Lenze / Vectron: Aiming high and FAST
The young Vectron team has set out to take the world of storage and retrieval units (SRUs) to a new level. An innovative aluminium design reduces the amount of moving mass and so uses energy more efficiently. Lenze provides the drive technology: a well-coordinated range of motors, gearboxes, frequency inverters, controllers and drive components meets Vectron's needs in all areas. Combined with Lenze's FAST technology applications, the result is a complete intralogistics industry solution – just as you would expect from a systems supplier.
“Our approach involved transferring the advantages of storage and retrieval units for containers to those for pallets”, says Thomas Wakolbinger, managing director and one of four founders of Vectron Logistics GmbH based in Vorchdorf, Upper Austria. “Whether the SRU is 2 metres or 30 metres high, the basic modular mechanical concept always remains the same.” One characteristic of Vectron devices is their bolted aluminium design throughout. “This type of construction features plastic wheels running on aluminium profiles and toothed belt drives. It was previously only available on the market for smaller container equipment”, explains Wakolbinger, “but it has many advantages, such as very smooth running, high speed and low noise generation”. Until now, large storage and retrieval units for pallets have typically used steel wheels running on welded rail tracks with steel cables providing the lifting motion. This generated noise levels that would require the SRU to be operated in a separate, enclosed room.
Simply carried through the door
The bolted aluminium rail design has further advantages over the steel version. It eliminates the need for complex welding and grinding operations, often at great heights, and makes it easy to replace defective rail sections in the event of damage. “What’s more, our storage and retrieval units can be brought into a room through a normal door 2 metres high and 90 centimetres wide”, Wakolbinger points out. By contrast, a steel structure usually requires an open roof. “This is a crucial advantage, especially when retrofitting systems.” As the main components are made of aluminium, the masses being moved are about 30 per cent lower than those in a steel structure, which reduces energy consumption by about the same amount. Vectron storage and retrieval units are currently available in heights from 6 to 30 metres, with an even larger variant in the pipeline. The potential for innovation has not gone unnoticed in the industry and has attracted the interest of KNAPP. KNAPP is an international technology company that acquired a stake in Vectron last year to add Vectron's modern storage and retrieval units, transfer carriages and innovative materials handling technology to their portfolio.
Low noise generation
Although they focus on mechanical systems, Vectron naturally also offers its storage and retrieval units with complete control systems. Once such system was recently produced for an intralogistics company in Vorarlberg, Austria. “The customer was impressed by the system’s top performance and productivity for pallet storage”, says Thomas Wakolbinger. Furthermore, the storage and retrieval unit was to be operated in a hall where employees work, separated by a safety fence, but still in the immediate vicinity. This was made possible by using the low-noise design with plastic wheels running on aluminium profiles and a toothed belt drive. Vectron trusted Lenze to get the best out of their drive technology.
Reducing engineering effort
“We believe it is essential to leverage your strengths for industry solutions if you want to succeed in the global marketplace. And intralogistics is one of the many industries on which Lenze has focussed for decades”, explains Manfred Spandl, Head of Intralogistics for Austria at Lenze. The requirements that storage and retrieval units have to live up to are particularly stringent. “On the one hand, the design must be compact yet provide high power density and overload capacity”, says Spandl. On the other, the way that these units operate is challenging for drive technology. The movements involve high acceleration peaks, but hardly any constant travel. “As a young, small company, we therefore needed a partner who is knowledgeable about our industry and who understands the requirements”, says Thomas Wakolbinger. “We couldn't afford to run into any problems so we didn't want to take any risks. And that was true for the drive itself, the controller and the software.” Thankfully, Lenze could provide all the software functions needed for storage and retrieval units, all fully developed and tested. This saved the designers a huge amount of engineering work. “Put simply, all we have to do is tell the PLC the speed at which the storage and retrieval unit needs to approach each set of coordinates. We don't have to worry about the rest – accelerating and coordinating the axes so that both the lift and drive axes reach the target at the same time.”
Safety functions included
In order for this to work as easily as it does, Lenze has integrated a whole range of FAST technology applications into its intralogistics industry solutions. These pre-built and tested software modules considerably reduce the time required for engineering tasks. This results in a high level of standardisation and significantly improves system performance. More than 80 per cent of all storage and retrieval unit functions can be covered. Customers can save an enormous amount of time, resources and therefore money by using Lenze's FAST modules. For even more added value, Lenze also offers the required safety functions as plug-and-play solutions, all in line with the standards and regulations for storage and retrieval units as one would expect. “For example, regular brake tests are mandatory”, says Thomas Wakolbinger. “If I had to do the programming myself, it would be a huge amount of work. Now all I have to do is set the time and the Lenze controller takes care of the test entirely autonomously.” Lenze's FAST technology applications save an enormous amount of development work and, thanks to their excellent coordination with the Lenze product range, form a systematic, modular complete concept.
Maximum energy efficiency
It was this well-rounded complete concept that led Vectron to choose Lenze. “Lenze offers its technology in custom formats precisely tailored to our applications, regardless of the size of the storage and retrieval unit required by our customer”, explains the logistics expert. This means that Vectron can benefit from Lenze's comprehensive spectrum of motors, gearboxes, frequency inverters and drive components. High performance combined with energy efficiency is the developers’ watchword. “The manner in which storage and retrieval units operate subjects them to huge loads during acceleration at peak power. At the same time, braking generates energy that we recover and feed back into the system”, explains Manfred Spandl. This is a welcome effect that Vectron is happy to exploit to further improve energy efficiency. These and many other features have earned Lenze a reputation as an expert in solving demanding drive technology applications. “Because we always have the right solution for our customers, even when things get complex and difficult”, sums up Spandl. Added to this is the outstanding support provided by Lenze when it comes to selecting products. Wakolbinger says, “In-depth consultations with Lenze's experts are an indispensable form of support. The same goes for their help during commissioning and the guaranteed long-term supply of spare parts”.
High-performance toothed belts
The traction drive toothed belts supplied, like many other components, by Lenze Selection (a subsidiary of Lenze Austria) are quiet, fast and, above all, maintenance-free – unlike steel cables, which need regular lubrication. In addition, belt drives allow all drive components to be located on the floor for easy accessibility. The newly developed GPP 14M RSL toothed belt is used in the Vectron installation. Its special tooth shape means that it runs very quietly, while its strong tension rod allows for a narrower design. “The demands placed on the toothed belt are high”, says Andreas Pitzl, Head of Technology at Lenze Selection, who was involved in the development and design of the Vectron storage and retrieval unit. “The structural circumstances mean that the toothed belt has to be operated slightly outside the manufacturer's specifications. That is why we decided to test the belt in this application and so gain knowledge we can use for the future.” Lenze Selection provided the belt to minimise the risk for the customer. This level of caution was necessary, but turned out to be unfounded. So far, the toothed belt has run perfectly.
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Text credits: Martin Gold, engineer, journalist, author and photographer, Vienna
Photo credits:
Martin Gold, www.martingold.at
Vectron Logistics GmbH
