Vectron storage and retrieval systems with Lenze technology
"As a young, small company, we needed a partner who is at home in our industry and knows the requirements," says Thomas Wakolbinger."
The young Vectron team has set out to take the world of storage and retrieval systems, or AS/RS for short, to a new level. Thanks to the innovative aluminum design, moving masses are reduced – guaranteeing efficient use of energy. Lenze provides the drive technology: the harmonized portfolio of motors, gearboxes, variable frequency drives, controllers and drive elements meets Vectron's needs in all areas. Combined with Lenze's FAST Application Software, the result is a comprehensive intralogistics industry solution – just as you would expect from a system supplier.
"Our approach was to transfer the advantages of storage and retrieval systems for containers to those for pallets," says Thomas Wakolbinger, Managing Director and one of the four founders of Vectron Logistics GmbH in Vorchdorf (Upper Austria). "Whether it is a stacker crane with a height of 2 meters or one with a height of 30 meters – the basic modular mechanical concept remains the same." A distinctive feature of Vectron's devices is the continuous bolted aluminum construction. "The design with plastic wheels running on aluminum profiles and toothed belt drive was previously only available on the market for smaller container devices," explains Wakolbinger. "However, it offers many advantages, such as very smooth running, high speed and low noise levels." Until now, large storage and retrieval systems for pallets have typically used steel wheels running on welded railway rails and steel cables to provide the lifting motion – combined with a noise level that necessitate operating the AS/RS in a separate, sealed-off room."
Easy to carry through the door
The design with bolted aluminum rails offers additional advantages over the steel construction, as there is no need for complex welding and grinding processes, often at great heights. Defective rail sections can be replaced very easily in the event of damage. "What's more, our storage and retrieval systems can be brought into a room through a normal door that is 2 meters high and 90 centimeters wide," emphasizes Wakolbinger. With a steel construction, on the other hand, an open roof is usually required. "This is a decisive advantage, especially for retrofits." Since the main parts are made of aluminum, the moving masses are around 30 percent lower compared to the steel construction – and energy consumption is reduced by roughly the same amount. The Vectron storage and retrieval systems are currently available in heights of between 6 and 30 meters, with an even taller version already being considered. The innovative potential did not go unnoticed in the industry and got the attention of KNAPP. Last year, the international technology company acquired a stake in Vectron to round off its portfolio with Vectron's modern storage and retrieval systems and transfer carriages, in addition to innovative conveyor technology.
Low noise emission
Although the focus is on the mechanics, Vectron naturally offers its storage and retrieval systems with a complete control system, as was recently the case for an intralogistics company from Vorarlberg, Austria. "The customer was impressed by the high performance and productivity when storing pallets," explains Thomas Wakolbinger. In addition, the storage and retrieval unit was supposed to be operated in a hall where employees are working – separated by a safety fence, but in the immediate vicinity. Thanks to the low-noise design with plastic wheels running on aluminum profiles and toothed belt drive, this is possible without any problems. Vectron also relied on Lenze to maximize the drive technology's potential.
Reduce engineering effort
"If you want to be successful in the global market, we believe it is essential to incorporate your strengths into industry solutions. And intralogistics is one of many industries that Lenze has been focusing on for a long time," says Manfred Spandl, Head of Material Handling and Logistics Austria at Lenze. The requirements for storage and retrieval systems are particularly high. "On the one hand, a compact design is required, combined with high power density and overload capacity," says Spandl, "on the other hand, operation is a challenge for the drive technology: Continuous high acceleration peaks, but hardly any constant speeds are the norm."
"For these reasons, as a young, small company, we needed a partner who is well-versed in our industry and knows the requirements," says Thomas Wakolbinger. "We couldn't afford any problems here and therefore didn't want to experiment. This applies to the actual drive as well as the controllers and software." Fortunately, Lenze can provide all the software functions that are important for storage and retrieval systems ready-made and tested, thus relieving the designers of a lot of engineering work. "Put simply, we only have to tell the PLC at what speed the AS/RS should move to which coordinates. We don't need to worry about the rest. Acceleration and coordination of the axes so that both the lifting and travelling axes reach their destination at the same time."
Safety functions included
Lenze has integrated a whole series of Lenze FAST into its material handling and logistics industry solution to make this as easy as possible. Thanks to these pre-configured and tested software modules, engineering time can be significantly reduced. This is associated with a high degree of standardization and significantly increases system performance. Over 80 percent of all AS/RS functions can be covered, allowing customers to save an enormous amount of time, resources and therefore money thanks to Lenze FAST. As an added value, Lenze also offers the required safety functions as a plug & play solution, naturally in accordance with the standards and regulations for storage and retrieval systems. "A regular brake test is mandatory here," Thomas Wakolbinger gives an example. "If I had to program this function myself, it would be a lot of work. Now I only have to define the time and the Lenze controller carries out the test completely independently." Lenze FAST saves a tremendous amount of development work and form a modular, coherent overall concept thanks to excellent harmonization with the Lenze portfolio.
Maximum energy efficiency
The well-rounded overall concept was also the reason why Vectron opted for Lenze. "Lenze offers its technology exactly as we need it for our application – regardless of the size of the storage and retrieval machine our customer requires," the logistics expert explains. Vectron thus benefits from Lenze's extensive portfolio of motors, gearboxes, frequency drives and drive elements. The developers have set themselves the goal of achieving high performance while minimizing energy consumption. "The way in which a storage and retrieval machine is operated places corresponding demands on acceleration with high peak performance, while at the same time energy is generated during braking processes, which we recover and feed back into the grid," says Manfred Spandl. This is a welcome effect that Vectron is happy to utilize to further increase energy efficiency. These and many other features have earned Lenze the reputation of being the experts when it comes to solving demanding drive technology applications. "Because even when things get complex and complicated, we have the right solution for our customers," summarizes Spandl. In addition, Lenze provides optimal support in product selection. Wakolbinger: "The close dialog with Lenze's experts is a support we wouldn't want to do without, nor would we want to do without the support during commissioning and the guaranteed long-term supply of spare parts."
High-performance toothed belt
The toothed belts for the drive train, supplied like many other components from Lenze Selection (a subsidiary of Lenze Austria), are quiet, fast and, above all, maintenance-free – unlike steel cables, which cannot do without regular lubrication. Additionally, the belt drive allows all drive elements to be arranged on the floor, which ensures optimum accessibility. The newly developed GPP 14M RSL toothed belt is used, which guarantees particularly quiet running thanks to a special tooth shape and whose strong tension member allows for a narrower design. "The requirements for the toothed belt were high," says Andreas Pitzl, Head of Technology at Lenze Selection, who was involved in the development and design of the Vectron storage and retrieval systems. "The design conditions made it necessary to operate the toothed belt slightly outside the manufacturer's specifications. We therefore decided to test the belt in this application in order to gain insights for the future." To minimize the risk for the customer, Lenze Selection provided the belt. The caution was both necessary and unfounded: So far, the toothed belt has been running perfectly.
