The cost of getting three-phase power in Australia depends heavily on the property, location, available electricity infrastructure and the machinery you need to operate.
For some properties, connecting utility three-phase power may be relatively straightforward. For others — particularly farms, rural properties and workshops — network upgrades, trenching, cabling, switchboard work and connection costs can make bringing three-phase mains power to the property expensive or impractical.
A three-phase generator avoids the need for a grid three-phase connection, but introduces ongoing fuel, servicing and maintenance costs. For machinery used regularly, these costs continue for as long as the generator is operating.
A Phase Changer uses the existing single-phase electricity supply to provide true 415V three-phase power for a wide range of machinery and applications, including heavy industrial equipment and machinery with sensitive electronic controls. Once installed, there is no fuel to purchase and minimal routine maintenance.
Before paying to upgrade a property to three-phase mains power, it is worth finding out whether you actually need to. A correctly sized Phase Changer may provide a substantially simpler and more economical solution.
Best for businesses, farms and workshops needing reliable 415V three-phase machinery operation. Designed to power everything from heavy industrial machinery to equipment with sensitive electronic controls, using your existing single-phase supply. No fuel required, no routine maintenance, and correctly sized to your machinery and application.
Best where permanent grid three-phase power is readily available and economically practical. Can provide an excellent long-term solution, but network upgrades, new cabling, trenching, switchboard work and connection charges can make installation costly or impractical, particularly in rural or remote locations.
Best for temporary, mobile or backup three-phase power. A generator can operate three-phase machinery independently of the electricity supply, but fuel, servicing, noise and ongoing running costs can make it less practical for everyday fixed machinery operation. For businesses using machinery regularly, these ongoing costs can become significant over time.
| Comparison | Phase Changer | Utility Three-Phase Connection | Three-Phase Generator |
| Best suited to | Businesses, farms and workshops needing reliable 415V three-phase power. Suitable for heavy industrial machinery as well as machinery with sensitive electronic controls. | Sites where permanent grid three-phase is available and economically practical. | Temporary, mobile or backup power requirements. |
| Power source | Uses the existing single-phase electricity supply. | Direct utility three-phase grid connection. | Independent generator supply. |
| Installation | Usually avoids major network upgrades, trenching and new utility infrastructure. Correctly sized to the machinery and application. | May require network upgrades, trenching, cabling, switchboard changes and electrician work. | No utility network connection or major fixed infrastructure required. |
| Permanent everyday use | Yes — well suited. | Yes — well suited. | Possible, but generally better suited to temporary or backup use. |
| Heavy industrial machinery | Yes. Designed for demanding three-phase machinery when correctly sized for the load and application. | Yes. | Yes, where the generator has sufficient capacity and suitable output. |
| Sensitive electronic controls | Yes. Proprietary microprocessor control, true voltage balancing and pure sine-wave output make Phase Changer suitable for machinery with sensitive electronic controls. | Yes. | Depends on generator design, output quality and voltage stability. |
| Operating costs & efficiency | Low ongoing running costs. Up to 95% operating efficiency, with no fuel consumption. Phase Changer operates from the property's existing single-phase electricity supply, avoiding the higher daily supply charges that can apply to a dedicated three-phase electricity connection. | Low operating costs after installation, initial connection and infrastructure costs may be significant. Three-phase electricity supply may also attract higher daily supply charges depending on the provider. | Higher ongoing costs due to fuel and engine operation. |
| Power factor correction | Power factor correction built in. Phase Changer improves power factor to reduce the current drawn from the single-phase supply. This helps make better use of the available supply and existing cabling and, in some applications, can avoid unnecessary cable or supply upgrades. It is an important part of our design and performance — not an optional extra.. | Power factor depends on the connected machinery and installation. | Depends on the generator, connected load and system configuration. |
| Maintenance & servicing | No routine maintenance required. No fuel, oil changes or scheduled servicing. Service is generally only required if a component eventually fails or site conditions change. | Little ongoing maintenance after installation. | Regular servicing and engine maintenance required. |
| Proven longevity | Designed for long-term operation. Many Phase Changers operate for years without requiring a service, with units remaining in service for decades. | Permanent infrastructure designed for long-term use. | Service life depends on operating hours, maintenance, generator quality and operating conditions. |
| Warranty | 3-year manufacturer warranty. Backed by Australian manufacturer support and replacement parts availability. | Warranties vary between network, electrical and installed components. | Varies by manufacturer and model. |
| Noise & exhaust | Very low operating noise. Similar to an idling motor, with no engine and no exhaust. | No operational noise or exhaust. | Engine noise and exhaust produced. |
| Mobility | Portable; can move with the business or machinery. | Fixed installation; cannot be moved. | Portable and can move between sites. |
| Resale value | Established Phase Changer second-hand market. Well-maintained units can retain useful resale value. | No comparable standalone resale market. | Varies according to brand, age, condition and operating hours. |
| Specialist support | Direct Australian manufacturer support. Technical assistance, servicing and replacement parts directly from the specialist manufacturer that designed and builds the Phase Changer. Application & custom solutions: Most applications can be handled with a standard Phase Changer, correctly sized and configured for the machinery. Where an application has unusual or complex three-phase power requirements, we can also assess the complete application and develop a site- or application-specific solution. | Utility provider and qualified electrician. | Depends on the generator supplier or service provider. |
| Overall suitability | Practical long-term solution for operating three-phase machinery where single-phase power is available, with high operating efficiency, very low noise and no routine maintenance requirements. | Strong permanent solution where connection costs and infrastructure requirements are practical. | Best suited to temporary, mobile or backup power. |
A phase converter can look like a relatively simple piece of equipment from the outside. What is inside, and the engineering behind it, can be very different.
Phase Changer combines the proven strengths of rotary phase conversion with modern microprocessor control, purpose-built components and more than two decades of continuous development.
Phase Changer is Australia’s only microprocessor-controlled rotary phase converter and one of only a few converter systems worldwide to use this level of microprocessor-controlled technology.
This distinction matters. Most conventional rotary converters use much simpler control systems, while modern digital phase converters use a fundamentally different solid-state method of electronically creating three-phase power.
Phase Changer is different from both.
It combines the proven characteristics of rotary phase conversion with our own purpose-designed and built microprocessor controller — the brain of the Phase Changer, to continuously manage voltage balance, changing loads, starting performance and protection. This gives Phase Changer the robust power characteristics of a rotary system together with a level of intelligent control rarely found in rotary phase converters.
It is one of the reasons a Phase Changer should not be compared with another converter simply by looking at its kW rating and price.
Phase Changer has been designed, developed and manufactured in Australia for more than two decades.
We don't simply assemble an imported converter from a collection of off-the-shelf parts. We design and manufacture a number of the critical components ourselves, work with Australian specialist manufacturers and suppliers, and use quality branded European components where they are the right choice.
This gives us control over how the complete system is engineered — from power quality and efficiency through to safety, reliability and long-term serviceability.
Our transformers are wound and built in-house specifically for Phase Changer.They are deliberately engineered with generous design margins for the electrical and thermal demands of the converter, rather than being designed down to the minimum specification or lowest possible manufacturing cost.
Our electronic control system and circuit boards are also purpose-designed for Phase Changer. Even our power capacitors are specially manufactured to our specification, using heavier film construction and a true 600V rating.
The important components are designed to work together as a complete Phase Changer system — not simply selected from a catalogue and assembled into an enclosure.
At the heart of every Phase Changer is our own purpose-designed and built microprocessor controller — the brain of the Phase Changer.
Developed exclusively for our converters, it continuously monitors and manages the system as machinery loads change. Our 9-stage automatic voltage and balance control, together with high-power solid-state thyristor switching, allows the Phase Changer to respond rapidly to changing loads while maintaining stable three-phase output.
This technology has been continuously refined through 55 generations of development, drawing on more than two decades of real-world experience and over 10,000 installations.
The result is clean, stable 415V three-phase pure sine-wave power, suitable for demanding industrial machinery as well as machines incorporating sensitive electronic controls.
Phase Changer is designed to get the best from the single-phase power infrastructure you already have.
Built-in power-factor correction helps reduce current drawn from the incoming supply and make better use of the available electrical infrastructure. Combined with correctly sized components and up to 95% operating efficiency, this helps keep energy overheads low.
Automatic Hard Start and Boost provides additional starting capability for demanding motor loads, drawing on energy stored within the converter to help machinery start quickly and efficiently.
Phase Changer is designed not simply to create three-phase power, but to provide clean, stable and usable three-phase power across real-world machinery loads.
We don't remove important engineering, protection or components simply to achieve a lower purchase price.
Electronic capacitor switching reduces electrical stress and avoids using mechanical contactors to repeatedly switch the capacitor banks. Multiple layers of electrical protection are incorporated throughout the system, including microprocessor-controlled input and output contactors, thermal overload protection, correctly sized circuit breakers and control-circuit protection.
Models fitted with three-phase outlets also incorporate RCD protection.
Phase Changers provide pure sine-wave three-phase output with very low harmonic content and without the electrical noise associated with many electronically generated power systems.
Over the years, we have had many customers come to us after first purchasing other phase converter suppliers and experiencing problems — from poor machinery compatibility and unreliable operation through to difficulty obtaining technical support or replacement parts.
In many of those cases, Phase Changer became the solution after the first solution didn't work.
That experience has reinforced something we have believed for a long time: all three-phase converters are not the same, and they should not be compared on price or kW rating alone.
When three-phase power is operating expensive machinery — and often an entire business depends on that machinery — power quality, correct sizing, protection, serviceability and the knowledge of the manufacturer matter.
Phase Changer is designed to be serviceable, not disposable.
There is no routine maintenance requirement, and many units operate for years without requiring service. If a component eventually needs replacement, the converter has been designed so it can be repaired rather than discarded.
We continue to support Phase Changers that have been operating for many years, with units remaining in service for decades.
Every new Phase Changer is backed by a 36-month manufacturer warranty, direct Australian technical support and ongoing access to service and replacement parts.
Phase Changer isn't an additional product in a large catalogue. Designing, manufacturing, developing and supporting Phase Changers is our core business.
That specialist focus is why we continue developing the technology, manufacture critical components ourselves, retain the knowledge to support older units and take the time to correctly size and configure a converter for the machinery it needs to operate.
Most applications can be handled with one of our standard Phase Changer models, correctly sized and configured. For unusual or complex requirements, we can assess the complete application and develop a site- or application-specific solution.
We design them. We build them. We support them.
Phase Changer isn't engineered to be the cheapest phase converter.
We don't take shortcuts on quality, safety or engineering simply to achieve the lowest purchase price.
It is engineered to provide reliable three-phase power, make the best use of the electrical infrastructure you already have, protect the machinery your business depends upon, and remain serviceable, supportable and useful for the long term.
