Powering three-phase skiver motor

[Digit]

Hi all,

I've just bought an old bell skiver (Fortuna) powered by a three-phase clutch motor. I don't have three-phase power at home, so now I'm looking at possible options to get this machine running.

Option one: replace the clutch motor with a servo. This comes with the downside of losing the vintage esthetics and the need to get the servo motor speed-calibrated correctly.

Option two: buy a variable frequency drive (VFD) to convert single-phase to three-phase to power the motor. This also loses a little bit of the vintage esthetic, but the VFD can be hidden under the bench more easily I guess.
For this option I have two directions to go in. The clutch motor states 220/380V, so that means it can be hooked up to either a three-phase 220V supply when connected in Delta, or to a three-phase 380V supply when connected in Wye.
Searching for VFDs I find both 1p/220V-to-3p/220V units and 1p/220V-to-3p/380V units. When I use the former I'd have to connect the motor in Delta, when I use the latter I need to connect it in Wye.
Does one or the other have a preference? Can VFDs be used for either Delta or Wye connection or do they assume one of the two?

[Cumberland Highpower]

I am curious, are clutch motors an easy thing to find in Belgium?  If they are, why not just change it to something single phase?

I've probably purchased maybe 20 machines so far that were set up for 3ph clutch motors, and on almost every one of those, I swapped the 3ph motor for a single phase.

Used Clutch motors here are usually $20-50. In the US that makes them cheaper on the used market than a good VFD, and you don't have to do any work around other than a little with the wiring.

Most motors like that are designed for delta on the lower and Wye on the higher voltages.  You're not planning to install on 380v are you?  I'm guessing not?

Your VFD will wire up as a delta 220v.

Every 3phase machine I have that didn't get converted by a motor swap is run off of a rotary phase converter, wired delta.   Everything from Clickers, to Band Skivers, Belt cutting machines, CNC stitchers, bell skivers, etc. Often several at once.

You could also just add a capacitor to your motor and effectively convert it to run on single phase, but it's been a long time since I've done that so you'll have to research..

Some factory built machines come like that, for example my FAV bell skiver has a 3ph motor with a run and start capacitor added to make it "insta" single phase).

There are ready made static converters that do the same thing, they're just a box with capcitors and your motor would run at 2/3 power once it starts up. Static converters seem to be fading away with the VFD being around.

 

 

[Dwight]

Toss the esthetics out the window . . . get a cap start single phase motor . . . and go to work.

Quickest . . . cheapest . . . and actually THE best way . . . as there are downsides to ANY other option . . . and the only down side to this one is you haven't done it yet.

May God bless,

Dwight