Electricity + Control March 2019

round up DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR

Drive system for automotive assembly-line extension

desired transport speed, existing space restrictions and specific ambient conditions of the application. The MOVIPRO ® SDC provides a solution for both horizontal and vertical trolley/skillet applications. It integrates all necessary functions and allows for decentralised installation of up to 15 kW. The solution is characterised by its robust design, especially in terms of reliability and precise positioning requirements. With its modular, standardised design and freely configurable software components, this decentralised drive and positioning control sys- tem facilitates the integration of numerous functions while reduc- ing the complexity of the machine or system. At the Port Elizabeth plant, SEW-Eurodrive was required to replace an existing MOVITRANS ® system, installed originally in 2006, in order to accommodate the addition of a further four skil- lets to the existing line. This was done to upgrade the technology to the latest iteration developed by the research and development department in Germany. The MOVIPRO ® SDC provides wireless communication for the MOVITRANS ® system, based on WiFi routers. Adding to the complexity of the solution required was the fact that the 30 dif- ferent stations along the assembly line had different height re- quirements. “This meant we had to design a height table into the system,” La Cock points out. SEW-Eurodrive’s scope of work on this project included com-

The MOVITRANS ® contactless energy transfer system from SEW-Eurodrive (Pty) Ltd., together with its MOVIPRO ® SDC de- centralised drive, position and application controller, played a key role in the recent assembly-line extension at a major automotive manufacturer in Port Elizabeth. The main advantage of the MOVITRANS ® system is that it is based on contactless energy transfer. In this system, electrical energy is transferred without contact from a fixed conductor to one or more mobile users. The electromagnetic connection is made via an air gap and, because it is not subject to wear, the system has the added benefit of being maintenance-free. In ad- dition, this type of power supply is emission-free and therefore environmentally friendly. Electronics Support Technician at SEW-Eurodrive, Juandré La Cock, elaborates: “MOVITRANS ® is the ideal supply system for mobile applications and has been tested according to BGV B11. It is particularly suitable, for example, for equipment that has to cover long distances at high speeds or if maintenance-free operation is required. It is also suited for applications in sensitive environments where outside contaminants must be excluded, and in wet and damp environments.” Wherever a trolley or skillet conveyor system is in use, as in an automotive assembly line, a custom-designed drive system is required to correspond to the required load-bearing capacity,

missioning the extension of the as- sembly line and ensuring that the entire plant was up-to-date with the latest technology. This involved reset- ting all of the MOVIPROs ® , replacing and extending the Leaky WiFi cable, and then replacing the MOVITRANS ® system with the latest version. La Cock adds that, since the original in- stallation, the entire system has func- tioned flawlessly. While SEW-Eurodrive Maxolu- tion® has developed products and solutions specifically for the automo- tive industry, the system supplied for this project has been customised specifically for the automotive manu- facturer. “This demonstrates our flexi- bility in being able to adapt to specific client requirements and how we en- sure our long-standing clients remain up-to-date with the latest develop- ments,” La Cock concludes. Enquiries: visit SEW-Eurodrive (Pty) Ltd https://www.sew-eurod- rive.co.za/home.html

A trolley or skillet conveyor system for an automotive assembly line.

8 Electricity + Control

MARCH 2019