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We stock high HP drives, fractional HP drives, and everything between.

What is an AC Variable Frequency Drive? 

The most common use of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) is for the control of motors, pumps, fans, and compressors. Motor drives are referred to by many names: variable speed drive, adjustable speed drive, AFD, frequency drive, inverter, AC Drive, motor drive, vector drive, and others. They all control motor speed and/or torque by varying the frequency and voltage of the power supply to the electric motor.  Our systems engineering department brief you on how a VFD works, the expected life of a VFD, how to control your motor speed with a VFD, how to control motor torque with a VFD, and the way to calculate the energy costs savings of using a VFD

Using VFDs has proven to save energy and optimizes the operation and wear on motors and other applications relying on electric motors. Motors are stressed when they required to be “turned on” full speed and stopped suddenly. Think about your air conditioner unit at your house; it starts at full speed and many times the lights in your house may dim from the sudden inflow of electricity to start the compressor at full speed. A VFD has the capacity to ramp-up or down a motor during a start or a stop, decreasing the mechanical stress on the motor and avoiding spikes of electricity use.

Featured VFD Products

Yaskawa Electric

Yaskawa

Headquartered in Japan with a drives assembly plant in the United States, the company is one of the biggest manufacturers of AC inverter drives, servo and motion control, and robotics automation systems. Extremely low failure rate, and rare to ever fail out of the box. Yaskawa drives offers solutions to various end-user industries, including automotive, building automation, chemical/petrochemical, food and beverage, machine tool, plastics and rubber, material handling, packaging, pharmaceutical, and textile industries. Innovative-IDM keep in stock on the shelf Yaskawa VFDs up to 500hp and many smaller drives. 

Most recently, Yaskawa introduced the GA500 Industrial AC Microdrive. It’s engineered to help you easily handle nearly any application. Sustainability, flexibility, and ease of use are all designed into the drive, helping you make complicated tasks simple. Offering intuitive interaction and world-class quality, the GA500 is the drive you can count on for constant, high-quality performance.

ABB

ABB Drives

The company has an extensive product portfolio involving electrification, industrial automation, motion, robotics, & discrete automation. For instance, in April 2019, ABB launched the ACH580 series of variable frequency drives that are designed for smart buildings. We can help you pick out any ABB low- and medium-voltage drive for your application.

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