Single phase or three phase?

Mans Racing

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I’m thinking about purchasing a new Lathe and it is available in both single and three phase.In my shop I have single phase power only.Is it better to use a three phase unit with a phase converter or just order single phase unit and be done with it?
Thanks
 
3 phase is supposed to be a lot more efficient... you get more power with less energy used. Or so I hear... I'm no electrical genius, so I just go by what I'm told.

-Bear
 
Three phase allows for simpler motors—no starter caps, etc. Any efficiency gain, however, is going to be wiped out by the VFD. However, unless you're running a full time machine shop, I doubt that matters. The real advantage is being able to fine-tune the lathe speed without stopping and changing gears.

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Get three phase. The motors are more robust and have less to go bad. They run smoother. You can hook up a rotary phase converter to make it run, or a VFD to make it run and do a lot of other good stuff. I say go for the VFD unless you plan to be running other 3 phase equipment as well and don't care about the bells and whistles.
 
with high relative quality and low relative price, the VFD and a 3 phase motor is the way to go
surface finish greatly improves when 3 phase motors are used
you'll be omitting the lathes OEM motor control system, but it is pretty easy to add features you may wish
 
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