Motor Control Solutions for Industrial and Material Handling Equipment

Our name, PE®or Power Electronics® International, Inc.® is synonymous with quality, heavy-duty VFDs and motor control equipment.
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About Power Electronics® International Inc.®

Pictured is our company founder, Victor J. Habisohn with the first prototype of the Central Timing Equipment used on all Apollo and Lunar Excursion Module (L.E.M.) missions.
Victor J. Habisohn with the first prototype of the Central Timing Equipment used on all NASA Apollo and Lunar Excursion Module (L.E.M.) missions.

Power Electronics® International, Inc.® started in Chicago, Illinois designing variable frequency drives and A.C. soft-starts specifically for Cranes

Power Electronics® International, Inc.® began in Chicago, Illinois in 1969 with designing VFDs and cycloconverters. Later, PE® became one of the early pioneers of solid-state AC motor soft-start controls and crane/hoist variable speed equipment. All PE® equipment is designed, engineered, and manufactured in our centrally located production facility near Chicago, Illinois, not far from O’Hare International Airport.

Now located in East Dundee, Illinois, PE® manufactures AC VFDs and Custom Control panels for industry.

Today PE® manufactures Micro-Speed® Multi-Vector® VFDs, Smooth-Move® reduced torque control units, and custom control panels for all industries. Find PE® products in overhead cranes, hoists, trolleys, bridges, dams, pumps, fans, monorails, conveyors, and other industrial applications. Over the years, PE® has gathered a team of electronic and mechanical engineers and physicists to fulfill all your project requirements.

For over 50 years, PE® has maintained the highest product quality and reliability standards set by our founder, Victor J. Habisohn

US Navy Veteran and former electronic engineer who ran the NASA-sponsored, Apollo spacecraft electronic central timing system project. It was an essential part of the Apollo Command Module and Lunar Module which landed on the moon in 1969. The design of the Central Timing Equipment was so robust that it survived splashdown and was subsequently re-utilized on other Apollo missions.

Victor’s high-reliability design for the spacecraft used the first integrated circuits ever developed which paved the way for modern miniaturized computers and electronics. Victor applied the concept of robust electronics for reliability and safety to all PE® drives and equipment. PE® products are at their core, built to last. With high-temperature hardened circuitry and high-vibration-resistant all-American steel frames. Power Electronics® International, Inc.® continues Victor’s legacy of robust, highly reliable, and easy-to-use electrical equipment.

PE® has been providing American-made Quality and Reliability since 1969.
Look for the PE® mark of quality.

The Gold Standard for Motor Control

Micro-Speed® series MV-Ultra™, MX-Ultra™, CX™ & Smart-Move® drives are the key components of your future crane electronic drive system. Incredibly robust, PE® equipment is well known to be the most reliable, the easiest to use and install, and the gold standard for crane control.

A.C. squirrel cage induction motors are characterized as being “constant-speed” when they are run from a typical 50 Hz or 60 Hz power source. If the power source frequency (Hz) can be adjusted, the motor speed can be varied and the actual running speed of the motor and other functions can be controlled. This is where Power Electronics® International, Inc.® comes in.   Simply put, Micro-Speed® variable speed crane drives use the existing A.C. (alternating current) and change it into D.C. (direct current) via an electronic technique called PWM (pulse width modulation). The D.C. is then turned back into Variable Frequency Alternating Current (V.F.A.C.). By varying the frequency (Hz), the motor speed can be controlled. And by adding modern state-of-the-art microprocessor computer technology, all types of extra features are added to make your crane, through the Micro-Speed® drive, have an “intelligence” of its own. Older retrofit cranes and new cranes can be inexpensively converted to have almost “Star Wars” type of robotic control. All with just a standard, off-the-shelf, A.C. motor that already comes on your A.C. bridge/trolley or hoist.  

PE® drives have become the single most productive and cost-effective choice for updating industrial, government, and commercial job sites.

Look for the PE® mark of quality.

Why choose Power Electronics® International, Inc.® drives for your crane/hoist applications?

PE® products are:

  • Engineered, Designed & Manufactured in the U.S.A.
  • AC VFDs specifically engineered for Crane and Hoist use. UL 508A Panel Shop.
  • We design specifically to target the needs of the crane industry instead of providing generic/all-purpose products that are then modified to work for a given application.
  • High-reliability circuitry — no extra parts or cards required to make it work.
  • Upgrade-Path Philosophy™ – Drives are upward compatible with newer units in both software familiarity (Gang-Set) and physical sizing – including MV-Ultra™ and MX-Ultra™ units.
  • You deal directly with the manufacturer and not a middleman.
  • You get technical support directly from the company that manufactures the product.
  • Our products are continuously improved and seamlessly integrated. Your company benefits from the fact that our engineering consistently hits the mark.
  • Our Sales Engineers, Technical Support, and Customer Care teams all focus on every aspect of the user experience from the quoting stage, product implementation, and ongoing product service.
  • Call, email, chat, or use our online tools to reach us! We have knowledgeable REAL experts ready to answer, and we know how to do more than simply follow a script.
  • Power Electronics® International, Inc.® products are known as THE MOST RELIABLE IN THE INDUSTRY!
  • PE® Drives have the best ratings in the Industry! The temperature rating alone is 50% higher.

Why not buy the best? Worry-Free from PE®!

PE® products are found wherever heavy-duty, mill-grade equipment require precision controls and handling.

The Difference

Designed for Cranes and Hoists

PE® VFDs, Soft-Starts, and motor control products are made specifically to address demanding crane and hoist needs.

Future-Proof

It is our philosophy that our equipment should be quick and easy to upgrade or replace in the field. All past and present methods of programming are subsets of future drive models. This is our Upgrade-Path™ philosophy.

Made In America – Built to Last

We are proud to design, engineer, and manufacture all our equipment in our facility in East Dundee, Illinois USA