Eaton Starter Contactors
Eaton designs starter contactors that are reliable for various industrial applications, and they do a great job controlling and protecting motors. This company's solutions cover both reversing and non-reversing motor operations; therefore, starter contactors produced by Eaton are suitable for a range of industrial applications. These contactors come with overload relays that guarantee motor protection from excessive currents.
Eaton offers both NEMA and IEC contactors to ensure that its motor control systems can be used anywhere in the world. The company's solid-state options are for applications that require advanced performance; they offer an outstanding level of precision for controlling motors throughout their speed-torque range and at any point in their starting or stopping sequence. That means they're really good for high-demand application situations, where things require real-time control and the actual performance of the controlling components is right at the top of the range they can achieve. Eaton's combination motor controllers integrate control and protection in one package and take up less space than a pair of standalone devices would.
Products
More Information about Eaton Starter Contactors
Eaton offers a range of non-reversing and reversing contactors and starters as well as overload relays and accessories. The Eaton XTCE line includes a large offering of power control components and accessories that cover a broad range of applications and ratings.
FAQs
What are the core features of Eaton three phase non-reversing contactors?
The core features of Eaton three-phase non-reversing contactors include reliable motor control, overload protection, compact design for space-saving, and compatibility with various industrial motor control systems.
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.