With a unique position in the industrial power transmission market, Bonfiglioli has built on its strengths in brushless motors, low backlash gearboxes and inverters to create the Mechatronic Drives and Solutions (MDS) division within its global industrial division.
This was driven by group chairman and CEO, Sonia Bonfiglioli, who saw the need to develop a standalone business unit consolidated under one roof and focusing on automated motion control applications. This involved the combination of Bonfiglioli’s mechanical, electric, electronic and applications skills to offer customised, vertically integrated mechatronic solutions. In 2012, brand new premises were built in Rovereto, Italy, to support MDS in the state-of-the-art Bonfiglioli Mechatronic Research (BMR) factory.
MDS in South Africa
Bonfiglioli has now introduced the MDS concept worldwide. Bonfiglioli South Africa has taken up the initiative and Motion Control talked to MD, Robert Rohman and sales manager, Grant Rebstein about these new developments. “We saw an opportunity in South Africa as clients today want a complete automation solution as well as a one-stop-shop. What Bonfiglioli did was to take three key technologies – inverters, servomotors and low backlash gearboxes – and marry them together to create a complete motion control solution for automation,” says Rohmann. “We used existing products, although some have been redeveloped, and put them all under one roof where previously they were split up.
“In reality this is a different type of sales approach,” he continues. “Our traditional business is geared motors; but here we take a complete set of products and weave them together into a functioning application. Each one is unique and we spend a lot of time on site. This is much more challenging from a resource point of view.”
The motor
The BMD is part of Bonfiglioli’s range of permanent magnet brushless AC synchronous motors. These are based on salient pole technology. The high quality and performance of the neodymium iron boron rare-earth magnets allows very high accelerations and the motors can withstand high overloads without the risk of demagnetisation.
The dimensions of the motors are drastically reduced, with considerable advantages in terms of torque density, overall dimensions and dynamic performance. “Most manufacturers have a compact series and a standard series; but the problem with compact is that it reduces the overload capabilities. We have one that can do both, which makes it much more versatile. Bonfiglioli looked at the needs of the market and designed a motor around that,” explains Rebstein. He says that another advantage is that certain of these motors are available with standard IEC interfaces, which enables Bonfiglioli to offer the motor with a standard gearbox.
The gearbox
The TQ name is a result of the rebranding of the Tecnoagranaggi product range. These products have been in the Bonfiglioli group for many years. “We are a gearbox company and the TQ series of low backlash planetary gearboxes has over the years developed into a very superior product. Our competitors only do low precision gearboxes while we have a wider range,” he adds.
The TQ series is designed to deliver the highest possible level of transmission precision. Low backlash combined with a high torsional rigidity guarantees an extremely competent product, especially in high dynamic applications. The technical design of this gearbox also allows high axial and radial loads on the output shaft and silent operation.
One of the improvements is the incorporation of a monoblock planetary carrier, which makes it more rigid, with less torsional backlash and hence higher accuracy. “The level accuracy of standard units is 20 to 24 arc minutes but these gearboxes are down to 2 arc minutes, or 0,03°, and this is a huge advantage. Another advantage of the gearbox is that it can be put together with any equipment anywhere you need high precision and a high cycle rate. Standard gearboxes are not suitable for multiple startups but these are designed for exactly that,” Rebstein continues.
The inverter
The MDS package is controlled by the Bonfiglioli Vectron servodrive inverter series, Active Cube. Developed exclusively for the BMD servomotors, the ACU frequency inverters are capable of driving both closed and open loop systems with high precision, and can run a standard motor as well.
“Using standard software modules for different applications such as cranes, winches and lifts, we have simplified the customisation process through our detailed understanding of the customer’s applications and requirements. This enables us to offer a complete solution very competitively and very quickly,” Rebstein explains.
The software
Bonfiglioli also offers free software, V Plus, for communications and setup. This can interface wirelessly with the drive. The engineering and configuration software includes advanced and effective tools for diagnostics and troubleshooting; a real oscilloscope analyser; a variable monitoring window; and a dashboard for most important process measurements.
“Automation is about accuracy – typically a robot. We needed all three of these components for success,” says Rohman. The Bonfiglioli attitude is ‘we design our own product, we do not copy’. However, for the mechanical interface, TQ went to the market leaders and used its expertise to develop the same mechanical interface as the other biggest manufacturers.”
Three divisions
Globally Bonfiglioli has three divisions: industrial (including MDS), mobile and photovoltaic (PV). The company is big in packaging OEM, with the bulk of the equipment being manufactured in Europe.
“In South Africa the bulk of what we do MDS-wise is retrofitting in the packaging sector and we have plenty of applications out there in the market. Here MDS offers a one-stop-shop at a fraction of the cost of new equipment. We can take an old machine and make it into a totally modern machine and this is a massive advantage,” continues Rebstein.
For example one client needed an upgrade and a new packaging machine would have cost R20m, even for a basic machine. There was nothing wrong with the physical machine itself so Bonfiglioli took out the old levers and moving components and put individual drives on each part and the cost was about a hundredth that of buying a new machine. This is the first of nine units.
“Locally we have a well-established presence in the industrial sector. Although mining and related activities are the biggest part of our South African business, we have recognised an increasing demand for sophisticated process control and we see the MDS range as a key part of our growth strategy going forward,” he concludes.
For more information contact Robert Rohman, Bonfiglioli, +27 (0)11 457 3700, [email protected], www.bonfiglioli.co.za
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