Schneider Electric Motors
Two families of Schneider Electric motors are crafted to bring top-class performance across a broad spectrum of industrial applications—each characterized by high power density and signature speed. Schneider Electric refers to them as servo-motor "families" due to the array of options you can select from within each group and because of their shared application philosophy and design principles. The best thing about these motors is that they generate a very high torque-current in comparison with their size and weight, making them the ideal solution for those who want to save as much space as possible when building their machines.
Schneider Electric integrates unique, proprietary safety aspects into their servo motors and drives. This is seen in the integrated safety functions like STO and SLS. The benefit of this is the promise that the application for this product will almost certainly achieve the paramount aim of providing for the protection of the people who are installing, using, and maintaining the machine in which our motor/drive is being placed. And moreover, the footprint of the machine will be reduced because the powerful, easy-to-install, and easy-to-integrate motor/drive will absolutely require fewer complementary components to make it work in a system.
Motor Starters, Soft Starters & VFDs
Motor Starters
Motor starters safely start and stop a motor in industrial applications. They are designed with a contactor, overload and circuit protection. They are used when basic motor control is required, where torque on the motor is not a concern and speed control is not needed. The advantages of motor starters include: lower cost, allows for remote operation, allows for monitoring of motor state (with the use of auxiliary contacts) and they are safe and efficient. The disadvantages include: high inrush current that can cause fuses to blow and breakers to trip if the inrush is too high, and the starter will allow a full torque to start the motor which can cause the motor to ramp up to full speed very quickly potentially causing the motor to wear and degrade prematurely.
Soft Starters
Soft starters protect motors from inrush current by gently ramping up the motor to full speed. They provide all of the same functions as a traditional motor starter. The advantages of soft starters include: they are less expensive than a VFD when only startup control is needed, they are a smaller system than a VFD where space is a concern and they prevent unwanted torque upon startup, prolonging the life of the motor. The disadvantages include: they are more expensive than a traditional motor starter and they do not allow for full speed control.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) allow for the slow ramp up of a motor during startup and the slowing down of the motor during shutdown. They also allow for full speed control during the entire run cycle of the motor. VFDs provide the same functions as both the traditional motor starters and soft starters. The advantages of VFDs include: full speed control (start, stop and in-between), more custom control and monitoring, energy savings due to efficient motor usage and less wear and tear on the motors. The disadvantages include: they are more expensive and larger than other motor control options and they generate heat that may require fans or AC units.