Static Phase Converters -vs- Rotary Phase Converters -vs- Variable Frequency Drives

[Music] [Applause] what exactly is the difference between a static phase converter a rotary phase converter and a variable frequency drive and how can you pick between these three different options for three-phase power conversion Gavan gear here for making with metal comm that's exactly what we're gonna talk about in this video and I should note that this is a part of a series you're gonna want to check out the first video and post that I published that covers three-phase power fundamentals if you haven't done so how is three-phase power different than single-phase power what do the respective electrical panels and wiring considerations look like and so on and so forth continuing that discussion let's talk about these three different power conversion options starting with the static phase converter what is a static phase converter it's basically a box with some circuitry and capacitors inside it uses capacitors to start a three-phase motor on three-phase power but then that third leg drops off and the motor runs on single-phase power or two legs so you therefore get two thirds of the power you would if you had it connected to three-phase power they are inexpensive and for applications like a table saw where you might have five horsepower and you can totally deal with only having two thirds of that it can be a great solution because it's something you can just tack on to your piece of equipment plug it into the single-phase power and go table saws in a demanding you know type of application for rotational speed consistency or anything like that could be a good solution I looked at static phase converters for the some of my equipment and decided they were not the right solution so how about rotary phase converters rotary phase converters and I'll get more in depth on this on a rotary phase converter technology overview video they use an idler motor and they synthesize a third leg there's a little bit of special math that goes on between l1 and l2 between l2 and l3 and between l3 and l1 they are 120 degrees out of phase with each other which is in perfect balance and what's great about it is they're highly efficient it's a one-time expense you get rotary phase converter you can run multiple pieces of equipment off of it and it's pretty much plug and play I've got three different machines back here I've got Werner Swasey lathe here that has a single three-phase 5 horsepower motor one that at a knock she just repainted it pretty cool piece of equipment huh more content on that was able to plug it right into the AI 20 industrial series rotary phase converter that have from American rotary awesome then I added more equipment I've got a Cincinnati Sonova 80 milling machine back there that machine has three three-phase motors that have a seven and a half horsepower main spindle drive motor it's got a motor in the knee that runs the hydraulics and the power feeds for the X Y Z and then it also has a three-phase coolant pump motor I was able to run that right into my sub panel for the rotary phase converter turn the machine on and go that's a little bit of a work in the progress I'm still working on that machine but super nice to have one clean source of power and to be able to run three three-phase motors in a single machine with that power and then I also have a mil Kearney and trekker Milwaukee two H horizontal milling machine back there that I just got into perfect operating condition it's a World War 2 era machine it has a single three-phase five horsepower motor that runs the spindle and X Y Z power feeds the coolant pump is mechanically driven off of that main motor as well so I've also got another work-in-progress here which is a pedestal grinder that's a horse and a half and it's a three-phase motor as well so what's great about having a rotary phase converter is you can have one solution you can go to auctions you can pick up industrial equipment relatively cheaply usually because it's harder for people to hook up in their homes so sometimes it goes for a bit lower price and then run multiple breakers on a sub panel if you so wish to that kind of thing but there's a third power conversion option that's also compelling and that's the variable frequency drive or VF d what this does is there's two types of VFDs fundamentally one where you have three-phase power coming in normal oscillating three-phase power with the typical sine wave pattern that it has coming in and three-phase power goes out but with an altered wave form it's kind of a square wave that changes the frequency so that you can vary the speed of the motor that's the key thing that VFD has that the other solutions jumped another type of VFD like this one right here takes a single-phase power in and then it synthesizes square wave three-phase power out so you can do essentially the same thing but instead of having to have three-phase power coming in you can have single-phase power coming in I'm gonna use this I had originally purchased this for use with my precision Mathews lathe because I thought I wanted to get a three-phase motor and have it be variable speed but when I looked at the wiring complexity for this lathe what's all of its disconnects and safety switches contactors all that stuff I decided it was a bit too much of a project for me to take on at this point so I ordered it with a single-phase motor and the only downside there is like with all single-phase motors you get a little bit of torque ripple because the it does not have the same sine wave pattern that a three-phase motor has where there's always power going to one of the windings with single-phase power you have that zero point and so you get a little bit of torque ripple so I might upgrade that lathe to three-phase power and use either the rotary phase converter or something like this v FD so if you have to have variable speed then a VFD is a good solution the problem is if you have multiple motors like I do on my Cincinnati sono of 80 you're gonna have to have multiple VFDs or figure something else out so a VFD is optimal for variable speed control with a single motor application you can use multiples of them if you want plug-and-play power I highly suggest looking at a rotary phase converter or great investment the machine just runs off of it the AI 20 is outdoors you don't even hear it in this building and it's weatherproof it's a NEMA 3 enclosure so it I don't have to listen to it I don't even really have to think about it I just turn it on at the beginning of the work session and turn it off a little bit later and if you just need an inexpensive solution a static phase converter is definitely worth a look because they can be had for under hundred dollars and if it's for a non demanding you know application like a table saw it could be a great solution so I hope that gives you a high-level overview of these three different three-phase power conversion technologies and when you'd want to use one solution over another just like anything in life there's trade-offs either way you slice it but I'll remind you that I have a complete write-up on making with metal comm with a bit more information about each of these solutions so if you liked this video give it a thumbs up if you don't want to miss any of the action here in Gavan tube metalworking reloading shooting all of it make sure you subscribed with notifications we've got more 3-phase and rotary phase converter content coming up so I hope that you'll stay tuned and get subscribed thanks to you all until next time happy metalworking [Music] [Applause] you

Channel: gavintoobe

Views: 48,468

Rating: 4.9169025 out of 5

Keywords: Making With Metal, Metalworking Blog, Machining Blog, Metal Lathe, Milling Machine, Vertical Milling Machine, Horizontal Milling Machine, Engine Lathe, South Bend Lathe, Precision Matthews, Grizzly, Gunsmithing, Turning, Welding, Fabrication, Micrometer, Caliper, American Rotary, Rotary Phase Converter, 3 Phase, iGaging, phase converter, variable frequency drive, static phase converter, phase inverter, 3 phase, machine shop, rotary phase converter

Id: 3-9YBY9Xzfs

Length: 8min 20sec (500 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 10 2018