Fuelled by the introduction of more stringent IE efficiency classes, manufacturers are chasing headline efficiency figures that could only have been dreamed of just ten years ago.

This is according to geared motors solutions provider Bauer Gear Motor, which says: “There’s no denying that this is a positive thing for industry, but is motor efficiency just the tip of the iceberg?”

As a manufacturer of high-efficiency (IE2), premium-efficiency (IE3) and super-premium-efficiency (future IE4) motors, Bauer Gear Motor says it is well placed to understand the impact a motor’s performance can have on an end-user’s running costs. However, the company’s engineers are keen to stress, when anybody asks, that “the motor is just one piece of the puzzle”.

Rather than breaking down the drivetrain into different sections and focusing on a single component, such as the motor, Bauer believes it should be viewed as a single, electromechanical package, one which must be fully integrated to achieve maximum performance.

“In fact, despite the current focus on motor efficiency, the potential energy savings throughout the drivetrain can typically be distributed through the ‘ZVEI’ model: 10% efficiency of the motor, 30% electronic speed regulation and 60% optimisation of the mechanical system,” the company advises.

Moreover, the company says that, as the model shows, while it is motors that are currently grabbing the headlines for development, there is no point specifying the latest motor if the foundations are not already in order.

Using a speed control device to monitor and regulate a motor, Bauer says, will immediately make a significant improvement to any application that does not require the motor to operate at full load at all times.

When operating at full load, a motor with a variable-speed drive installed will still be more efficient at start-up, adds the company, explaining that the importance of speed control in real-world efficiency is recognised by the introduction of Regulation 640/2009 by the International Electrotechnical Commission.

This stipulates that, from January 1, 2015, any installation in Europe where an IE2-rated motor between 7.5 kW and 375 kW is specified, it must be installed with a variable-frequency drive (VFD).

Further, Bauer notes that, if it is the speed control device that unlocks the potential of a modern motor, then it is the mechanical components of a drivetrain that transmit the potential throughout the system. Within the electromechanical package, the mechanical components can be broken down into two subgroups: gear technologies and drivetrain optimisation.

The company details that specifying the most efficient gearbox allows greater transmission of the motor’s power for its intended function. A well specified and efficient gearbox will avoid unnecessary oversizing, saving money from the outset and reducing system losses in operation. “It’s these system losses that are a major factor in the EN50598 standard, which [certifies] the new IES efficiency classes based on the efficiency of the complete power drive system,” says Bauers.

The company has been manufacturing gear technologies since 1927 and, throughout these nearly 90 years, it says it has always strived to offer the most efficient and reliable solutions possible.

Bauer has found that offering modular solutions makes it easier to build bespoke packages with ideal reduction ratios for a given application. Its models include the helical BG series, the parallel shaft BF series, the bevel BK series and the worm-drive BS series. Application-specific models are also available, including a stainless steel version which, when combined with its twin motor, creates the world’s first modular stainless steel IE4 permanent magnetic synchronous-geared motor for the food and beverage industry, Bauer enthuses.

“Drivetrain optimisation is the last piece of the puzzle, but no less important than the considerations that have come before it. Once each aspect of the drivetrain has been specified, it must then be integrated into the machine with as much efficiency as possible. “This requires an in-depth understanding of the drivetrain as well as the specific demands of a given industry, which is why Bauer has a team of application experts who specialise in different industries,” says the company.

However, Bauer states that none of this is to say that the steady improvements in motor efficiency are unimportant, pointing out that the gains that have been made in the last decade are staggering and beyond comparison with the relatively mature and, therefore, slowly developing gear and drivetrain technology.

It is important that an efficient mechanical system is specified as a foundation, but, once that is in place, significant savings can be made by combining the latest electric motors with well-integrated inverter drives, adds the company.

Bauer says the advancement being made within motor technology really is the visible tip of the iceberg. “It’s attention grabbing which helps make us realise that system efficiency is something that we should be taking action over. However, the real consideration lies beneath, because, without a properly specified drivetrain, an IE4 motor on its own will never meet the full efficiency potential.”