided to enable your material handling more efficient and precise. What exactly is variable frequency drive control? Variable frequency drives are a type of AC motor controller that uses frequency and voltage to drive an electric motor, allowing for precise speed, energy efficiency, and digital diagnostics. Variable frequency drives, also known as VFDs, adjustable speed drives, or AC drives, are a type of variable frequency drive. Our VFDs can be installed in either a 230 volt or a 460 volt AC environment. There are also AC regenerative drive and DC voltage drive options. In select markets, we can also custom engineer specialty crane drives for unique applications, as well as provide on-site diagnostic services for hoist and crane drives.

Main technical characteristics of crane frequency drive

Adopt advanced modern AC frequency conversion speed regulation and programmable control technology to carry out technological transformation on all electric drive systems of traditional gantry crane and bridge cranes, so as to achieve stable operation of goliath crane and overhead bridge cranes, improve operating power, and improve overload operations.Optimal material handling operation can be achieved by eliminating the braking impact, reducing electrical protection, reducing power consumption, and improving power loss factor. At the same time, the VFD crane system system also has over-current, over-voltage, under-voltage and input phase loss protection, as well as inverter over-temperature, overload, over-speed, brake unit overheat, and motor fault protection. As for your custom overhead crane system, these features can be added according your particular needs and lifting requirements. Contact our crane engineer to get your custom vfd crane design!

VFD control overhead crane & hoists

Overhead crane- single girder overhead crane

Overhead crane - double girder overhead crane

Overhead crane - Underslung bridge crane

Gantry crane - Single girder

Gantry crane -double girder

European style hoist

Why to select our VFD control crane & Hoist?

• Advanced design concept - An electric overhead crane manufacturer that breaks the design concept of the hoisting mechanism of the crane and applies the planetary gear reducer to the hoisting mechanism. The hoisting mechanism adopts a direct connection link, which combines the motor, reducer and brake. It effectively improves the transmission efficiency, minimizes all kinds of transmission parts required by the lifting mechanism, reduces noise, and at the same time, the mechanism has independent intellectual property rights.
• Frequency conversion control to whole hoist and crane system -for all kinds of European standard single and double girder cranes, our company adopts Variable Frequency Driver for all of the hoist and crane travelling system,. At the same time, automation and intelligent crane can be developed to realize the unmanned operation, remote monitoring, and anti-sway function.
• Low noise, low energy consumption - low noise, maintenance-free (reduced maintenance time and low maintenance cost) (due to the simple structure, there are fewer types of supporting parts or by-pass parts , which is convenient for later procurement and also reduces inventory). Our company's European style fem standard cranes are adjusted by frequency converters, which can effectively reduce power consumption by 20%-30%, reduce use costs, and improve use efficiency.

What is a Variable Frequency Drive Used For?

After the development of low cost, high speed power transistors, variable frequency drives, or VFDs, were introduced to the material handling sector in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For better precision and control over single-speed and two-speed motors, variable frequency drives were developed. Today, they are utilized to regulate every motorized movement on an overhead crane, including the hoist, bridge, trolley, and in some circumstances, the rotation of hook.

A VFD generates a sinusoidal wave to change the frequency of an AC motor, as the name suggests. An AC motor is "tricked" into believing it is operating at synchronous speed even if it is not by the drive by altering the voltage and frequency provided to the motor. This results in improved and more fluid motor controls, as well as changeable speed controls and ramps for acceleration and deceleration.

These VFD systems have become more and more popular as their price has decreased, and they are now specified in many different types of crane systems, from lower-duty package crane systems to high capacity/high duty cycle process cranes.

Overhead crane with Variable Frequency Drive Control

VFD electric box

VFD Control For Cranes And Hoists VS. 2-Speed Controls

Before variable frequency drives, overhead crane operators used contactor-based controls to control their cranes. The electric crane systems were equipped with either a single-speed or a two-speed motor for lower duty cycle cranes. They used what was known as a wound rotor motor for higher duty cycle cranes.

Single-Speed or 2-Speed Motors

Depending on the load, a single speed motor accelerates as quickly as it can when the operator pushes a button. The crane stops and the brakes apply as soon as the button is released. So, if your crane has a motor that runs at 50 fpm (feet per minute), that is the only speed it can work at.

The crane can run at two different speeds on a two-speed motor, usually within a 3:1 ratio. So, if the crane has a two-speed motor, it can operate at 40 fpm or 120 fpm, but no other speeds are available.

The "Soft Start" technology, also referred to as a Reduced Voltage Starter, can be used with these applications with lower duty cycles. This technology reduces voltage to the motor, resulting in less acceleration at startup and less torque applied to the overhead crane's drivetrain during acceleration. It is not advised to use this control method on cranes with high usage or high duty cycles because it can quickly cause the motors to overheat.

Comparison of VFD & Double Speed Motors

There are two types of controls available for cranes and hoists. The variable frequency controls and the two-speed controls are the two controls. When comparing 2-speed controls to Variable frequency drives, or VFD control for your cranes and hoists, there are several factors to consider. These variables can range from speed adjustments to load control to the length and efficiency of the hoist's life. In the following, the advantages of two-speed controls over variable frequency drive control.

Let's see how 2-speed and variable frequency drive controls react to certain factors. Some of the characteristics can assist in comparing and contrasting the differences between two-speed controls and variable frequency drive controls.

What are the advantages of using VFD crane control & hoist control?

The fact that variable frequency drive controls may be applied to virtually any crane application is one of the biggest advantages of updating your overhead crane with them.

Standard overhead crane systems made for modular cranes include 30 to 40 programmable control parameters as standard. A variable frequency drive can be set to add extra speed points as well as smoother acceleration and deceleration on cranes with single-speed or two-speed motors. For instance, you could add a control to allow for a median speed of 80 fpm on a 2-speed motor with speeds of 40 fpm and 120 fpm, or you could slow it down even more by including a 10 fpm control.

The controls for the bridge, trolley, hoist, and hook may be set using up to 200–300 programmable control parameters on high-end VFD systems. With a single-speed motor, a VFD can deliver performance that is comparable to that of DC controllers. With the help of variable frequency drives, one may program acceleration and deceleration to have the same feel as a Soft Start device. However, for heavy duty, frequently used process cranes, the issue of overheating is removed because the VFD controls both the voltage and frequency given to the motor.

The speed controls on high-speed crane systems can be configured to move the bridge and hoist down the runway at 300 fpm and, with the flip of a switch, drop that speed down to 50 fpm in a controlled manner when the bridge near the end of the runway or a pick point.

Reduced Wear on the Brakes

Any maintenance manager in a high-output manufacturing facility will tell you that a variable frequency drive's ability to completely or significantly reduce brake wear is its single biggest advantage. When you release the button on a crane without a VFD, mechanical brakes begin to slow and stop the crane's movement. Because of mechanical wear, the brakes may eventually need to be replaced in high-use crane systems every few months or even every few weeks.

With a VFD system, the crane decelerates and slows down and stops in a controlled manner after the button that controls forward or reverse motion is released. The crane's brakes are now largely utilized as a parking brake to keep it stationary when not in use. As a result, the brakes' service life is considerably increased, and costly equipment downtime is decreased.

Adjustable Acceleration and Deceleration Times

The stops and starts of the bridge and trolley are substantially more abrupt on crane systems without VFDs. The components may experience excessive stress and wear as a result of these sudden shifts over time such as, couplings, keyways, and gearboxes,Trolley, end trucks, and wheels,Runway beams and structural supports,& Wire rope or chain used to support the load,etc.

With a VFD, you can precisely control how long it takes the trolley or bridge to accelerate to the correct speed and how long it takes it to come to a complete stop, which significantly lessens the strain on the crane's internal parts and helps minimize load swing.

Precise Load Positioning

The bridge, trolley, and hoist may all be set to run at any speed within a 40:1 speed ratio using a variable frequency drive. The operator can very slowly and carefully move the bridge or hook along its course of travel for fragile goods or weights that need to be positioned very precisely.

The load can be moved down the runway at higher speeds, and as it nears its destination, the operator can flip a switch that will cause the crane to slow down to a predefined speed—say let's 10% of the top operational speed—while he adjusts the load's final positioning.

Load Limiting

If the drive system determines that the hook load is approaching or above a preset load limit, it can be programmed to stop the upward lifting motion. In many situations, this can take the place of load cells.

Additionally, torque restriction can be utilized to stop the crane from undertaking lifts that might overtax the engine and wear it out mechanically.

Fault Codes and Diagnostics

Operators, manufacturing and maintenance staff, and even distant third parties can configure, monitor, and troubleshoot the drive systems using software and hardware that is readily available. For monitoring and diagnostics pertaining to the drive parameters and drive condition, one crane or a number of cranes can be set up.

An alarm containing diagnostic data can be delivered in the case of a problem to a technician who is located elsewhere or even to the operator's transmitter. Most of the time, maintenance staff can identify the problem and fix it without needing to use a lift or a scaffolding to access the crane. At least they know what the issue is and can be ready with the necessary tools and materials to handle the repair or adjustment if they do need to climb up into the air to operate on the crane.

Number of drives, number of cycles, and periodic or preventative maintenance alerts depending on crane usage are further diagnostics data that can be provided.

Advanced VFD crane & hoist control,Advanced Crane & Hoist system to ensure greater speed adjustments precise load position, longer hoist life.If you have any question or need of VFD control overhead crane and hoist, please feel free to contact us.