Electricity and Control May 2021

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Engineering collaboration for animal feed production

High-capacity mixers for feed milling depend on drive technology that is sufficiently robust to provide reliable operation in demanding applications and challenging environments. SEW-EURODRIVE supplies and upgrades reliable gear units and drives for this industry. When specialist feed-milling original equipment manufacturer, Dalein Agriplan, was commissioned to design a one-of-a-kind high-speed, high-capacity mixer for a leading South African animal feed producer, the company turned to SEW-EURODRIVE as an experienced partner to help it deliver a precision-engineered solution. The project called for a custom-designed six-tonne twin-shaft paddle mixer and drive system to replace the single-shaft paddle mixer system used in the original installation. Because the client’s requirement was for a 6 000 kg- capacity mixer and Dalein Agriplan had not previously delivered an installation larger than 5 000 kg, SEW- EURODRIVE and Dalein Agriplan collaborated to develop a bespoke solution – the prototype MPT6000H heavy duty twin-shaft paddle mixer. Given that this was a prototype and they didn’t have any previous data to rely on, the two companies worked closely together on the required calculations and specifications. The SEW-EURODRIVE team has many years of experience in applying a versatile and adaptable modular service concept to projects. The Maxolution ® solution enables clients to optimise implementation on projects. The aim was to design a mixer capable of producing the required level of torque, while running at optimum rotor speed for the effective product blending as required by the client. Part of the challenge was to enable a 3-tonne batch of feed product to be mixed in 90 seconds, whereas this previously took around three minutes with the original single-shaft mixer. To meet these requirements for increased speed and mixing efficiency while processing a larger quantity of animal feed, SEW-EURODRIVE supplied two industrial gearboxes with XT configurations. The XT gearbox forms part of the X-series of robust industrial gearboxes manufactured by the company in Germany. It is a coaxial bevel-helical industrial gearbox, creating a unique gearing system with shaft positions that allow it to use a twin-shaft mixer instead of a single-shaft mixer. For this project, the size of the gearboxes was calculated to deliver the required torque at the optimum speed. The two gearboxes are driven from a single motor using a dual-input coupling. Following installation of the mixer at the animal feed supplier De Heus South Africa’s factory at Umlaas in KwaZulu-Natal, De Heus being Dalein Agriplan’s client, SEW-EURODRIVE inspected the on-site setup of the gearboxes on the mixer, and Dalein ensured successful startup and commissioning. “Although the customised design and engineering

requirements presented certain challenges, the greater test was possibly navigating the supply chain process between Germany and South Africa during the stricter levels of lockdown,” says Phillip Steyn, Sales Representative at SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa. “But, with agriculture being an essential service and SEW- EURODRIVE being an accredited supplier of essential services, international shipments and local deliveries were completed on schedule.” Although the XT gearbox is sourced from Germany, spare parts are stocked locally and available at short notice to South African clients, together with the necessary technical support. The successful collaboration on the De Heus project continues a long history of cooperation between Dalein Agriplan and SEW-EURODRIVE. The former has been incorporating SEW products into its plants and projects for many years. “Because of SEW’s long-standing reputation – plus its local and global footprint, technical assistance and stock availability – many agri-plant suppliers specify only SEW-EURODRIVE geared solutions for their projects,” says Steyn. For more information contact SEW-EURODRIVE. Tel: +27 (0)11 248 7000 Email: info@sew.co.za Visit: www.sew-eurodrive.co.za The twin-shaft paddle mixer is driven by two industrial gearboxes and a single motor to deliver the required torque at optimum speed.

16 Electricity + Control MAY 2021