ABB helps optimise and maintain variable-speed drives with two convenient smartphone Apps, giving people more power over the devices that industry depends on to cut energy use.
The new ABB smartphone applications for its variable-speed drives, help save time, ease troubleshooting and improve drive performance via convenient technology of the Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP).
ABB’s Drivetune allows service engineers and installers to easily connect to a drive via wireless Bluetooth connection. Then, using a user-friendly smartphone interface, the installer can more quickly and efficiently commission and tune a drive’s performance, allowing quick resolution of any initial issues without being forced to take the drive offline.
Drivebase, an ABB App that’s been improved since its introduction in 2014, allows plant personnel to scan a dynamic QR code generated by a drive on its control panel. The code provides information for registering the drive and about remedies for potential problems without resorting to maintenance manuals, while simultaneously drawing on ABB’s vast drive knowledge base via the cloud should further assistance be needed.
For manufacturers focused on their core businesses, the cost of commissioning and maintaining drives is growing increasingly important. Leveraging technology of the IoSTP, these ABB Apps make it convenient for customers to access rich new data from their drives that’s targeted to help improve their operations and make better decisions without overwhelming them with unnecessary complexity.
“You can now locate a drive in a factory and check its health and performance with your smartphone just as easily as scanning a QR code or connecting a device via Bluetooth similar to those that consumers use every day,” said Barbara Frei, managing director of ABB’s Drives and Controls business. “There’s going to be a sharp increase in the adoption of these technologies in both discrete and process automation as customers seek new ways to unlock the performance benefits of big data while lowering their total cost of ownership.”
Drivetune will speed and ease the work of engineers, installers and system integrators commissioning drives at an industrial site. It will also be capable of connecting wirelessly to ABB drives, meaning engineers won’t need to enter hazardous or difficult-to-reach work areas to access information necessary to help them commission and tune a drive.
Drivebase, meanwhile, helps plant operators track and maintain their drives throughout their life cycles and opens new opportunities for them to tap into ABB expertise. From the moment the drive has been installed and through its lifecycle, Drivebase can maintain a historical record that will help ABB’s service team make proactive recommendations to ensure reliability and reduce downtime.
“In the past, having access to such rich data meant a lot of engineering and complexity,” said Adrian Guggisberg, head of Product Portfolio Management for ABB’s Drives and Controls business. “Today’s cloud-based Apps like Drivebase and Drivetune from ABB are breaking that link in very exciting ways. This is just the beginning.”
ABB will constantly update the Apps and expand the range of drives that can be connected to them, to offer new functionality, service and convenience.
The Drivebase App is widely available on all the most common smartphone platforms via Google play, Apple App Store and Windows Store. The new Drivetune App will be available in 2015.
