Mitsubishi Electric Australia will be supplying three major components for deployment at iFLY Downunder, Australia’s first indoor skydiving facility.

Mitsubishi Electric’s technology partnership with iFLY Downunder is based on their longstanding relationship with SkyVenture, the supplier of vertical wind tunnels for iFLY globally.

iFLY Downunder has deployed three Mitsubishi Electric components to power its vertical wind tunnel. These include four FR-F700 variable speed drive (VSD) inverters, which control the fan mechanism that creates the wind in the tunnel. The VSD inverters control four 315 kilowatt motors in the wind tunnel, helping to generate wind speeds of up to 250km/h.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Q-Series modular programmable logic controller (PLC) is also part of the installation, regulating the inverters by monitoring different variants for maintenance and safety, including elements such as temperature, vibrations and other changes in the environment. The PLC also allows the operator to control the speed of the wind.

The third component in the deployment is the CC-Link, Mitsubishi Electric’s proprietary industrial communication network, which links the VSD inverters and PLC together, allowing the wind tunnel operator to manage all components via one control, and ensuring that each flight is a smooth, reliable and fun experience.

According to Grant Millard, Product Sales Engineer, Mitsubishi Electric Australia, the company has taken the technology used in factory automation, refrigerators and air conditioning and deployed it in iFLY’s application, proving that their innovative technologies are designed to deliver reliability, longevity and energy-efficiency regardless of application.