Looking for a VFD for my drill press

[383 240z]

a while ago I bought a 1941 Delta 17" drill press. I have been slowly taking it apart and cleaning, painting it. A buddy of mine stopped by and said he has a motor I can have for it. It's a 3 HP 3 phase motor. So now I'm looking at VFD's my knowledge of AC is pretty limited. How do I size one of these? Any good brands to look out for? Any to stay away from? I see tons of them on eBay like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trane-TR1-S...867?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41867169eb Am I on the right track? Keith

 

[laser3kw]

It's a 3 HP 3 phase motor

are you going to power it with three phase power or single phase?
If you have three phase, use a VFD rated for the hp of the motor.
If you are going to power the VFD with single phase 220v to develop three phase 220 out to the motor, normally, the rule of thumb is double the hp of the VFD .
But if you double 3 hp you would need a 6 hp. I don't think you would find one. A 5hp VFD would work well. You would never load the VFD hard enough to demand the full 5 hp capacity of the VFD. And 5 hp VFD are common and are cheap.
When you wire the VFD with singe phase, connect the 220 to L1 & L2 and DO NOT connect ANYTHING to L3. Connect your ground to the chassis ground of the VFD.
I would not use the one you linked.
My preference is Yaskawa VFD. There are many good manufactures.

 

[Norcal]

are you going to power it with three phase power or single phase?
If you have three phase, use a VFD rated for the hp of the motor.
If you are going to power the VFD with single phase 220v to develop three phase 220 out to the motor, normally, the rule of thumb is double the hp of the VFD .
But if you double 3 hp you would need a 6 hp. I don't think you would find one. A 5hp VFD would work well. You would never load the VFD hard enough to demand the full 5 hp capacity of the VFD. And 5 hp VFD are common and are cheap.
When you wire the VFD with singe phase, connect the 220 to L1 & L2 and DO NOT connect ANYTHING to L3. Connect your ground to the chassis ground of the VFD.
I would not use the one you linked.
My preference is Yaskawa VFD. There are many good manufactures.

There are many VFD's around rated for a 3 HP motor & a single phase input, the single phase models do not require derating, it is larger models where a 50% derating is required & 3HP & smaller VFD's can be bought for a reasonable price I bought one for less then $200 shipped. Stay away from cheap no-name Chinese models if want any tech support you won't get any.

BTW, 220 volts went away before the second world war, US power companies supply 240 volts, in parts of the world where 220 volts still exists it is 50 Hertz & one line is hot & the other is the neutral.

 

[laser3kw]

There are many VFD's around rated for a 3 HP motor & a single phase input, the single phase models do not require derating, it is larger models where a 50% derating is required & 3HP & smaller VFD's can be bought for a reasonable price I bought one for less then $200 shipped. Stay away from cheap no-name Chinese models if want any tech support you won't get any.

true on all points.
I tend to forget about the newer stuff aimed at that end of the spectrum. The stuff I am accustom to is normally 5 hp and larger and used with 3 phase exclusively.
I did pick up a Yaskawa 5hp VFD from a repair center on ebay for $75 . Good deal and came with a limited warranty.

BTW, 220 volts went away before the second world war, US power companies supply 240 volts, ......

I know, I know...
old habit picked up from years ago.

 

[404]

are you going to power it with three phase power or single phase?
If you have three phase, use a VFD rated for the hp of the motor.
If you are going to power the VFD with single phase 220v to develop three phase 220 out to the motor, normally, the rule of thumb is double the hp of the VFD .
But if you double 3 hp you would need a 6 hp. I don't think you would find one. A 5hp VFD would work well. You would never load the VFD hard enough to demand the full 5 hp capacity of the VFD. And 5 hp VFD are common and are cheap.
When you wire the VFD with singe phase, connect the 220 to L1 & L2 and DO NOT connect ANYTHING to L3. Connect your ground to the chassis ground of the VFD.
I would not use the one you linked.
My preference is Yaskawa VFD. There are many good manufactures.

Can you elaborate on the L1 and L2? I am under the impression it is L1 and L3.

Regards,
404

 

[laser3kw]

Can you elaborate on the L1 and L2? I am under the impression it is L1 and L3.

I guess it would be appropriate here to apply a disclaimer. Always check with the manufactures installation directions.
Most of the VFDs label the input source voltage terminals as L1, L2,& L3 (or R,S,T) and PE is chassis ground. When they are used with single phase, they require connection to L1 & L2, no connection to L3 and PE (chassis ground). This is partial due to consumer mistakenly connecting the source to L1 & L2 and then connecting a neutral or ground to L3!(do not do that!) resulting in a lot of smoke and flames and carnage.
Again, connect source to only the terminals the manufacture dictates and do no vary. If it isn't clear, do not guess. It could cost you in more ways than one.

 

[600SL]

I got the cheapest Chinese VFD I could find. Directions were very cryptic but I got it to run and I love it. If it fails I will probably purchase a name brand unit now that I know a little about it and that it does what I want it to do.

 

[Falcon67]

I use a 2 HP version of this
http://www.wolfautomation.com/produ...to-3hp-single-or-3-phase-brteco-evjnev-series

Rated at full power.

 

[Stainless169]

The press I picked up a few years ago had an Allen Bradley already on it. It seems to work pretty well.. Especially since I got the package for $125.

 

[James-W]

Not to sound like a jerk, but wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a 3hp single phase electric motor? Here is a link to one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-horsepower-compressor-duty-motor-68302-8181.html

 

[larry_g]

Not to sound like a jerk, but wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a 3hp single phase electric motor? Here is a link to one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-horsepower-compressor-duty-motor-68302-8181.html

A 3 phase motor on a VFD will give you a lot of options you would not have with a single phase motor. Variable speed control, soft start, reverse capabilities and a smother running machine. Given the free motor I would plan as the OP is. However OP make sure that the motor can run in a vertical shaft position, some cannot.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[383 240z]

Not to sound like a jerk, but wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a 3hp single phase electric motor? Here is a link to one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-horsepower-compressor-duty-motor-68302-8181.html

Because with a single phase motor I'm locked into the 4 speeds I get with the pulleys I have. With the VFD I get unlimited speeds and fully reversible. Plus the extra HP won't hurt. I can turn the chuck as slow as I need for boring large holes. I use 2" MT2 drills on a regular basis.

I have a Procunier tapping head that will spend most of it's life in that drill press. The speed control will help me with the tapping. Keith

 

[Falcon67]

>With the VFD I get unlimited speeds ...
With an inverter duty motor. A regular motor maybe not "unlimited", more like +/- 10 to 20 hz for short periods.

 

[laser3kw]

A regular motor maybe not "unlimited", more like +/- 10 to 20 hz for short periods.

partially true.
The more current motors, say for the last 10 or 15 years, hold up well and well run variable speed from 5 hz to 120hz with vary few issues. The older the motor (bearings and integrity) and the worst the windings (insulation & tightness) and the older the VFD (older technology)are will be the limiting factors to whether the motor will play nicely with an inverter.

 

[Whitworth]

Before you jump the gun, verify that the motor frame is compatible with your drill press. 3 horse is pretty big and may be 184t or 143t frame motor. The issues are the shaft diameter and if the mounting holes align with out the motor sitting to high on the drill press motor mount. I think Delta 17 inch machines typically come with 1 or 1.5 horse tops.

Gary

 

[alfredeneuman]

This one should do the trick, and is a brand name. I've had great success with Hitachi, and the company's customer service is next to none. (and no, I don't work for them )

http://driveswarehouse.com/p-2692-nes1-022sb.aspx

EDIT: BTW, be sure not to control the drill press from the VFD, NOT the drill press.
Any switch on the load side from the VFD while the VFD is running has a good chance of ruining the VFD.