In a recent installation, reinforced concrete pipes are removed from the turntable of a pipe machine by a release-handling unit and transported to the drying area at speeds of up to 2,5 m/s. During this step, the handling unit opens the pipe mould and removes it from the pipe with carefully calculated movements then returns the empty mould to the turntable. This is repeated with an overall cycle time of only about 2 minutes for DN 300 pipes. In turn the removal-handling unit takes the dried pipes from the drying area and transports them to the finished part store via post-processing and checking stations.
The release and removal-handling units are high-capacity crane bridges, each 20 m in length, which run on the same crane way. They have coupled control and a permanent collision-monitoring feature. The release-handling unit takes precedence over the removal-handling unit, in order to avoid downtime on the pipe machine.
Another handling unit, the stack gripper, runs on its own crane way and transports the pipes from the finished parts store to one of two pallet locating stations. Here, the pipes are placed on pallets in alternate directions. Meanwhile, a heavy-duty forklift at the other station collects the stacked pipe pallet and takes it to the warehouse.
Handling must be precise. The bridge drives of the release and removal units are configured as asynchronous servo drives, in view of the required maximum speed of 2,5 m/s, the shortest cycle time of 2 minutes and the positioning accuracy of ±3 mm, with total loads of about 30 t and a clamping distance of 20 m.
The four travel drives on each bridge - SEW parallel shaft helical geared servomotors - and the trolley travelling and hoist drives of the handling units, are synchronously controlled and accurately positioned by AC Movidrive geared motors with integrated positioning control and Profibus interface. The position control loop is also corrected using an absolute linear scale to take account of possible wheel slip. The drives on the stack gripper also have AC geared motors with Movidrive. The picture shows the drying area, where the release-handling unit has just placed a fresh pipe.
More movement on the market
Motion Control & Drives
If you want to move something, you have to be able to control the movement. When positioning in the nanometre range everything matters and requires high performance motion control. Six years ago, Aerotech therefore set itself the goal of revolutionising the market for precision motion and machine control systems.
Read more...Highly customisable robotic hand
Motion Control & Drives
NSK and the German Aerospace Centre are developing a robotic hand system that will help automate manual tasks. The concept centres on a customisable robot hand comprising individually configurable finger modules, an industry first.
Read more...Electrically-operated diaphragm pumping solutions Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
Motion Control & Drives
BMG has extended its range of Ingersoll Rand ARO fluid handling products to include the new EVO series electric diaphragm pumps, designed to enhance energy efficiency and improve fluid handling productivity.
Read more...Grease degradation diagnosis technology
Motion Control & Drives
NSK is developing a world-first: a high-accuracy way of rapidly and accurately diagnosing the remaining life of lubricant grease. The company will provide the solution as a mobile app, enabling users to perform the onsite analysis of lubricant condition in bearings and linear motion systems.
Read more...New compact VFDs with higher power ratings
Motion Control & Drives
Invertek Drives has revealed the extension of its industry-leading Optidrive Coolvert variable frequency drive with the launch of two new compact frame sizes with higher power ratings.
Read more...Revolutionising manufacturing: the impact of machine learning in robotics
Motion Control & Drives
The integration of machine learning (ML) into robotics has the potential to revolutionise many industries, in particular the manufacturing sector. Yaskawa South Africa is at the forefront of embracing this transformative technology to optimise innovation and propel the manufacturing industry forward.
Read more...Chain hoist friction clutch tester WIKA Instruments
Motion Control & Drives
WIKA’s FRKPS chain hoist test set is a reliable and efficient way to test the friction clutch on your chain hoist.
Read more...SEW-EURODRIVE builds support, trust into Africa SEW-Eurodrive
News
Companies in various sectors across Africa are wanting to harness the power of modern advancements in drive technology, and SEW-EURODRIVE is there with the solutions and the support.
printer friendly version