SUCCESS STORY Integrated
SUCCESS STORY Integrated drive systems drives high-performance isobaric press At the heart of the highperformance isobaric press are two Flender SIP planetary gears from Siemens, which drive the two rotating metal belts with precise synchronization. The individual layers of carbon plates are pressed with high precision inside the isobaric press Sandvik process systems is an international metal processing company based in Sweden. The company uses integrated drive systems from Siemens to produce its new high-performance press for manufacturing plates from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The trend towards ever lighter, but more stable, carbon components is clear in the automotive industry. The focus here is on bolstering energy efficiency while reducing the body weight of parts and casings. To meet the rising demands on modern design solutions, Sandvik process systems has developed a new high-performance press, which allows standard metal sheet forming to be replaced by the thermally assisted forming of carbon sheets. Precise synchronization for ultimate control accuracy The production of light, ultra-stable carbon plates requires high precision processes. This is why Sandvik Process Systems has developed an innovative high-performance press that enables specifications from engineering departments to be accurately implemented in production. At the heart of the press are two Flender SIP planetary gear units, which drive the two rotating belt drives with precise synchronization. This is achieved thanks to the perfect interaction of Integrated drive systems components within the drive train. The planetary gear units ensure that the rotational speed and torque are transmitted to the driving drums of the two dimensionally unstable metal belts with the utmost accuracy. This permits high transmission ratios at medium to low machine speeds. The Simatic S7 universal controller transmits the required speed to the modular Sinamics S120 frequency converters. These in turn regulate the drive speed of the Simotics 1FT7 geared servomotors, each of which has an output of 3.8 kW. This compact drive solution produces highstrength, homogeneous carbon plates. Integrated drive solutions for maximum time savings Siemens’ Integrated Drive Systems in which all drive train components are perfectly coordinated, shortens the production time for the high-performance press to a mere eight months. For Sandvik Process Systems, Siemens’ IDS has become an indispensible part of the development and design process for stateof-the-art tools and machines. www.siemens.com/flendersip About Company name: Siemens AG Sector: Flender Headquarters: Bocholt, Germany Products: Helical and Bevel-Helical Gear Units, Planetary Gear Units, Customer-Specific Gear Units 44 MDA Technologies 3/2015
RUBRIZIERUNGSEBEBE 2 I RUBRIZIERUNGSEBENE SUCCESS STORY Drives improve quality in glass production A leading manufacturer of glass tempering ovens has turned to the Unidrive M family of variable speed drives from Emerson Industrial Automation to greatly improve the quality of its products. Glaston America, based in New Jersey, has established a strong reputation for excellence serving both the commercial and residential glass markets. The company’s biggest customer is Cardinal IG, a market leader in the manufacture of residential glass. To ensure its glass tempering ovens meet the demanding requirements of high profile customers, every effort is made by Glaston to maximize quality. A recent case in point saw the company address the issue of tiny scratches that can occur as a result of the glass being tempered without precise speed control on the oven’s drives. To overcome the challenge, Glaston researched the market for an alternative to its existing drives supplier. “The solution initially was the Control Techniques’ Unidrive SP drive due the flexibility of programming and option for feedback,” explains Cliff Matukonis of Glaston America. “However, we soon migrated to the Unidrive M701 as its new features and functionality better suited our needs. The integration of Profibus communications and application modules for increasing the drives’ flexibility was also crucial in our decision.” Led by the results of extensive customer-driven market research, and designed specifically for manufacturing automation applications (Emerson Industrial Automation’s traditional area of expertise), each Unidrive M model suits specific application needs. For instance, the Unidrive M701 series drives offer benefits specific to sectors such as ovens and heat treatment equipment. A total of 14 Unidrive M701 drives with SI-Profibus are now deployed in the Glaston glass tempering ovens, one for each roll section. Rollers pass glass through various oven sections to be treated and then through a cooling section prior to packaging. Glaston also uses 14 Unimotor HD –highly dynamic brushless servo motors from Control Techniques, one for each drive. “The main benefit of the Unidrive M701 is the precise speed control, we can now exert on the oven rolls which greatly reduces scratches and imperfections on the glass,” states Matukonis. “Furthermore, we now have more capability and flexibility, and found integration to the control system extremely straightforward. The system’s design and interfaces, along with its extensive diagnostics capability, also ensure ease-of-use for the machine’s operator.” The Unidrive M family of drives offer class-leading induction and permanent magnet servo motor performance with real-time Ethernet. Each drive delivers maximum machine throughput through greater control with single and multi-axis network synchronization. On-board realtime Ethernet (IEEE 1588 V2), advanced motion control and high speed I/O for position capture has made it easier than ever for machine builders to create more sophisticated and flexible machines. “The new line-up of Unidrive M701 with SI-Profibus is now integral to all our new and upgraded installations,” said Matukonis. “The option cards give these drives incredible flexibility. For example, we are able to bring two encoder signals from other motors into a single drive. With minimal programming, we have been able to have the drives follow either of these encoders with smooth ramps between the two different encoder speeds. I could only find this option in significantly more expensive servo solutions. As well as this, we are impressed at how the system deals with any issues. If a drive fails, all the parameters are kept on a magnetic card that can easily be used to program the new drive. It was much easier for the maintenance department to simply put in the card and program the new drive. Between the Unidrive SP and Unidrive M series, we have to date installed over 100 servo drives at our production facility and we couldn’t be happier with the results we’re seeing” concludes Matukonis. www.controltechniques.com About Company name: Emerson Industrial Automation Brands: Control Techniques Ltd Headquarters: Newtown, United Kingdom Products: drives, motors, frequency inverters, servos MDA Technologies 3/2015 45
