We’re excited to announce that the Atlas Copco Neos inverter drive has been named a finalist for 2014 Product of the Year by Plant Engineering. For 27 years, Plant Engineering’s Product of the Year competition has celebrated innovative product development by identifying and honoring the best new products in the manufacturing industry.
A Robust Inverter Drive for Heavy-Duty Applications
The Neos is a compact and reliable inverter drive that is designed to operate exclusively with Atlas Copco’s variable speed drive compressors in heavy-duty applications. Whereas traditional drives are typically designed for light duty applications with quadratic torque curves, the Neos drive was designed specifically for the VSD compressor, which requires a constant torque. This allows the VSD compressor to meet the demands of heavy duty applications.
The robust design allows the drive to operate at continuous full load, until 122°F ambient/140°F de-rated, in the dustiest, hottest and dirtiest working conditions. An IP5x-rated enclosure greatly reduces the risk of drive failure by blocking the introduction of outside contaminants into the electronic drive, while simplified controls cater to the specific needs of an air compressor application.
Why Design a New Drive for the VSD Compressor?
While off-the-shelf inverters are designed to work with a variety of equipment, they are not optimized to work with VSD compressors, which require constant torque. Off-the-shelf inverters also come with superfluous features. The Neos Drive includes everything a VSD compressor needs and nothing more; it is stripped down to the essentials, making it compact, reliable and completely integrated.
Because the Neos Drive is designed and manufactured by Atlas Copco, we control the availability of spare parts. That means more reliability and a quicker turnaround when an operation needs a replacement.
Cast a Vote for Your Favorite Product of the Year
The Neos will be competing against the best new products in the industry for 2014 Product of the Year. Voting began on Nov. 13 and will continue until Jan. 9, 2015; those who buy and/or specify products for the plant floor are eligible to vote. Be on the lookout for your November issue of Plant Engineering magazine to read about the products vying for this year’s title, or view the products online and vote for your favorite.
The Neos drive is the result of collaboration between our engineers and our long-time electronics providers, combining many years of experience and knowledge of energy-efficient compressor technology. The Neos drive is currently available in all new compressors in the 50-125 hp range of oil-injected screw compressors with variable speed drive. In addition, older Atlas Copco compressors can be retrofitted with the new drive.
If you’d like to learn more about the compressors featuring the new technology, visit the product page of the GA 30-90 VSD or contact us.
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