SEW-Eurodrive has supplied 64 Movigear servo motors from its Cape Town branch to a major OEM based in Paarl, H.G. Molenaar, which in turn supplied a weighing conveyor system to a German-based leader in the frozen fish and vegetable packing sector.
The Movigear solution was ideal for this application due to its 200:1 speed range, together with the fact that these units are designed specifically for the strict hygiene requirements of the food-and-beverage industry. In this regard, the units have no sharp edges or corners where bacteria can accumulate, in addition to featuring a special H200 protective coating. This was added to the surface of the unit to protect against all types of chemical cleaning agents.
“The gearbox and motor are a single sealed unit, together with all of the electronic controls,” explains SEW-Eurodrive’s Paul Strzalkowski, who heads up mechatronic sales at the Cape Town branch. “This equates into a significant saving in terms of the panel size required.”
Another feature is on-board I/O control that interacts directly with the Movigear electronics, meaning no additional wiring to the master PLC. Thus, all control is via the SBUS protocol directly from the master PLC, daisy-chained to the drives themselves.
In addition, the system had to contend with a temperature range from -25 to 25°C. Special oil for food-and-beverage applications was also required to protect against harm caused in the unlikely event of a leak developing.
Commenting on the feedback received to date, Strzalkowski says that the client is particularly happy from a commissioning point of view, due to the considerable saving on wiring and installation time. Another pleasant surprise was the significant improvement in energy consumption – 50% lower than anticipated.
“The beauty of Movigear is everything is prewired,” concludes Strzalkowski. “Each unit is daisy-chained, which results in the reduction in cabling required. This was a flagship project for the flexibility and cost-saving benefits of the solution.”
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