Yet another vfd question

[1-800miner]

I want to vfd a drill press. The motor I have in mind is 3hp.3ph.(its the only one I have)
I know that I will never need all three horses, at the most it might use one hp.

Question is,can I get by with a smaller vfd? say 1hp.

[J Tiers]

Maybe. Half motor rating is usually do-able, less you may run into current limits all the time, doing things that "don't seem that hard".

[lakeside53]

I'd stay with the 3hp vfd. If not you'll likely need long (10-20 seconds) accelleration and deceleration times to avoid over-current and over-voltage trips.

3hp motor is a good choice. You may be need 3hp, but at 12hz, it will still be a 0.6hp motor