Soft Starters are solid state devices that can be used in place of across the line motor starters to reduce the inrush current surge caused by large loads. This can minimize mechanical damage to belts, gears, and chains. The Soft Starter can also prevent the jarring of valuable products being conveyed in materials handling applications.
Beyond soft starter technology, which starts the motor in a slow, controlled manner, a solid-state soft starter has the added capability of protecting the motor from an overload condition. It provides this protection by either electromechanical or electronic means, Both models have fully programmable electronic overload protection that meets code requirements. The ability to program the soft starter allows it to bridge the gap between full voltage starting and inverters while maintaining the flexibility of the latter.
Another form of soft starters, motor controllers, use a different approach to bringing the motor to speed in a controlled manner. They use the windings of the transformer to provide a limited supply voltage to the motor for starting, then rely on a run contactor for normal full-speed operation.
Soft Starter Uses and Benefits
1.Can be easily reconfigured
2.Includes monitoring and diagnostics for motor and control protection against voltage spikes, over temperature, under voltage, or internal faults
3.Includes current limiting control for smoother accelerations
4.Can be used in non-reversing and reversing applications
5.Solid state starter models include advance motor protection features, including under load, phase imbalance, and electronic shear pin
6.Includes slow-speed jogging capability for machine/process setup
7.Provides adjustable control of the acceleration ramp
8.Available in hp ranges from 3 to 200 hp at 230V ac, 3 to 1,200 hp at 460V ac, and 5 to 1,400 hp at 575V ac
Soft Starters come in a wide variety sizes. Miniature soft starters are no bigger than a pack of cards. Soft starters also come in large sizes for large size jobs. One of the most common places to find soft starters is on large ocean ships. Ships use soft starters to start their engines, control electrical flow and to start auxuilarly motors such as pumps or air conditioners when they are needed.
For more information about soft starters and their uses please visit http://www.solcon.com
