Eaton’s EMS electronic motor starter

Electrical Power & Protection

April 2014 Electrical Power & Protection

Eaton has introduced its multi-functional EMS electronic motor starter, for motors with ratings from 0,06 to 3 kW, with integrated control via the innovative SmartWire-DT communication and connection technology. This makes the connection of the motor starter to the automation environment easier, faster, less prone to errors and therefore more cost effective. The EMS offers the user all the important functions of a reversing contactor circuit in a single device – and this with a mounting width of only 30 mm: DOL motor start, reversing motor start and motor protection to IEC 60947-4-1 as well as the safety-related stopping of the drive to category 3 (EN 13849-1).

Thanks to the SmartWire-DT connection the wiring is kept to a minimum. Both the control cables that normally connect the motor starter via the I/O level to the PLC, and the supply cables to the devices are no longer necessary and are replaced by Eaton’s green cable. Even the I/O level itself is unnecessary as the motor starters can communicate with the Eaton PLCs directly via SmartWire-DT. Users are thus able to optimise the number of components in the system as well as the installation requirements. At the same time they benefit from the fact that the simple connection of slaves to the SmartWire-DT system prevents the possibility of wiring errors right from the start.

As the electronic motor starter itself already comes with a large number of functions (emergency stop contactor, motor protection, clockwise and anticlockwise contactor) as well as the internal load and interlock circuits in a very compact design, valuable space in the switch cabinet as well as time and effort for the installation and commissioning can be saved.

The EMS is equipped with hybrid switching technology for controlling the motor. This is based on the microprocessor controlled combination of wear-free semiconductor technology and a robust relay contact, thus enabling low-wear switching. The lifespan of the devices is therefore 10 times longer than purely mechanical components, and with 30 million switch operations the devices offer a considerably longer contact life than conventional switching devices.

All variants of the electronic motor starter come with electronic wide-range overload protection with integrated phase failure detection to IEC 60947. This enables the switching device to cover the 0,18 to 6,5 A (AC-53a) and 9 A (AC-51) current ranges with only two devices, thus simplifying device selection and spare parts management. Overload protection is implemented in the two different tripping classes, Class10 and Class10A. The electronic motor starter offers protection up to and including a motor current of 4 A with the slower Class10 tripping characteristic, which allows the motor to be switched on frequently without any tripping from the motor protection. For motor currents higher than 4 A, the motor is protected with the Class10A characteristic. The user can set the motor current directly on the device. In combination with fuse elements, the electronic motor starter has a short-circuit capacity of up to 50 kA with type 1 coordination. This ensures suitability for universal use in industrial and machine building applications. It is designed mainly for use in materials handling and logistics systems as well as in packaging, production machines and machine tools.

For more information contact Marlene Coetzee, Eaton Electric South Africa, +27 (0)11 824 7400, [email protected], www.eaton.com

Share this article:

Electrical Power & Protection

Eaton’s EMS electronic motor starter

Further reading:

Published by Technews