DC & AC Drive Systems

Exceptional power control
for exceptional performance

DC & AC drives for machines in mining and heavy industry

Our in-house R&D team and custom manufacturing capabilities keep FLANDERS at the forefront of innovation, with drive systems for both critical and auxiliary machines used in mining, mills, manufacturing, and other heavy industries.

We have special expertise in developing drives for severe-duty applications and intrinsically harsh environments.

FLANDERS pioneered the first purpose-built DC to AC dragline upgrade in North America.

  • 14.5 MW+

    Peak power

    For draglines upgraded with FLANDERS AC drives

  • 3.2 MW+

    Peak power

    For haul trucks upgraded with FLANDERS AC drive solutions

  • 1.0

    Power factor

    Possible with our AC dragline systems

FLANDERS AC drive technology

A tier above the rest

Longstanding history in large motor repair and our state-of-the-art testing programs give FLANDERS unique insights into the challenges of applying variable frequency drive systems in mining and other heavy industries.

AC drives purpose-built for mining applications

Our engineering team has developed AC drives specifically for haul trucks and draglines, and we manufacture them to specifications that exceed industry standards.

What sets our AC drive technology apart?

  • Rugged design for mining applications
  • Modular drive system, scalable for multiple power levels
  • Liquid-cooled, sealed cabinets remain clean in harsh environments
  • Common power electronic components throughout drive system
  • Simplified component layout for ease of maintenance

Active Front End (AFE) technology

FLANDERS AFE drive technology gives you cleaner power that meets or exceeds IEEE 519 requirements.

  • Save energy
  • Reduce harmonics
  • Operate at unity or desired power factor

Modifying AC drive systems for other applications

Customizing drives to do the job better

We’ve developed and manufactured custom drives for applications in many industries. Here are just a few examples:

Oil and gas operations
Large-scale, medium-voltage submersible pumps

Underground mining
High-volume fans

Mills (steel, aluminum, tin, paper)
Complex, coordinated systems with common DC bus

Marine applications
Propulsion motors and crane motors

Chemical plants
Custom-built power sections

Plastics manufacturing
Extruder process upgrades

Mineral processing
Conveyors and grinders

Power generation
Turbines

We offer AC drive system upgrades at any horsepower.

Drive systems we distribute and integrate

Industry-leading brands

Our application experts can recommend, install, and integrate the appropriate drive—from Siemens, ABB, Toshiba, or Rockwell Automation—for your specific machine and operational demands.

Supported platforms

DC to AC retrofits—for exceptional ROI

Turn old DC machines into your best machines

DC to AC upgrades are one of the of the highest-ROI steps you can take to get more from the equipment you already own:

  • More horsepower
  • Better control
  • Greater efficiency
  • Longer motor life
  • Less maintenance and corresponding downtime
  • Lower total cost of ownership

Plus, FLANDERS AC drive drop-in replacements make machine upgrades easy now, and drive replacements easy in the future.

Examples of custom drive projects

  • New DC to AC retrofit designs

    A North Carolina phosphate mine turned a dragline move into a machine upgrade

    • Knowing that an outdated dragline needed new electric rotating equipment, a North Carolina phosphate mine turned planned downtime for a machine move into a major productivity gain moving forward.

      FLANDERS was asked to upgrade the drives and motors from outdated DC technology to state-of-the-art AC, while the machine was out of commission for the move.

      We provided 5 drive lineups and 16 motors for the dragline conversion, yielding a 14.5 MW peak power machine. The renewed dragline—which now requires half the monthly power system maintenance—is significantly more productive and efficient.

      Dragline upgrades Haul truck upgrades Shovel upgrades

  • Upgrades to digital controls

    A high-ROI approach to increasing aluminum mill line capacity

    • Seeking a lean way to increase production to meet demand for its product in the automotive industry, an aluminum mill approached FLANDERS about the best way to achieve that with minimal investment.

      After evaluating the production line, FLANDERS recommended using the existing power section and upgrading to a digital control unit for a 2,000 HP motor. This resulted in:

      • Less scrapped material due to better machine control
      • Less training needed for operators due to use of a common control platform across machines
      • Increased critical asset reliability because obsolete control components were engineered out of the solution

Developing greenfield drive solutions

Let’s engineer an exact-fit drive for your application

FLANDERS offers turnkey custom drive solutions, from design to manufacture to commissioning.

Contact us about AC & DC drives

Whether you want a drop-in AC or DC drive replacement, a total machine conversion, or a custom solution, we’d be glad to help.

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