The new TPD500 AC/DC converter offers improved connectivity and easy configuration
WEG, a leading manufacturer of motors, frequency converters, and gearheads, has expanded its integrated WEGmotion Drives range to offer a new AC/DC converter that improves connectivity, performance, and safety. The TPD500 integrates seamlessly into Ethernet-based fieldbus systems, enabling remote control and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The converter is ideal for a variety of applications, including industrial lifting, metalworking, cable cars, test benches, plastics and rubber processing, electromagnet control, mining elevators, amusement parks, and electrolysis processes.
The TPD500 combines full compatibility with its predecessor with improved performance thanks to greater accuracy, precision, and resolution in current and speed control. These features make the converter ideal for retrofits and new installations.
The TPD500 is compatible with popular communication protocols, including Profinet, Ethernet-IP, Modbus TCP, and EtherCAT. The drive communicates seamlessly with external devices via Wi-Fi wireless connection or remote access via an IoT gateway.
Flexible installation options and ease of use enable quick and easy installation in a variety of industrial applications. Users can develop customized machine control applications using WEG DriveLogic, WEG's programming environment based on the IEC 61131-1 standard. An intuitive programming keypad with an LCD screen allows users to access numerous parameters and variables.
The keypad can be positioned on the drive or on the control cabinet door, depending on application needs. Users can access menus and parameters locally or remotely via the WEG DriveLabs configuration software.
WEG DriveLabs allows for quick configuration of multiple drives in parallel. An app version of this tool, WEG DriveTouch, will be available later this year, taking its intuitiveness and ease of use to an even higher level, even on mobile devices and tablets.
Another key feature of the TPD500 is its integrated safety functions, including STO (Safe Torque Off) and SBC (Safe Brake Control).
"The new TPD500 AC/DC converter is part of our WEGmotion drive portfolio, which provides original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators with a complete motion solution for maximum efficiency and reliability," explained Umberto Del Grande, head of product marketing at WEG Automation Europe. "The improved performance, combined with flexible connectivity and configuration options, allows us to increasingly address the DC motor control needs of a variety of new and existing industrial applications."
The TPD500 range includes 2B/4B armature converters with two- and four-quadrant configurations and twelve-pulse parallel and series bridges. Thanks to their many standard and user-customizable functions, these converters are suitable for various industrial sectors, including lifting, mining, metals, rubber and plastics, paper, and entertainment.
The TPD500-FC version is designed to power highly inductive loads such as electromagnets, chokes, synchronous motor excitation field circuits, and galvanic applications. The series also includes the TPD500-CU control unit, ideal for controlling any commercially available external power bridge. The control unit implements all the control systems required to complete an armature converter, such as snubber filters, field regulators, and regulation cards, allowing for simple and immediate customization of the power structure.