I have a drill press as in the image below, it runs from 110V AC 60Hz and has internal belt reduction. Unfortunately however for some materials and hole widths, I need it to go even slower than It's been built for. Is it possible to drive the motors in such a way that I can slow it even more without losing significant torque?(for example on a lower frequency higher voltage )
I can build a custom inverter if necessary. I'd like to avoid mechanical modifications if possible.
Answer
You probably have a single-phase induction motor. Variable speed is done all the time with 3-phase induction motors for industrial applications. The device that controls the speed is called a Variable Frequency Drive or VFD. Like it sounds, a VFD varies the frequency of the AC that drives the motor, and the motor changes speed accordingly.
Look at some industrial supply places to see if you can find a VFD with single-phase in and out. Once you get the hang of what's there, buy one from ebay so that you don't get the 100x markup of a new one.
Also note that a motor has to be over-built to some extent to handle a VFD running slower than its native line frequency. Those that aren't over-built will still work, but they may overheat more easily because the internal fan doesn't work so well at lower speeds.
No comments:
Post a Comment