Schneider Electric Starter Contactors
Schneider Electric's starter contactors, including the well-known TeSys Deca series, provide dependable motor control in a variety of industrial applications. These contactors are offered in both NEMA and IEC configurations, so you have flexibility in size, power rating, and installation options. They are engineered to handle starting, stopping, and protection of motors with more precision than ever before, mostly because the coil technology in the contactors has advanced to the point that the operation is more efficient than it ever was in the past.
The TeSys Deca series of contactors boasts a mechanical life of 10 million operations, so you know they're tough. The contactors are simple to wire into motor control circuits. All of the model options include external auxiliary contacts that can be wired into the motor control logic to perform nearly any function you'd want a contactor to perform. In addition to standard models, Schneider Electric offers control relay options that can use either a DC or an AC power supply.
FAQs
Do Schneider Electric IEC contactors and motor starters come in non-reversing models?
Yes, Schneider Electric IEC contactors and motor starters are available in non-reversing models for efficient motor control and protection.
Motor Control Basics
Motor control allows operational control of electrical motors in various environments.
Motor control circuits provide a safe way to operate electrical motors. Back when motor control circuits were in their infancy, it would have been common to see a simple disconnect switch that would be used to turn on and off a motor. Depending on the size of the motor and how much voltage was required, operating this disconnect would have been dangerous, with a very high possibility of arcing or electrocution. Not to mention that when the disconnect was actuated, the large amount of inrush current would have damaged the motor over time.
In today's motor control circuits, there are a few common pieces of hardware.
A circuit breaker is used to protect the motor and any hardware downstream. A contactor and an overload relay are connected together and function in tandem to allow for remote and safe operation of the motor. The contactor functions much like a relay, allowing for a smaller electrical circuit to remotely close the motor contacts, starting the motor. The overload relay is designed to protect the motor in the case of a prolonged overcurrent event. These two devices are wired in series, so that if the overload relay detects an overcurrent event, the contactor will open the motor contacts, shutting off power to the motor.
The other two most common types of motor control hardware are a soft starter and a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD).
Both of these devices function in a similar way to the motor circuit with some added functions. The soft starter is designed to reduce large inrush current to the motor upon startup. This “soft starting” of the motor will prolong its life and allow for safer operation. The VFD performs the soft start functions, but also allows for speed control of the motor. This speed control is critical in many different environments and has made VFDs one of the most common and safe to use motor control circuits today.