Reduce Waste & Repair Costs With Variable Frequency Drive

When it comes to wasted money in the kitchen, two driving problems come to mind: wasted ingredients and expensive equipment breakdowns. Having the right technology — like a mixer with variable frequency drive — can help you avoid these common issues and minimize unnecessary costs.

Problem: Ingredients won’t stay in the bowl

A variable frequency drive mixer allows for the inclusion of additional technologies that provide more control over mixer speed — resulting in more precise mixing and less waste. For example, a mixer full of flour and water that spins very fast upon startup can splash ingredients out of the mixing bowl. Variable frequency drive technology lets the mixer accelerate slowly through one of two features.

• Stir speed: This ultra-slow setting (slower than first speed) allows operators to slowly stir in ingredients, minimizing the risk of splash-out so all ingredients intended to be mixed stay in the bowl — for consistent results, batch to batch, with less waste and less cleanup. These all add up to cost savings.
• Soft starting: By accelerating the mixing speed slowly, soft starts also reduce the risk of ingredients splashing out of the bowl, maximizing production time and minimizing cleanup.

With a variable frequency drive mixer, the operator can also slowly increase or slowly decrease motor speed, for varying levels of control depending on the load. This improves the experience for the operator, and it saves money by preventing ingredient waste. 

Problem: Mixer overload and damage

A mixer with variable frequency drive provides overload protection and thermal protection, which help prevent mixer damage. Overload protection senses how much load or resistance there is on the mixer, and it will automatically shut the unit off if it becomes overloaded, protecting the gears and motor from damage. Thermal protection is similar, providing automatic shut-off if the current has been too high for too long. These features prevent the operator from exceeding the mixer’s rated capacity and causing costly damage.

Variable frequency drive technology also uses a single gear train — a simplified design that results in reliable performance and reduces instances of maintenance and repair. Less gears mean fewer components to fix or replace over time. This results in a lower total cost of ownership over the life of the equipment.

The use of a three-phase motor instead of a single-phase motor also increases the reliability of a variable frequency drive mixer. A three-phase motor is more durable because it doesn’t require a start capacitor or start switch like a single-phase motor does. Again, there are less repair costs to consider.

Learn about our Legacy+® Mixers with variable frequency drive

• https://www.hobartcorp.com/products/food-prep/mixers

This article is the third in a three-part series focused on variable frequency drive technology and its benefits Read article one, What Is Variable Frequency Drive? and article two, Gain Productivity and Quality With Variable Frequency Drive.