600 V power and imported machines: what to check before you order

Most Canadian plants receive three-phase power at 600 V, usually as 347/600 V wye, at 60 Hz. Many imported machines are built for 380 or 400 V at 50 Hz. Before you order, confirm the machine can be built for 600 V and 60 Hz, or plan a step-down transformer, and check that every sub-unit runs at 60 Hz.

What Canadian plants usually have

Canadian services are mostly 120/208 V wye in smaller buildings and 347/600 V wye in larger ones, with 600 V delta services in some older plants. The US industrial standard is 277/480 V, and Europe uses 230/400 V at 50 Hz. The international standard IEC 60038 lists 230/400 V as a 50 Hz system and both 277/480 V and 347/600 V as 60 Hz systems.

Where the machine is designed for	Typical industrial supply	Frequency
Canada	347/600 V wye (some 600 V delta); 120/208 V in smaller buildings	60 Hz
United States	277/480 V wye	60 Hz
Europe	230/400 V	50 Hz
China and several other Asian markets (as listed by makers in our catalog)	380 V three-phase	50 Hz, sometimes 50/60 Hz

Before comparing machines, find out exactly what your building has. Your electrician can read it from the main switchgear and tell you how much spare capacity is left.

Read the nameplate and the electrical data

Manufacturer data sheets are not always complete, so ask for the electrical specification of the exact configuration you are buying. Real examples from our catalog show how much they vary:

• The Senfeng SF3015NP fiber laser is listed at 380 V, three-phase, 50/60 Hz as standard, with 208, 240, 480 and 600 V versions available.
• The Gweike LF3015LN II is listed at 380 V, 50/60 Hz.
• The GN3021DX thermoformer is offered at 3 x 400 V, 3 x 480 V or 3 x 220 V, 50 to 60 Hz.
• The GN800 needs three phases plus neutral and ground at 380 to 480 V, 50 to 60 Hz, 250 A, with about 42 kVA running load.
• The Gaoda GDM-30 paper straw machine is rated 3-phase, 380 V, 50 Hz, 13.5 A full-load current.
• The DenaliWeld water-cooled laser welder runs on 208 V in its 1.5 and 2 kW versions and on 480 V in the 3 kW version.

On each nameplate or data sheet, check:

• Voltage and phases, and the tolerance the machine accepts.
• Frequency: "50 Hz" and "50/60 Hz" are very different answers.
• Neutral: whether the machine needs one. A 600 V delta service has none.
• Full-load current or kVA, plus the connected load, not only the average consumption.
• Short-circuit rating of the control panel.
• Separate supplies for the chiller, dust collector, compressor, heaters or loaders, each with its own voltage and frequency.

Three ways to match the machine to your supply

Option	Advantages	Watch for
Machine built at the factory for 600 V, 60 Hz	No extra equipment; simpler approval; fewer losses	Not every maker offers it; confirm the whole machine, including sub-units, is converted
Step-down transformer, 600 V to 400/230 V or 480 V	Works with a standard export machine; can isolate the machine from the plant supply	Floor space, heat, losses, and the transformer itself must be approved and protected
Mixed: transformer for the main machine, local 600 V units for auxiliaries	Chillers, compressors and dust collectors can be bought for Canadian supply	More interfaces to coordinate; check control signals between units

Sizing and installing a transformer

A transformer is sized in kVA from the machine's connected load, with margin for inrush when motors and laser sources start. Average consumption understates it. Trumpf, for example, gives an average production power input of 10 kW with a 4 kW laser and 16 kW with a 12 kW laser for the TruLaser 1030 fiber. That average is useful for running-cost estimates. For transformer and feeder sizing, ask the maker for the connected load and the recommended supply rating.

• Secondary configuration. If the machine needs a neutral, the transformer needs a wye secondary with a neutral brought out.
• Location. Close to the machine, with ventilation and access. Transformers give off heat and some hum.
• Protection and grounding. Primary and secondary protection, a disconnect and grounding designed by an electrician or engineer and installed under permit.
• Approval. The transformer is electrical equipment too, so it needs a recognised Canadian mark.
• Spare capacity. If a second machine or a larger laser source is likely, size for it now.

50 Hz versus 60 Hz

The grid in Canada runs at 60 Hz. The speed of an induction motor connected directly to the supply is proportional to frequency, so a motor designed for 50 Hz turns about 20 percent faster on 60 Hz (60 divided by 50). Pumps, fans, vacuum pumps, hydraulic power units and compressors on such motors deliver more flow and draw more power, and some will overheat or wear faster. Components with coils, such as contactors, solenoid valves and small transformers, can also behave differently.

Servo axes and motors on variable-frequency drives are usually indifferent to supply frequency, because the drive creates its own output. That is why many modern machines are rated "50/60 Hz". The main nameplate can say 50/60 Hz while a bought-in chiller, vacuum pump or heater controller is 50 Hz only, so ask the maker to confirm 60 Hz operation for every sub-unit in writing.

Check your service capacity

Add up the new load: the machine, its chiller, the dust collector, any compressor or nitrogen generator, and lighting. Compare it with the spare capacity of your service and the panel that will feed the machine. If the service needs an upgrade, involve your utility early, because it sets its own schedule. Our floor preparation guide covers where the power drop should end and what else has to be ready.

Voltage does not replace approval

Converting a machine to 600 V, or feeding it through a transformer, does not approve it. The installed machine still needs a mark from a certification body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, or a field evaluation. Our guide to CSA approval for imported machinery explains the routes. If the machine is field evaluated, the evaluator looks at the actual installation, transformer included.

Checklist before you order

• Get your service voltage, configuration (wye or delta) and spare capacity from your electrician.
• Ask each supplier for the electrical specification of the exact configuration quoted, including every sub-unit.
• Ask whether a factory 600 V, 60 Hz version exists and what it changes.
• If a transformer is needed, confirm who supplies it, its rating and where it goes.
• Agree how the machine will be approved for Canada before it ships.

Every Titan quote states the electrical configuration of the machine and any transformer, and our installation and commissioning work covers connection with your electrician. Browse all machines or request a quote.