Energy costs cut

Manufacturer of water fittings and valves, Atlantic Plastics, is reported to be saving 20% of the energy costs of a large injection moulding machine, following the fitting of an ABB variable-speed drive.

Gary James, engineering manager identified two 400t injection moulding machines as particularly energy intensive, so he approached ABB authorised value provider APDS for a solution.

An investigation showed that the existing direct-on-line installation used 25.3kW. APDS installed a trial drive at the site to measure the actual demand required and match the flow to this demand. This drive drew 10.5kW, giving an average hourly saving of £1.28 in electricity costs.