Think future. Switch to green.

http://catalog.moeller.net

Author: Dipl.-Ing.Volker Busch

Innovations thatimmediately standout: compared tothe previous productseries, the new gen-eration of Moeller’scontactors andmotor starters hassome striking fea-tures. An extremelylow power consump-tion or direct actua-tion from PLC out-puts without the useof coupling relaysare tangible andnoteworthy benefits.Double box termi-nals, coil terminalsarranged on thefront and pluggablefunction modulesbenefit the practicalelectrician above all.

Special Publication

Contactor and Motor Starter Generation:Moeller Raises The Standard

IEE_Titel_SDR_Moeller_engl.qxd 03.06.2004 15:30 Uhr Seite 1

A contactor alone is far from sufficient to be competitive in switching and pro-tective applications. Motor starters that are suitable for use worldwide are just as necessary as the corresponding motor-protective circuit-breakers, con-tactor relays and overload relay. The market segments for both fuseless and fused solutions need to be covered equally, and this applies both to the IEC and to the CSA/UL world. Customers do not want development steps that are too large, even though sufficient free-dom should be ensured for innovative product differentiation. The new NZM1 circuit-breaker is an ad-dition to the xStart system and rounds off the selection of motor starters in the current range up to 150 A. Contactor re-lays and contactors up to 65 A are avail-able initially, together with motor-pro-tective circuit-breakers and overload re-lays. Ready-to-connect motor starters,

either for top-hat rail mounting or for busbar adapters, are added to the range of components. A motor-protec-tive circuit-breaker up to 16 A with con-ventional pushbutton actuation has also been returned to the range. The motor-protective circuit-breakers are available in plastic enclosures for single mounting and with mounting plates for machine mounting.

Less width – more space – more value

Space for control panels at machines is often limited, and the width of the con-trol panel is mostly a critical factor. Moeller has therefore reduced its number of variants from seven to four frame sizes with three different widths (45 mm up to 32 A, 55 mm up to 65 A and 90 mm up to 150 A). The smallest size for contactor relays and contactors

Volker, Busch, head of product marketing for motor starters, Business Unit Motor Starters and Drives, Moeller GmbH, Bonn

49th Year 2004, No. 3

Contactor and Motor Starter Generation

Raising the standard

Moeller's core area of expertise is the source of a comprehensive range of switching and motor protection solutions. Having upgraded all higher rated contactors (DIL M) and circuit-breakers (NZM and IZM) in recent years, Moeller has now updated its versatile contactors and motor starters in the strategically most important range up to 150 A. With innovations such as electronically-controlled DC drives and a clever connection design, Moeller has raised the standard considerably higher for its competitors.

offers an ideal compromise between minimum dimensions, outstanding physical properties and additional handling benefits. The wide range of applications and suit-ability for worldwide use call for differ-ent operating voltages and frequencies, as well as requiring both AC and DC magnet systems for reliable contact op-eration. Thanks to Moeller's extensive engineering know-how, new standards could also be set with its magnet sys-tems for this new contactor generation. Based on the contactors in the current range above 150 A; the new contactor generation now features DC drives with which the energy is electronically adapted to the actual power required.

Innovative features of the Xstart contactor and motor starter generation provide unmistakable benefits in mounting and operation

TITLE STORYDRIVE SYSTEMS

49th Year 2004, No. 3

COMPACT

xStart Contactor and Motor Starter Range

Motor protection and power swit-ching is without doubt one of Mo-eller's core areas of expertise, and has enjoyed a long tradition in the company. This will now be continu-ed with this new generation of con-tactors and motor starters. Alt-hough very little seems to have changed on the outside, appearan-ces can be deceptive: Standard magnet systems with electronics ensure very low power consumpti-on, enabling direct switching via PLC outputs without coupling re-lays, and offering greater safety in the event of undervoltage. Double box terminals, coil terminals arran-ged on the front and pluggable function modules are further tangi-ble benefits.

Low sealing power eliminates the need for coupling relays

This solution, which is now being used in the lower rating range for the first time, offers several customer benefits. For example, contactors with DC and AC operation have the same geometrical design. This considerably reduces the width of the contactors to the width of a protective switch. Auxiliary contact elements are furthermore already inte-

grated in the basic devices. The power balance of the magnet systems and the ratio of the switched effective power to the required auxiliary power are con-siderably improved. For all contactor magnet systems with a rated current between 12 and 150 A or a rating of 75 kW the DC sealing power is only 0.5 – 1.5 Watts. All DC magnet systems are also provided with an integrated sup-pressor. The voltage tolerance, for example of 24 V drives for DC operated contactors, is much greater than is required by the standards and ensures effective protection in the event of undervoltage and overvoltage. More-over, due to the low power consump-tion of DC operated contactors up to 32 A, they can be switched directly via the outputs of the PLC, eliminating the need for coupling relays which were previously required. Another highlight is the compliance of these contactors with the latest US requirements from the semiconductor industry (SEMI F47, Semiconductor Equipment and Materi-als International), as the required bridg-ing of voltage dips is even achieved without the need for additional mod-ules. AC and DC contactors can also be used in combination. The reduced mounting depth of DC operated contactors brings benefits when mounted in small and special enclosures. Width reduction and adaption to the width of the protective switches now ensures an optimised layout in the control panel. Motor starters up to 15 kW can now be fitted on 45 mm wide rail adapters. Up to now, some contactor manufac-turers offer a second series of so-called

interface contactors in addition to their standard series. These interface contac-tors can be switched directly from a PLC due to their low pickup and sealing power, thus eliminating the need for coupling relays. As the new Xstart con-tactors up to 32 A can also be controlled directly from a PLC, this second product series is no longer necessary. This saves costs both in logistics and stockkeeping. A new magnet system for contactors above 12 A has made this possible. The new magnet system is now supported electronically so that its power con-sumption is adapted to the power required by the contacts. The power requirement of the contacts is greater on closing than when in a closed posi-tion. The power adjustment increases the lifespan of the contacts at the same time, since contact bounce caused by the discharge of excess energy is con-siderably reduced.

Integrated suppressor circuit

A further benefit of the new magnet systems is the integrated suppressor cir-cuit. This reduces the transient voltage peaks of the drive coils to a level that is not detrimental, so that an external suppressor is no longer needed. Ter-minal design is a subject for everyone involved with switchgear since manual work is very time consuming and there-fore very costly. Box terminals with two separate chambers ensure the necessary terminal force, even with different cross sections. This reliable connection design is used consistently with all contactors up to 400 A, with the higher rated

DRIVE SYSTEMS

Electronics inside: The electronic magnet systems ensure a wide voltage range and low sealing power

Auxiliary contacts for control circuits are already integrated

Double box terminals ensure secure cable fastening – even with different cross sections

motor-protective circuit-breakers and with many other circuit-breaker types. The screwless spring-loaded terminals provided on the motor-protective cir-cuit-breakers up 16 A have separate openings for two conductors each. Since the main current wiring on con-trol panels is normally first imple-mented with thicker and rigid cross sec-tions, the preferred coil terminals also ensure more effective wiring.

Motor-protective circuit-breakers – for flexible switching and protection

PKZ is synonymous worldwide with the motor-protective circuit-breaker, and in the new xStart product system, Moeller has reintroduced the popular pushbut-ton actuation for the PKZM01 (up to 16 A), in addition to the popular rotary drive. The mounted mushroom head pushbutton for emergency-stop actu-ation on simple machines has also been reintroduced. PKZs can either be used in an insulated surface mounting enclos-ure offering a high degree of protec-tion, or mounted directly in the ma-chine or equipment enclosure using a mounting plate. Devices with rotary drives are recom-mended for use in control panels. Moeller has increased the current range of the PKZM0 to 32 A. So that users can easily combine the motor-protective cir-cuit-breaker with contactors, all motor starters up to 15 kW at 400 V come in a standard 45 mm width, the ideal design width for rail mounting and mounting on busbar adapters.

PKZ motor-protective circuit-breakers are increasingly being used with decen-tralised systems as main switches or as main current emergency-stop switches. Door coupling handles with door inter-locks are also available for mounting in control panels. Shaft extensions with a centered guide simplify adaption to dif-ferent control panel depths. The PKZM4 can now protect motors up to 65 A. The associated DILM65 contactors now have the same width as the switch, and the contactor width has been reduced by 20 percent.

Combinations without wiring thanks to plug-in modules

xStart drastically reduces mounting and wiring times by allowing standard com-

ponents and motor starters to be com-bined without any tools – quickly and without the possibility of installation errors. On DOL starters, users simply click components together instead of fastening cables with six screws. On re-versing starters, the time consuming wiring of 23 terminal points such as with paralleling or reversing links is no longer necessary. The modular xStart combination plug connector offers the user an optional neutral interface between the standard PKZM0 motor-protective circuit-break-ers and DILM contactors in the current range up to 12 A – without any addi-tional costs. This optional interface con-tacts the corresponding auxiliary and main poles on the switches. In a first step, electrical connector mod-ules based on the combination plug connector design are on offer. This makes it possible, for example, to im-plement a DOL starter consisting of the PKZM0 motor-protective circuit-break-er and the DILM contactor. A contact module based on a combination plug connector provides the electrical con-nection between the motor-protective circuit-breaker and the contactor. The switchgear and controlgear assembly can be fitted on a mounting rail with-out the need for an adapter. In the second step, Moeller will launch function modules on the market that will cover a number of applications such as timer, thermistor protection and net-working modules. etc. (ku) �

The coil terminals (A1 and A2) arranged next to the load contacts simplify wiring

The reduced sealing power enables direct activation of the contactors without coupling relays, and allows the use of small power supply units

The PKZM01 motor-protective circuit-breaker as a small circuit-breaker with pushbutton actuation for motor on/off switching

49th Year 2004, No. 3

Holding capacity reduced with DC contactors

VER

120

0+21

00-9

36 G

B A

rtic

el N

o. 2

85 2

82

100 %

DRIVE SYSTEMS