It''s a subject no equipment manufacturer wants to address, but it is an inescapable fact: equipment is going to break. And in today''s world when equipment breaks, it results in downtime, costly repairs, and loss of revenue. At least, that''s what manufacturers have come to expect.
SEW-Eurodrive, one of the largest global suppliers of drive technology, is focused on designing equipment and solutions that are modular, making parts so easy to replace that almost anyone can do it . . . and making the replacement process so quick that downtime will become a thing of the past.
"We are encountering an increasing number of companies that are ready to invest more upfront money into a system that will last longer and be flexible enough to meet their changing needs in the future," says Rich Mintz, electronics product manager for SEW-Eurodrive. "They want to eliminate the daily headaches and added costs of having to replace and repair the same part or problem routinely, or having to completely retool for every new job."
Mintz says recent and future innovations at SEW-Eurodrive are focusing on just that:
- Making equipment easier, faster, and cheaper to repair or replace when it does eventually break
- Researching root causes of equipment burnout to significantly reduce potential failures in the first place.
A large focus of the company is what it calls fully integrated, or modular, solutions that result in installation and maintenance savings. In 2002, the company completed North American development of decentralized control technology (also known as distributed control or DCT) -- a design that locates the controller on or near the motor. SEW-Eurodrive has successfully deployed this technology in Europe -- where manufacturers saved up to 60% on installation cost. Since SEW North America configured it for use in the U.S., a number of American companies have begun using it. "The design results in substantial cost savings, efficiency of maintenance, and ease of installation," says Mintz.
Skip Ward, vice president of research & development of SpanTech, an OEM of conveyors using SEW-Eurodrive''s DCT, says, "DCT allows all control from one main panel. We like DCT because the electrical system is quick and easy. It''s ideal for conveyors. Moving the drives out of just the one cabinet eliminates all the cumbersome wiring."
Ward says to determine cost efficiency, they did several projections before deciding on the DCT system. "We quoted DCT and standard configurations. The biggest system was 112 motors; it included 1,536 photo controls and 1,536 solenoid controls. The system was designed to use DCT in conjunction with DeviceNet fieldbus communication. To supply all materials, the components cost $18,000 more initially, but the estimated installation cost for the whole system was $20,000 for electrical (distributed) installation compared to $180,000 to $200,000 for standard installation. So there is a monumental savings in the installation. The increased up front investment in components is very minor when you consider the savings in installation cost."
"That''s where Eurodrive is going," says Mintz. "More money up front to get a system that grows with you, that lasts longer, that is flexible and scalable, and that can be used for different applications. It takes a lot of R & D, manufacturing floor visits, and working hand-in-hand with system designers to determine exactly what kind of improvements and developments will have a significant impact on the overall process. New developments must solve a significant problem -- beyond just being a ''cool'' use of technology."
Will distributed control architectures continue to displace centralized control? "Yes," says Mintz. "Due to advances in software, power electronics, floor connectivity, and data sharing -- DCT will follow along behind it and continue to use everything that comes out of it."
Mintz says the current obstacle to people adapting to DCT is their ability to get enough horsepower. "The electronics developers have to make the parts small enough to work with DCT so we can put larger horsepower drives in smaller packages. We''re ready for it."
Mintz says it''s also an educational process. "Solutions and architectures have become so complex that when people see a simple solution, they have a hard time making the mental transition. It''s a paradigm shift. But we are starting to educate people. They''re warming up to the concept when they realize the huge installation savings and maintenance advantages. As more and more of the large companies in the U.S. start using DCT, as they do in Europe, it will catch on rapidly."
The field distributor is another example of an innovation designed for efficiency, flexibility, and ease of maintenance. The central component to SEW-Eurodrive''s decentralized control technology, the field distributor integrates the disconnect switch, the VFD, and the bus communications into one unit, which acts as a junction box and routes power and control to the individual motor.
- The flexibility factor has been built in so that the field distributor interfaces with a variety of standard bus networks, including DeviceNet™, PROFIBUS®, InterBus, and others.
- Using the field distributor as a communications node reduces the amount of I/O field wiring required. The field distributor is equipped with six I/O ports, which can be configured either 4xI/2xO or 6xI. Additional blocks of six ports can be added as needed.
- Local I/O connections are made through the use of standard sealed-Micro (M12) connectors. The field distributor contains all the brains. It is easily upgradeable. Its parts are easily replaceable.
SEW-Eurodrive says the new breed of parts will continue to make it easier and more cost effective to install and maintain equipment. The TorqLOC™, designed for expediency of changeouts, is an example of one such development. The answer to keyless hollow shaft mounting, the TorqLOC system offers interchangeable bushings for mounting hollow shaft gear reducer products onto various sized solid shafts. The TorqLOC eliminates the need to cut keyways or turn the solid shaft to exacting tolerances, thus reducing the costs of new machines as well as lowering replacement expense. The gear reducer can be removed after years of service as easily as the first day it was installed.
The TorqLOC has caught on rapidly and has already spawned another new-breed system -- the Food Industry Option Package (IOP). The company began by solving a major problem faced by the food industry -- the rapid failure of motors. The motors need to be replaced frequently, and they have to be replaced quickly. Historically, the frequent need to replace the motors has prevented pairing the gears with an integrated mounted motor.
SEW-Eurodrive designed a simple but comprehensive solution. It features an encapsulation of the motor winding and the conduit box where the wires terminate. "It sounds like a simple solution, but it took a lot of R & D to make it work," says Mintz. "The Food Industry Option package is a great example of what''s driving our R & D today: 1) It solves a problem on a larger scale (motor burnout) rather than devising a regularly-occurring fix for it, and 2) it combines several simple, efficient elements to create a system that is super easy to maintain and extremely user friendly. Installing this system upfront saves regular maintenance and repair headaches down the road."
"As another example of breaking old paradigms, we''ve pioneered the use of servo-type technology in induction motors. You might think you need a servomotor for a particular application. But we are designing motor control systems so precisely today that you can use induction motors for these applications."
The Future -- We''ll Continue To Make It Look Easier
SEW-Eurodrive says future R & D in the industry will continue to focus on making things easier -- we''ll be looking at the way the product is used and making it easier, smoother, more cost effective.
"When SEW-Eurodrive embarks on a new development," says Mintz, "it''s because we''ve examined the entire scenario to determine exactly what the root need is. It''s not about having a knee-jerk reaction to a specific problem that has occurred once or twice with an application. It''s about examining the big picture and tracing the problem to its root."
Mintz says the knee-jerk reaction is how the industry ended up with common practices of applying expensive solutions to repeatedly address the same problem. "That solution becomes a standard part of the process -- the norm -- instead of correcting the root cause of the problem. We use our resources to analyze the problem and design a solution that eliminates it from even occurring."
"Whether we''re dealing with software, mechanical -- whatever -- it''s about simplified integration. Motion control is already complex and sophisticated. The question is, how do you boil it down and make it easily applicable and useable in other industries? It doesn''t matter how cool technology is if it doesn''t meet a significant need. We are getting more dynamic and interactive with the customers to determine exactly what the needs are."
Mintz says, "Regarding the future, we are designing solutions that solve significant problems in manufacturing. The industry will move more and more toward these types of solutions as it gets more serious about eliminating waste in the manufacturing process. It all boils down to a bottom-line issue. That''s what the future looks like to us."