The sphere of machine and factory automation is better known as “Industrial Automation”. Aspects of Industrial Automation include; products, systems and application expertise. Products within industrial automation include; Industrial Networks, Industrial PCs, Vision Systems, Temperature Controllers, Monitoring Systems, PLCs, HMIs, Relays, Timers, Counters, Safety, Motion Control, Servo Drives, Sensors, Frequency Inverters and other industrial components. In the following article I shall be examining frequency inverters, or more precisely Omron’s latest inverters.

Inverters are utilised in the control of the rotational speed of an alternating current electric motor. The the electrical motor’s speed is controlled by measured control of the frequency of its power supply. A wide range of frequency interters are available suitable for a massive selection of industrial applications. Frequency inverter applications include; fans, elevators, pumps, conveyors and machine tool drives (these applications usually use variable frequency drives/VFDs.

When buying motion control products it is common to make sure that you are purchasing the most suitable product at the best cost available. Performance, reliability and longevity are also very important considerations and also worth investigating are the frequency inverter’s overall functionality and suitability for you particular application. Further important things to consider are future expandability and adaptability for changing situations. Of course your first decision will be in regards to which manufacturer (or supplier) is best to deal with and few companies have earned for themselves such a fine reputation as Omron.

Omron is a well established market leader in the areas of industrial automation and electronic components, having in excess of 33,000 employees across 36 different nations. Omron are well represented in Europe with their own European research and production facilities, as well as offering support in every European country, few companies are so well set up to provide servo motors, frequency inverters and other related products.

Frequency inverters are frequently grouped together depending upon which type of application for which they are suited, for example; pumps and fans, lifts and cranes and also general purpose inverters. Omron manufacture a selection of inverters, perfected for all the applications mentioned, to the British market, the most recent frequency inverters, the JX, RX and MX2, examined below.

The Omron MX2 inverter drive is an advanced motor and machine control unit using incredibly fast CPU’s to process advanced algorithms to provide extremely precise control down to zero speed. The Omron MX2 inverter is available up to 15kW and it features two hundred percent starting torque. Other crucially important features include; logic programming, PM & IM Motor control and integrated Omron Machine Automation. It’s available for 400v three phase, 200v three phase and 200v single phase.

The Omron RX inverter is well-known for its excellent quality and reliability. This general purpose frequency inverter has stunning features with built in application functionality which makes it absolutely perfect for a wide selection of applications. The RX inverter drive has; built-in EMC Filter, logic programmability, Micro-surge voltage suppression, automatic energy saving and Modbus RS485 with various other interfaces for other networks. It’s available for 400v three phase and 200v three phase.

The Omron JX frequency inverter is an incredibly popular choice. The JX inverter features RFI filter built in, integrated communications making the drive great for a wide selection of basic applications. The JX features; a second motor setting, micro-surge voltage suppression, RS485 Modbus, Omron machine automation, automatic energy saving and PTC thermistor input. It’s available up to 7.5 Kw for 400v three phase, 200v three phase and 200v single phase.

The 3 above Omron drives are just a handful of those available models and all available in a wide selection of configurations. Whichever the application Omron inverter drives are more than suitable and will exceed your expectations. Well regarded for their excellence and longevity these inverter drives are frequently among the 1st choice with those in the field of industrial automation. Often, additional advice is required in making the final decision when buying an inverter drive and I advise strongly that you talk about your specific requirements with an Omron frequency inverter specialist, such as Goodwin Electronics in in Great Britain.