INVERTER DRIVE REPAIRS
No Fix No Fee AC Drive Repairs
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WHAT DO OUR PRODUCT CONDITIONS MEAN?
New
New items are independently sourced to ensure you always get the best possible prices, and as you’d expect, have never been used. Due to the age of some of our obsolete items, original packaging seals may be broken. Our sales team are happy to confirm the status of the packaging before purchase. Items classed as new are backed up by Northern Industrial’s renowned comprehensive 12-month warranty. Peace of mind guaranteed!
Refurbished
Refurbished items are used but have been fully refurbished by our expert in-house engineers. This means that all of the key serviceable components have been replaced with high-quality new ones. The items are then cleaned, thoroughly tested and come with a full 12-month warranty.
Repair
Get your faulty part repaired with our expert repair service. Our standard repair service offers great value for money while our express service is geared for customers in a breakdown situation. During the repair process, our engineers will perform a full preventative maintenance service to ensure longevity. All of the key serviceable components are replaced with high-quality new ones and the items are then cleaned and thoroughly tested. All repairs are backed by the same great 12-month warranty we provide with new items!
Disclaimer
We are authorised distributors for Control Techniques, Danfoss & Beijer. All other new components and parts supplied by us are sourced independently by our expert procurement team and are backed by our renowned comprehensive 12-month warranty. We are not an authorized distributor, reseller or representative for any manufacturer listed on the website.
REPAIRS
Here at Northern Industrial we’ve been repairing industrial automation parts for over 40 years. We’ve helped companies big and small overcome downtime with long-lasting repairs, and can help you too! Our repair service includes:
No Fix No Fee promise
Our unique "No Fix No Fee" promise is exactly as it sounds. If we can't fix it, you don't pay anything.
Parameter and program backup
If possible we will back up the program and parameters from your faulty unit before proceeding with the repair.
Full 2 year warranty
For extra peace of mind, our industrial electronic repairs are backed by an all-inclusive 2 year warranty.
Over 40 years of experience
With over 40 years in the automation spares and repairs business, we’ve encountered and fixed almost every fault that can occur on your automation parts.
Full preventive maintenance service and testing
As well as fixing the fault we also replace all serviceable components such as capacitors, fans and relays so that you can get the maximum lifespan out of your equipment.
ISO 9001 Certified
Be 100% confident in the quality of our industrial electronic repairs thanks to our ISO 9001 accreditation.
Upfront prices
The price you see is the price you pay. With no hidden charges or inspection fees, you can be sure of no hidden nasty surprises.
Free return delivery to UK and Europe
Whether you go ahead with the repair or not, we return your parts anywhere in the UK and Europe free of charge (subject to size and weight restrictions)
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Est. 1978
Technical support
Fast FedEx Delivery
Rated Excellent
2 year warranty
Professional AC inverter repairs since 1978
Not to blow our own trumpet, but we’re pretty good at inverter repairs and have been carrying them out since 1978. We’ve made our AC drive repair process as simple as possible for you, whilst still providing a thorough, reliable service with a unique No Fix No Fee promise.
Supported brands
We support all the major brands and ranges commonly found in industrial environments as well as more obscure, obsolete AC inverter drives. Typical brands include:
ABB Drive Repairs
ABB are the biggest variable speed drive manufacturer in the world. We provide ABB drive repairs for all types of ABB drive including inverters from legacy brands like Brown, Boveri & Cie. We support the entire ACS family including the ranges listed below as well as lesser known ranges.
- ACS-100
- ACS-200
- ACS-300
- ACS-400
- ACS-500
- ACS-600
- ACS-800
Allen Bradley
Allen Bradley are part of Rockwell Automation, a huge name in industrial automation who are based in the USA. Variable speed drives are just one of the items manufactured by Allen Bradley that we repair. Here you can find support for all popular Allen Bradley drive families including PowerFlex and Bulletin.
- PowerFlex 4
- PowerFlex 70
- PowerFlex 700H
- PowerFlex 4M
- PowerFlex 400
- PowerFlex 700S
- PowerFlex 40
- PowerFlex 700
- PowerFlex 753
Control Techniques Repairs from an Official Integration Partner
For over 10 years we have been a trusted partner of Control Techniques. As a certified Integration Partner we are authorised to provide the support you need including Control Techniques drive repairs, supply of new parts and upgrades. From the earliest AC drives to the most recent releases such as the Unidrive M.
- Unidrive
- Unidrive SP
- Commander CD
- Commander CDII
- Commander CDE
- Commander GP
- Commander SE
- Commander SK
- Unidrive M
Danfoss Drive Repairs from an Official Distributor
Danfoss are a leading global supplier of variable speed drives. Did you know we are an official Danfoss distributor and provide authorised support for all your current and obsolete Danfoss drives? We can help whatever issue you are having with your Danfoss drives from all series and ranges including:
- VLT3000
- VLT5000
- VLT6000
- VLT2800
- VLT AutomationDrive FC-301
- VLT AutomationDrive FC-302
- VLT Micro Drive
- VLT Aqua Drive FC-200
- VLT HVAC FC-102
Repairs for Lenze Inverter Drives
Lenze are another popular brand who are well known for their automation products. Some of their most popular parts are their drives including AC inverter drives, DC drives and servos. Here you can see some of the variable frequency drive ranges we repair including current and obsolete Lenze drive ranges such as:
- 9300 Vector
- SMD
- 8100 Vector
- 8200 Motec
- 8200 Vector
- 8600
Mitsubishi FREQROL Repairs
Mitsubishi’s best known drive family is the FREQROL which comes in a vast array of series. Variable speed drives manufactured by Mitsubishi are installed all over the world from Asia to America. If we listed all the Mitsubishi drives we repair, the list would be longer than this page! So we’ve listed just a few below:
- FREQROL A200
- FREQROL A500
- FREQROL F700
- FREQROL E700
- FREQROL K400
- FREQROL S500
- FREQROL Z200
Schneider
Schneider Electric are a huge global brand that has many other renowned brands under their umbrella including Telemecanique, Square D and Modicon. We support all current Schneider AC drives as well as legacy speed controllers from brands like Telemecanique.
- Telemecanique Altivar Series
- Schneider Lexium
- Square D Flex 58
- Square D Omegapak
- Square D E-Flex
- Square D M-Flex
Yaskawa & Omron
Yaskawa are a world renowned brand known for their automation and motion control products. The brand originated in Japan but now has their products installed all over the world in applications including welding, packaging, assembly, coating, cutting, material handling and general automation. You may know some of the Yaskawa drive ranges as Omron and vice versa, this is because Yaskawa drives are often rebadged for the European market as Omron. We support both brands and all ranges such as:
- Sysdrive
- A1000
- J1000
- V1000
- JUSPEED-F
INVERTER DRIVE REPAIR PROCESS
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Package up your part for our free collection service
We'll collect your faulty part for free
Your repaired part will be returned within the specified turnaround
- GOING BEYOND THE NORM
- CHANGING CAPACITORS
- OUR DRIVE EXPERTISE
- TESTING YOUR DRIVES
- GOING BEYOND THE NORM
GOING BEYOND
Cutting corners is easy. Since our warranty is all inclusive and covers the entire drive, not just the parts we change, we do a full preventative maintenance service. This involves replacing all serviceable components that degrade with age, such as capacitors and fans, to prolong the lifespan of your drive.
TRACEABILITY
Each part is given a unique job number so that we can track it every step of the way during a repair.
CHANGING COMPONENTS
We change all serviceable components within the drive to increase the overall lifespan and reliability.
CLEANING
Parts are cleaned inside and out, removing contaminants from fans and the internal PCBs to increase longevity.
TESTING
Each drive is tested under load for several hours before it is returned to you to make sure it is 100% functional.
- CHANGING CAPACITORS
THE CAPACITOR
Capacitors are found in each and every drive we repair and are a major pain as they are one of the root causes of drive failure. The liquid electrolyte in each capacitor dries out over time lowering the ESR until the caps blows. Depending on the environment your drive is kept in, this process can be dramatically sped up directly affecting the lifespan of your drive which is why we replace them for new ones.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR CAPS GO BAD...
01
Before the unit is even fully disassembled you can see the capacitor has blown a hole through the side.
02
As the liquid electrolyte dries out the ESR lowers until the caps blows, in this case spectacularly!
03
You can see the inside of the capacitor has blown through the full length of the drive.
04
You can see the hole it's made as the leg of the capacitor has shot straight through the steel side plate.
- DRIVE EXPERTISE
DRIVE EXPERTISE
Experience isn't something that happens overnight. As one of the UK's longest established inverter repair providers we have repaired thousands of drives over the years. We've seen everything - from drives that would fit into the palm of your hand to massive 300kW monsters.
TRAINING
Our engineers have undergone training with leading OEM's such as Siemens, Control Techniques and Danfoss.
EXPERIENCE
We've been carrying out inverter drive repairs since 1978 and have experience in all kinds of inverter repair.
FACILITIES
Our 25,000 sq ft state of the art repair facility has bespoke test rigs in place for all your AC drive repairs.
QUALITY
Our process is certified to ISO 9001 accreditation so that you can be 100% confident in the quality of our automation repairs.
- TESTING DRIVES
TESTING DRIVES
Testing is an important part of the drive repair process which is why we test each drive under load for several hours. We've spent lots of time developing test rigs to be able to functionally test drives in a vast power range to ensure only functioning inverter drives leave our repair facility.
INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT TESTING
Before we reassemble a drive we individually test each component to be sure the fault is eradicated.
BACK IT UP
We always back up your drive where possible so that we can reload parameters for you quickly after the drive repair.
BESPOKE TEST RIGS
We've spent hundreds of hours building bespoke test rigs to fully functionality test many different brands and ranges.
LOAD TESTING
The last step of any inverter is to load test the drive for several hours before we return it to you.
TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOUR DRIVES RUNNING LONGER
We understand that our customers would prefer not to need an emergency inverter repair. In the ideal world inverters, AC drives and variable speed drives would be serviced during a period of planned downtime. This is why we have shared our top tips for keeping your drives running longer:
- TIP 01
- TIP 02
- TIP 03
- TIP 04
- TIP 05
- TIP 06
- TIP 07
- TIP 08
- TIP 09
- TIP 10
- TIP 01
VACUUM DUST & DIRT
In a production environment dust and dirt can easily clog up heatsinks. This can cause the inverter to overheat and internal components to malfunction. Dust and dirt can also absorb moisture which can contribute to inverter failure. Simply running an ESD vacuum cleaner over the heatsink or blowing out the heatsink with compressed air is a good preventive maintenance measure and can add years to the life of your inverter. Don’t forget to lock fans.
- TIP 02
CHECK OR REPLACE AIR INTAKE FILTERS ON LARGER DRIVES
To ascertain how often you should be checking your air intake filters, frequently check them when the drive is new. This should give you an indication of how often they need to be cleaned and eventually replaced. If you don’t have a dedicated system for planned maintenance simply set a reminder in your Google Calendar to get an email when it’s due.
- TIP 03
MAKE SURE THE INVERTER’S FANS ARE OPERATING CORRECTLY – FREELY ROTATING & NO NOISE
Malfunctioning fans are a major cause of inverter failure. Fans help cool the internal components found within the VSD including electrolytic capacitors. The capacitors are prone to drying out much faster when the internal temperature is too high and can lead to the drive developing intermittent faults such as tripping out after a period of time. Don’t underestimate the effects of heat on an inverter drive, many manufacturers recommend derating the output by up to 15% if the temperature is higher than just 40°C.
- TIP 04
ENSURE THE CONTROL PANEL IS WELL VENTILATED
Keeping the control panel well ventilated is necessary to ensure sufficient air flows through the drive to keep it cool. Letting your drive overheat can cause all sorts of problems, from capacitors drying out much faster to complete failure of the VSD.
- TIP 05
CHECK CONTROL & POWER TERMINALS ARE TIGHT
My Dad always said “to do it right make sure it’s tight.” This is something many people forget to include in their preventative maintenance plan. Loose connections can be attributed to many problems including extra heating and/or arcing, to the extent that connectors can actually be melted down. Other problems that can be caused due to loose control and power terminals include intermittent operation and reduced efficiency. It is recommended that the tightness of connections is checked annually.
- TIP 06
BACKUP YOUR DRIVE PARAMETERS
Sounds obvious but many engineers do not have backups of their inverter parameters. This means that should your drive one day fail beyond repair, you can commission a new inverter in as little time as possible. For many users, particularly those with complex applications, the parameters are worth more than the drive, so it only makes sense to keep a backup.
- TIP 07
CHECK THE RESISTANCE OF CONTACTS ON THE DRIVE’S SUPPLY CONTACTORS
Any electromechanical and switching parts are subject to wear, as the contacts become pitted they can lead to an imbalance on your supply causing problems with your AC drive’s bridge and DC bus.
- TIP 08
REMOVE LCD PROGRAMMING KEYPADS WHEN NOT IN USE
Leaving an LCD programming keypad attached to a drive is a sure fire way to reduce the keypad’s lifespan. As many of the keypads stay on constantly, the LCD screen eventually dies. This is because they usually have a lifespan of a certain amount of hours and will burn out once they reach the set time. Removing the keypad when not in use will prolong the life so that when you do have a fault with your drive you don’t have to wait for a new keypad before diagnosing it.
- TIP 09
MAKE SURE WHERE YOUR DRIVE IS INSTALLED IS CLEAN AND DRY
This is especially important for drives with an IP00 or IP20 rating. Drives with these ratings are particularly exposed to contamination from dust. Too much dust can restrict airflow which in turn reduces performance of fans or heatsinks – this can eventually lead to the failure of your drive.
Keeping a drive with a low IP rating in a moist environment is also another sure fire way to lead to inverter failure. Moisture getting into the drive can cause a range of problems, most notably corrosion to the circuit board.
- TIP 10
SERVICE YOUR INVERTERS EVERY FIVE TO EIGHT YEARS
Sending your variable speed drives to Northern Industrial every five to eight years can significantly increase the lifespan. By booking a service, you can schedule when it is convenient for you to remove the inverter from operation. During a service we complete all of the above steps as well as replacing components which have a limited life like fans and capacitors.
Cert No.
AS7051
Cert No. 11848
ISO 9001