West River Conveyors and Machinery Company…

can supply any type of starter to suit your drive needs. Because it takes a large amount of power to start a loaded belt, starters are imperative in any conveyor system. The three most common types of starters are across-the-line, soft start and VFD (variable frequency drive).

VFD Starters

A VFD Starter controls the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. This type of starter is widely used because it initially applies a low frequency to the motor and avoids the high current that occurs when starting a motor by turning on a switch.

Benefits of VFD Starters:

• maximized energy savings — by reducing the speed of the motor, you consume less energy
• low motor starting current
• simple installation

Across-the-line Starters

This type of starter is the simplest, most common type because it applies full voltage directly to the motor, resulting in a quick, full torque start.

Benefits of Across-the-line Starters:

• works with NEMA designed induction motors
• easy on/off push button
• applies full voltage directly to the motor

Soft Start Starters

Unlike across-the-line starters, soft starters are used to start or stop motors by reducing the voltage to each phase of a motor and slowly increasing the voltage until the motor gets up to full voltage at a fixed frequency.

Benefits of Soft Start Starters:

• minimizes wear and tear on conveyor belts, gears and gearboxes by reducing the torque from the motor
• offers more control over start times and speed control
• larger energy savings than any other kind of starter