Smd drives have cut the cost of replacement by half for a seized packaging conveyor control system as well as increasing flexibility of the line thanks to finer speed control.

Smd drives have cut the cost of replacement by half for a seized packaging conveyor control system at the Seven Seas manufacturing plant in Hull. Other benefits include increased flexibility of the line thanks to finer speed control. The popularity of cod liver oil has increased since the development of effective capsules and recent clinical trials that have corroborated traditionally held beliefs that it can improve joint health.

Seven Seas is a leading over the counter healthcare brand in the UK and has produced cod liver oil for over 70 years; part of the packaging process involves shrink-wrapping the finished product carton.

The speed of the conveyor is crucial to product consistency and when a manually operated friction variator seized, the unit could not be saved and had to be replaced.

Local power transmission specialist Swan Industrial Drives suggested a Lenze SMD drive as an alternative; the unit turned out to be extremely cost effective and would undoubtedly be more efficient.

Alex Cormack, production engineering manager at Seven Seas said, 'Not only is the drive a cheaper alternative, but also it was easily incorporated into our existing machine'.

'We were able to mount it in the existing panel due to the fact that smd's are so small and wire a simple potentiometer for instant fine speed control.' Lenze introduced the smd range of AC drives in order to bring inverter drive functionality and efficiency to a wider range of simple motor control applications.

The smd drives provide a perfect solution by breaking through the existing price barrier for AC drives while retaining high functionality and offering easy to use features.

Over 50,000 smd units have been produced to date and stock is now held in 20 countries worldwide.

Sales, set to double in 2004, would also suggest that their market instincts were correct.

Power ratings for the existing smd range are from 0.25kW to 22kW and include a range of single and three phase voltage options to support both domestic applications and export sales.

The smd series also features the innovative new EPM memory chip that can cut programming and service time by 90% for OEM manufacturers and systems integrators.