Explain Individual Drive, Group Drive and Multimotor

Drive with its advantages and disadvantages (Industrial

Drives)
Systems employed for motion control are called drives
and may employ any of the prime movers such as, diesel or
petrol engines, gas or steam turbines, steam engines, hydraulic
motors and electric motors for supplying mechanical energy for
motion control.
If a drive used for industrial process it is called as
industrial drive. Drives employing electric motors are
known as electrical drives
Types of Electric Drives
1. Group Drive
2. Individual Drive
3. Multi-motor Drive

1.Group Electric Drive

 Group drive consists of a single motor which actuates several
mechanisms or machines by means of one or more line shafts supported
on bearings. It is also called as line shaft drive.
Electric drive used in rice mill is an example for group electric
drive.
Advantages
A single large motor can be used instead of a number of small motors
hence most economical.
The rating of the single large motor may be less than the total rating of
machines as all of them will not be working simultaneously.
Disadvantages
There is no flexibility. If the single motor used develops fault, the whole
process will come to stop.
Power loss in the transmitting equipments
Addition of an extra machine to the main shaft is difficult.
If some of the machines are not working, the losses are increased, thus
decreasing the efficiency and power factor.
More noisy and unsafe to operate, looks untidy.

2.Individual Drive
 In this drive, each individual machine is driven by a separate
motor.
Examples of such machines are Single spindle drilling machines (universal
motor is used) and Lathes.
Disadvantages
Power loss, Efficiency is less due to use of transmission equipments like
gears, pulleys and shafts.
3. Multi-motor Drive
In Multimotor Drives separate motors are used for actuating different parts
of the driven mechanism or machine.
Applications of such a drive are found in complicated metal cutting
machine tools, paper mills, rolling mills, cranes and hoist etc.

The drives of a travelling crane can also be considered as an

example of a multi-motor drive system.
This type of multi-motor drive employs three motors
One for hoisting, another for long travel motion and third for cross
travel motion.
Advantages
Transmission loss is less
Easy control
Disadvantages
Cost is high due to multiple motors.