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An inside view of international standards
Within the context of a diminishing role for national standards, Jon Severn discusses the influence of international standardisation with Ronnie Amit, the general secretary and chief executive officer of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
PC shipments rise to 69.9m units
Intel adds momentum; AMD makes long-term gains in Q1 microprocessor market, according to iSuppli Corp
Surging demand for valves and actuators
Rising demand from diverse process industries supports steady growth in global valves and actuators market
Electric motors and gearboxes may never look the same again
Jon Severn meets Justin Levine, the managing director of Parvalux Electric Motors,  the man for whom design is a mainstay of his strategy to rejuvenate the company
Bi-stable displays gain momentum
Despite LCD dominance, opportunities remain for emerging display technologies
Airlines assess carbon costs
Only around 40 per cent of the 20 carriers surveyed currently monitor and report emissions data, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Variable speed drives now rated up to 530kW

Mitsubishi Electric is expanding its F700 series of variable speed drives for electric motors with 15 larger sizes up to 530kW.

At the 2005 launch the range ran from 0.7kW to 55kW, the most popular sizes for OEM and end-user applications. The range now covers virtually every likely use for drives in fields as diverse as manufacturing, HVAC, utilities, wind tunnels and commercial kitchen appliances.

The FR-F700 features both optimum excitation control and optimum torque patterns so the drive is always giving maximum performance and efficiency to the load. It has redefined energy efficiency expectations since its initial launch. It is able to automatically optimise energy usage for every possible load profile. For instance, some materials, such as batter, can change their viscosity when being mixed and the F700 can detect this and constantly re-optimise its settings to follow the changing conditions.
Other features of the F700 include ease of commissioning, a predictive maintenance monitor, high-level connectivity to control systems and tripless reliability. Additionally, a flux vector option is available for applications requiring high levels of dynamic control.

The enhanced energy savings can provide up to 12percent extra savings compared with other drives, which is significant in pump and fan applications where an oversized motor has to be fitted to allow very occasional peak conditions. Actual energy savings can be monitored via the front panel, which can display the power, per centage or cumulative energy saving in kilowatt/hours or local currency. This information can be downloaded via the communication network to a central location. 

For more information, visit www.mitsubishi-automation.co.uk