It’s an old cliche, but it holds true: Time is money.
For every workday your equipment is down, your company loses valuable production time.
Industrial motors use approximately 25% of the electrical energy around the world. Many of these motors run better when using a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD).
A VFD drive is a motor controller that varies the frequency and voltage of an electric motor. Due to the wide use of VFDs, VFD repair is a specialized skill.
VFD drives vary in components and configuration. Thus, repair technicians must be able to apply expertise and safety precautions specific to the type of VFD they are working with.
Here are some tips for finding the best VFD drive repair service.
VFD Drive Preventive Maintenance
We need to make one brief note about prevention before we go any further.
You can prevent most repairs with routine maintenance on your VFD. Technicians should perform preventive maintenance on a periodic schedule. For some units, once a year is effective.
The cost of the repair itself is expensive. Coupling that with the downtime you incur can be a hit to your efficiency percentages.
Whenever possible, some manufacturers keep backup VFDs on hand to keep production going during the repair period.
Read the Reviews
Look up several repair providers. Spend some time on their website. Read testimonials from past customers.
But don’t stop there. Search the web for other customer reviews. Word of mouth still holds a lot of weight, so ask your business associates who they would recommend.
Look for Experience
An established repair company will be sure to state their strengths on their website and marketing materials.
You want a company with years of experience. And you want experienced technicians to come out and do the job right the first time.
VFD service technicians should be able to troubleshoot a wide range of issues, from standard repair to advanced robotics. Techs should be able to find the cause of failure and present solutions right away.
Ask Questions
Once you’re ready to contact a service provider, prepare some questions. While cost is a practical concern, it should not be your only one.
What is their availability? Are they interested in hearing the results of the diagnostics your in-house technicians ran? Are they familiar with your particular VFD unit?
The VFD repair company should be able to service both AC and DC VDFs. Those repairs should include a full warranty on new installations as well as repaired units.
The company should service all major brands including Magnetek, Avtron, Vacon, Yaskawa, Siemens, and Allen-Bradley. Their service experience should also include some older and obsolete models.
Find Your Repair Service Today
Inevitably, any VFD is going to need repair, even those with impeccable maintenance logs attached to them.
When that happens, take these extra steps to help you find the right repair company for the job.
If you’re looking for full-service VFD repair, please contact us. We’ll get your unit back in service quickly and at optimal efficiency.