AC Drives

You may not hear the word “AC drive (also called inverter)” so often, but in fact, it is an indispensable product that supports our daily lives. It is widely used in household appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators as well as in social infrastructures such as elevators, escalators, trains, cranes, fans, and pumps, and also in factories that manufacture printing machinery, textile machinery, rubber machinery, and other materials. In a simple term, AC drive or interchangeably inverter is a device that controls the rotation speed of a motor. Since the motor is controlled as needed so that it does not rotate more than necessary, power consumption is much lower than when the motor alone is used to operate the equipment. This results in energy saving and CO₂ reduction.
Since 1974, when Yaskawa shipped the world’s first a small general-purpose transistor inverter (AC drive), total shipments of AC drive reached 30 million units in 2021. We have developed many world’s first technologies such as vector control, digital control, IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) drive, and AC/AC conversion. These technologies have become widely accepted as the de facto standard, making life more convenient for people around the world and contributing to increased productivity and energy conservation at factories.
Let us introduce how AC drive (inverter) helps people in their daily lives.

Applications in which AC Drives Work

Elevator

AC drive’s (inverter’s) “Soft Start/Soft Stop” functions support comfortable riding in elevators, which are essential for convenient lifestyles.

Escalator

AC drive (inverter) adjusts the acceleration and deceleration speed to start moving slowly or to stop safely so that passengers do not fall down.

Air-conditioning fan

Air conditioning equipment is essential for creating comfortable spaces. AC drive (inverter) controls the rotation speed of the motor and adjusts the air flow to reduce power consumption.

Conveyor

AC drive’s (inverter’s) smooth acceleration and deceleration prevents the collapse of cargo on a conveyor that moves items from right to left.

Pump

AC drive (inverter) adjusts the flow rate of pumps used in electric power, steel, chemical plants, and other facilities by controlling the rotational speed of the motors.

Food machine

AC drive (inverter) can easily change the rotation direction by simply changing an external signal (rotation command). We can apply that function to food machines.

Crane/Automatic warehouse

Even in cranes and automated warehouses, where baggages move a lot, AC drive (inverter) supports frequent start/stop and moves them flexibly.

Oil & Gas

Shale oil gas is attracting attention with the development of new drilling methods. AC drive (inverter) is also used for the equipment that drives this.

Product lineup

General purpose AC Drive (inverter)

In addition to the evolution of control technology that maximizes motor efficiency, we offer a variety of general purpose AC drive (inverter) models equipped with new functions, including minimization of initial investment by incorporating peripheral functions, prior detection of abnormalities through data collection and analysis, and operation and maintenance management together with cloud environment. We also provide a wide range of support tools that are easy to use to help customers increase their total added value.

Specific purpose AC Drive (inverter)

We offer 2 types of specific purpose such as a crane with CR700 and an elevator with L1000A. These will contribute to the reduction of tact time and the improvement of quality by enhancing exclusive functions for the high-performance AC drive (inverter) packed with Yaskawa’s technology.

AC Drive (inverter) for systems

The FSDrive-LV1H series combines high-performance, high-function, space-saving, maintenance-saving and RAS functions, lining up from small to large capacity as well as providing an optimal variable-speed system regardless of whether a system is newly installed or updated.

Regenerative energy saving unit

Power regeneration refers to returning the power generated by the motor to the power supply. The returned energy can be used as the power source for further energy savings.
Yaskawa has a lineup to realize the scaled down equipment size and reduced power supply harmonics, which can affect surrounding machines.