Vacon and Coca-Cola: drive company lines them up

Fourth Quarter 2007 Electrical switching & drive systems & components

Busy bottling companies with plants in Italy and Spain rely on Vacon AC drives which operate turning shuttles and stacker cranes manufactured by System Logistics.

Based in Modena, Italy, close to the Ferrari factory, System Logistics designs and manufactures complete systems and tailor-made solutions for the management of goods logistics within production and distribution systems.

In 2005, System Logistics went through the process of reviewing several drives suppliers in order to revise their technical solutions for stacker cranes and shuttle vehicles - unmanned vehicles that move pallets and palletised containers in a warehouse. Initially the logistics company evaluated 15 drive manufacturers on the basis of a demanding requirement specification. Vacon and four competitors passed the first selection round and were submitted to precise load tests at the laboratory of a motor manufacturer.

"We could say 'yes' to most requirements, and for some that we could not meet, we offered high quality alternatives that the customer accepted. The customer rewarded our endurance by allowing us to reach end-users such as the Coca-Cola Company!" says Marco Beltrami, sales and marketing director, Vacon Italy.

Dedicated customer application

Stacker cranes move in horizontal (X-axis), vertical (Y-axis) and transverse directions (Z-axis) to pick up pallets from a loading bay and store them on shelves. The entire operation is networked and controlled from a central dispatching system. Shuttles, in turn, move along a straight or curved monorail to transport transfer pallets. Accurate positioning of the stacker cranes and turning shuttles is vital to avoid downtime, delays and material damage.

All Vacon drives are equipped with the same application software, custom-designed to optimise ease of use and commissioning. "The stacker cranes employ a regenerative DC bus design (inverter unit + active front-end). The choice of the regenerative solution was supported by a precise energy saving analysis," says Beltrami.

Customers of System Logistics include bottling companies such as Acqua Minerale San Benedetto SpA with plants near Venice, Italy, and Coca-Cola Company with plants in Seville, Spain. Hundreds of Vacon drives operate several dozen System Logistics' stacker crane systems.

Wireless communication

In a busy 500 000 m³ warehouse, a stacker crane is almost constantly on the move. Integration of the drives in the wireless LAN and using the Vacon NCDrive commissioning and maintenance tool simplified commissioning.

Numeric controller

All stacker crane drives are controlled from a single numeric controller designed by System Logistics. This device takes care of position control. The interface is based on the CANopen fieldbus.

Special application logic has been developed in Vacon drives for dynamic load sharing of drives in horizontal movement (X-axis). This optimises the wheel to rail friction and prevents slipping. The stacker crane may reach heights of more than 30 metres and achieve horizontal speeds in excess of 5 m/s while positioning the goods to a fraction of a millimetre. This makes the resolution and bandwidth of the speed and position control critical.

PLC-based position control

Vacon also supplied drives for shuttle vehicles with PLC-based position control. Each shuttle is moved along the rail by one wheel. The main drive is an open-loop Vacon NXL.

Here again, customised software and effective training enabled an easy start-up. The use of the Vacon NCDrive tool with virtual serial communication over a Wi-Fi gateway simplified the testing and commissioning of the shuttle drives.

For more information contact Rob Hare, CHI Control Components, +27 (0)11 824 7400, [email protected], www.chi.co.za

Further reading:

Precise detection of complex rotational movements
Beckhoff Automation Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The EP3751-0260 EtherCAT Box module by Beckhoff connects an acceleration sensor with an inertial measurement unit - a gyroscope. This provides accurate detection of acceleration and rotational motion in addition to shock, vibration and tilt measurement, both as preprocessed values and as raw sensor data.

Read more...

---

Energy management system for electrohydrostatic actuation systems
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
In the machine manufacturing industry, more drive systems are being converted from servo-hydraulic throttle to electrohydrostatic actuation systems. The four-quadrant capability of the electrohydrostatic pump unit and servo drive used in this technology, in combination with the new Moog energy management system, allows regenerative power flows generated during braking or pressure relief to be stored and reused.

Read more...

---

Drive solution for stacker reclaimer
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Hägglunds Drives South Africa recently completed a retrofit project on the bucket wheel of a stacker reclaimer at Richards Bay Coal Terminal. The project entailed replacing a gearbox drive solution with a direct drive solution from Hägglunds Drives SA.

Read more...

---

Kamoa-Kakula power pack order for SEW-EURODRIVE
SEW-EURODRIVE Electrical switching & drive systems & components
With well over 100 units already delivered, SEW-EURODRIVE is set to continue supplying Ivanhoe Mines’ prestigious Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read more...

---

Seven ways to reduce production downtime on the plant
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Production downtime is one of the biggest risks in the manufacturing industry. Follow these seven tips to reduce machine downtime in your production line.

Read more...

---

The time is now to implement a motor management strategy
Schneider Electric South Africa Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Motor management plays an all-important role in controlling motor energy costs in various industries, segments and applications. Research and practical experience have consistently shown that effective motor management practices can result in significant energy savings, reduced operational costs, and improved overall system reliability.

Read more...

---

Rapid overhaul of compressor motors
ACTOM Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Marthinusen & Coutts Zambia was requested by a smelter based in the Copperbelt to provide an in-country repair solution for its two critical 4,5 MW compressor motors. The company was given only three weeks in which to overhaul and commission the motors.

Read more...

---

PC-based motion control on a labelling machine
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
For 50 years, Bausch+Ströbel in Germany has been developing packaging and production systems for the pharmaceutical industries. The company’s goal is to offer the best technical and economical solutions for the challenges of modern industry. Its new ESA1025 labelling machine shows how this is achieved with PC-based control from Beckhoff as the central motion controller.

Read more...

---

Thrust for hybrid electric flying
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Several leading academic institutes in Germany are collaborating on the future of hybrid electric flying. The partners are researching an entirely new propulsion system for medium-range aircraft with up to 35 passengers.

Read more...

---

Precise knowledge for precise applications
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Aerotech has been supplying standard product solutions such as motors, drives, controls and positioning tables since 1970. Customised motion subsystems include positioning systems on granite structures with undercarriage and vibration isolation, and also external measurement systems.

Read more...

---