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Synthetic-fiber producer ENKA de Colombia SA, Medellín, Colombia, replaced dc and ac motors with advanced ac versions coupled to efficient variable-frequency drives on a fiber spinning line. The strategy saves the company more than $883,000 annually in electricity and downtime.

The spinning line extrudes nylon and polyester filaments from melted resins. Before the upgrade, motor and drive efficiency was about 50%. Part of the production line used an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) meant for protection from power outages, but the UPS ran at 80 to 93% efficiency at best.

One outcome of the inefficiencies was that the old equipment produced enough heat to demand its own a/c system. Elevated temperatures led to more breakdowns and repairs.

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