Motion Control & Drives


Printing industry automation solutions take centre stage

June 2006 Motion Control & Drives

Complete packages and modular automation solutions for printing machinery will take centre-stage with Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) at the IPEX 2006 in Birmingham, England. With modular software and integrated communication solutions shortening the time-to-market for mechanical equipment manufacturers and therefore offering the user a high level of investment protection, Siemens will present a selection of system and drive solutions for automation in the printing and converting industry.

The Siemens presentation at this year's IPEX trade fair will focus on system packages based on the Sinamics drives family, as well as Motion Control solutions with Profinet, realtime Ethernet.

The Sinamics S120 AC Drive is a converter for high-performance single-axis applications as well as multi-axis applications in the printing industry. The converter is also suitable for retrofit projects for high-performance printing machinery. Thanks to its modular design, the new drive type can be used for multi-axis applications and thus for synchronous and motion control applications.

The Sinamics S120 AC Drive converters are designed for a performance range of up to 250 kW. The control unit is available with Profibus and Profinet interface. Energy efficiency and regenerative capabilities have long been high on the agenda in the printing industry. With 'Smart Infeed' and 'Active Infeed', Siemens (A&D) will present two power recovery concepts for the Sinamics drives family.

The current from regenerative operation of drives is fed back into the network. Depending on the requirements of an application and its environment, either Smart Infeed is used as a standard solution, or Active Infeed is used for especially high plant availability and network quality. For applications that do not require power recovery, Siemens offers a low-cost solution with the 'Basic Infeed' version.

The focus at the trade fair will also be on automation solutions for modular machine concepts as well as software packages with special links for the printing industry. Profinet with IRT is suitable as an integrated communication solution for multi-axis applications, such as in rotary offset printing presses for illustrations and newspapers, as well as in print finishing.

A rotary offset machine for illustrations is modular in design and comprises, for example, four printing groups, drier, folder support and folder. To ensure productivity, more than 30 axes are coordinated. The axes are distributed over seven axis groupings with Simotion D and Sinamics and they communicate via IRT Profinet. As well as realtime communication, Profinet is also used for IT tasks such as operator control and monitoring, and diagnostics. This involves accessing the OPC-XML server that is integrated into Simotion D and provides process-level data and drive data.

For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, [email protected], www.siemens.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

The opportunity and impact of MEPS electric motor regulations
WEG Africa Motion Control & Drives
South African companies are gearing up for the new Minimum Energy Performance Standards, part of a global trend towards energy-efficient electric motors.

Read more...
Custom mining solutions from Bühler at MTE Richards Bay
Motion Control & Drives
Bühler recently showcased its advanced material handling solutions at the Mining & Technical Exhibitions (MTE) in Richards Bay.

Read more...
SKF’s integrated triple-action solution drives operational value for customer in Cameroon
Motion Control & Drives
SKF has successfully delivered a powerful, integrated solution to a leading metals industry customer in Cameroon, combining advanced condition monitoring and high-performance bearings, underpinned by professional, expert services.

Read more...
Innomotics electrifies major mining operation in Chile
Motion Control & Drives
Innomotics has been awarded a major electrification project to support an important mining operation in northern Chile.

Read more...
Power meets precision
Motion Control & Drives
Swiss drive technology specialist, maxon is presenting the second generation of its compact mid-motor for e-bikes, the BIKEDRIVE AIR S. This new system delivers a high torque of 90 Nm with a motor weight of two kilograms.

Read more...
Siemens democratises AI-driven PCB design for small and medium electronics teams
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software is making its AI-enhanced electronic systems design technology more accessible to small and mid-sized businesses with PADS Pro Essentials software and Xpedition Standard software.

Read more...
Referro Systems expands local market
Motion Control & Drives
Referro Systems has achieved notable growth since introducing Advanced Micro Controls (AMCI) products into the African market.

Read more...
Control solution for highly dynamic.
Motion Control & Drives
The motion control specialist, Aerotech is expanding its Auto-mation1-iSMC control solution with a powerful feature for highly dynamic laser drilling with galvo scanners.

Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE energy audits help farmers drive down irrigation costs
Motion Control & Drives
SEW-EURODRIVE is expanding its support to South Africa’s agricultural sector by leveraging its world class expertise in energy audits for drive systems, helping farmers unlock cost savings and improve operational efficiencies in irrigation applications.

Read more...
Smart automated lubrication
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
A leading customer of SKF in Tunisia’s paper and pulp industry was facing significant challenges with the manual lubrication of its paper machine. SKF had the solution.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved