The MCCP is a software package developed by ABB to be loaded onto the control board of its medium or low voltage variable-speed drives. The software is specifically configured for conveyor applications, allowing for setting (by parameter) of the essential conveyor functions. The MCCP was developed to manage the critical and high-speed conveyor communication requirements on multi- motor conveyors.
The conveyor start/stop control, acceleration and deceleration profiles, mechanical brake control, alarm processing, over and under speed limits and torque limits are all set by parameters in the MCCP — thus becoming the speed regulator or Master for the entire conveyor. The Master sends torque reference signals to all individual drives, which then act as Followers. Each of the Followers transmits information back to the Master, that in turn is used as input for the speed regulator. The communication cycle time is less than 5ms.
Traditionally, every conveyor required these functions to be custom developed for each application in the over riding PLC programme. With the use of the MCCP, these functions are no longer required in the PLC, which provides savings in time and overall cost.
The pre-engineered solutions reduces the amount of engineering time required for PLC programming. Faster commissioning Communication between multiple drives is easily and simply achieved with this ‘out of the box’ approach.
Conveyor parameters (e.g. start and stop times) can be altered without needing specialized maintenance staff on site. Reduced cost Interconnecting cabling is reduced to a single fibre optic connection between each variable-speed drive, resulting in lower costs.
Every conveyor will operate in exactly the same manner within the entire process.
The new Ha¨gglunds CBM hydraulic motor from Bosch Rexroth creates powerful opportunities. Taking over from the tried-and- true Ha¨gglunds Marathon motor, the Ha¨gglunds CBM packs 50% more torque into a motor that is smaller and up to 50% lighter than its predecessor. That gives it the world’s highest torque-to weight ratio.
For Bosch Rexroth customers, the new motor opens up new possibilities. The Ha¨gglunds CBM not only handles heavier workloads, but also takes up less space and places less weight on the driven shaft. This means that
customer machines, and in some cases the facilities that house them, can be smaller, lighter and simpler.
The motor’s reduced installation requirements, combined with the higher productivity it allows,
can mean lower overall investments and increased long-term
revenue. Added to this are the unique operating advantages
of a hydraulic direct drive: full torque from zero speed, protection from shock loads and four-quadrant operation.
POWER FOR GROWING DEMANDS
The Ha¨gglunds CBM motor was developed in direct response to customer requests. Greater power is increasingly needed in many industries, and it is a prerequisite for a number of new applications, such as wind and tidal energy. The Ha¨gglunds CBM provides power for these applications and many others.
Based on the Ha¨gglunds CB platform, the Ha¨gglunds CBM has internal advances that allow it to supply 6,000Nm/bar of specific torque.“The Ha¨gglunds CBM satisfies the toughest new demands on the market,” says Lars Andren, one of the key members of the Ha¨gglunds CBM development team. “ With its introduction, we can provide the unique advantages of a hydraulic direct drive to a broader range of applications than ever before.”
TESTED TO MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS
In replacing a successful and trusted motor like the Ha¨gglunds Marathon, Bosch Rexroth has left nothing to chance. Many years of R&D have gone into the Ha¨gglunds CBM, as well numerous
hours of testing to verify performance and quality. In fact, the Ha¨gglunds CBM has undergone more lab testing than any other Ha¨gglunds motor.
A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO GREATER POWERThose looking to upgrade from the Ha¨gglunds Marathon will be pleased to know that direct retrofit kits are available. These make exchanging the motor both quick and simple in existing
machines.
All customers, however, will benefit from the ease of installing the Ha¨gglunds CBM, since it has splines that simplify attachment to the driven shaft. (Shrink- disc adapters are also available.)
Retrofitted or newly installed, the Ha¨gglunds CBM makes it easy to meet the growing need for power. Bosch Rexroth AG is a specialist in the field of drive and control technologies. Under the Rexroth brand name, the company supplies more than 500,000 customers with tailored solutions for driving, controlling, and moving. Bosch Rexroth is a partner for mobile applications, machinery applications and engineering, factory automation and renewable energies. The company provides customized solutions tailored to the needs and specifications of each individual market.
As The Drive & Control Company, Bosch Rexroth develops, produces, and sells components and systems in over 80 countries. As part of the Bosch Group, Bosch Rexroth and its 34,900 associates generated approximately €5.1 billion in revenue in 2010.
Richmond Engineering Works completes stacker/reclaimer and shiploader modernization using Conductix-Wampfler motor-driven cable reels
Given the rising demand for coal exports, major coal export facilities in the Americas are finding it advantageous to modernize their bulk handling systems with newer control technologies. Most of the machines at work in these facilities were built decades ago. At that time, it was common to power bulk machines using two cables, one for power and one for controls. Each of these cables required a separate cable reel. But today, modern composite cables allow a single cable to have medium voltage power conductors, control conductors, and fibre optics. This single cable can be managed by a single reel.
A good example of bulk handling modernization was recently completed at the coal yard for a major coal exporting facility in Baltimore, MD. During an eight-day outage in August 2012, Richmond Engineering Works (Pittsburgh, PA) replaced six old cable reels with three new ones. Two stacker/reclaimers received a reel each and a third went on a ship loader. The control systems were converted from radio control to fibre optics and ethernet communication.
“Richmond engineers provided the electrical, mechanical and structural design scope for the project”, reports Daren Fetcko,
Sales Manager with REW. “We purchased the cable reels from Conductix-Wampfler in Omaha, NE., since they have extensive experience in the bulk handling industry. Their engineers did a great job providing the right reels for the job.”
Fetcko further stated that: “Our REW engineers’ are also knowledgeable with other bulk material handling systems such as clamshell/grab bucket unloaders, continuous barge unloaders, and rotary car dumpers.”
Mark Zuroske, market development manager for Conductix-Wampfler, added that: “Each reel used for the coal yard modernization incorporated a composite cable consisting of 5kV power along with 12 optical fibres.
The composite cable allowed the two reel systems to be replaced by a single reel. The ship-unloader reel handles a 1,100 foot cable. Each of the two reels for the stacker/reclaimers handles 700 feet of cable.”
“Conductix Wampfler US is seeing a strong backlog of cable reel orders extending well into 2013 in the bulk handling market”, reports Zuroske. “We are seeing continued growth in orders for the mining sector as well.”
KABELSCHLEPP cable carriers supply travelling cranes with energy
RELIABLE AND EXTREME RESILIENTInside an ‘ideal factory’ all processes are integrated and synchronized. Even a travelling crane is essential to reducing work time, optimizing the process and increasing profit. However simple a crane may be, reliability of machinery and equipment is crucial. In travelling cranes made by the Italian manufacturer, CO.MAS KABELSCHLEPP cable carriers ensure reliable operation.
CO.MAS was founded in 1983 in Castagnole. Today the company is a specialist in the lifting sector and mainly builds travelling and trestle cranes. CO.MAS has built a reputation in the market for extreme flexibility and customer focus, constant endeavour for quality, and for the use of state-of-the-art technologies. Up to this date the company, with its 50-strong workforce, has been divided into two main branches: production and service.
“When one thinks of a crane, one imagines a product that is not technologically advanced,” states Simone Carrer, managing director of CO.MAS,“and in fact this is the case: advanced automation, which is also included in our machines, is linked mainly to the operator. In general it is a pretty simple product, which must perform a simple task.” However, the task must be performed well. He adds that it is often difficult for a buyer to choose the right product at the right price from the wide choice available on the market. Carrer suggests: “Lifting machines should be seen in the same way as other production machines, that is as active parts of the production cycle. By assessing the entire process more carefully, it is often possible to make a purchase that allows better working time margins, and subsequently better profits, as well as keeping down time to a minimum.”
INDIVIDUAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY
CO.MAS produces its crane to meet the individual needs of each client. They are designed to be used seven days a week, and to support very frequent movements, always guaranteeing maximum reliability. Typical applications of CO.MAS machines are in the steel and iron industry in general, or in the prefabrication sector. “We don’t make machines that lift huge loads only once in a while. Our machines guarantee a high frequency of operations without problems,” says Simone Carrer. For example, in a line that produces thousands of tonnes of raw material, it is essential to have a tool that is able to handle the assigned loads according to the
assigned timescale without unpleasant ‘surprises’: a breakdown would prove very costly.
The latest solutions designed by the company from Treviso is a winch truck rotating by 360°, with a capacity from 12.5 + 12.5 tonnes, which is placed on the girders of a bridge crane. This solution is designed to operate in a steel plant where materials are handled at various stages of production and processing, up to the loading of finished products onto trucks for shipment. All used components were selected and dimensioned precisely for situations, which involve a large number of machine operations.The machine was built according to Class A8 M8 (5 m), i.e. according to the European standard classification for lifting equipment (FEM 1,001 and 9,511). This top-of-the-range machine was built to ensure a particularly high number of operational cycles with only minimum maintenance requirements.
For the cable carrier system of the winch truck CO.MAS chose a KABELSCHLEPP product. “Before deciding, we carefully evaluated several samples of chains from other manufacturers,” explains Carrer. “The deciding factor, given the type of high-performance machine on which it is installed, was the strength, which was substantially higher than the one of all other tested samples.”
To ensure the 360° rotation of the winch truck, the energy management system must be installed accordingly. This was solved by a rotating system where the cable carrier is installed on its side. It runs inside a custom-made circular guide channel, which ensures a movement free from wear. For this particular application, the Totaltrax system by TSUBAKI KABELSCHLEPP was chosen. It consists of a MC1250 cable carrier with frame stays over a total length of four metres and an internal height of 168mm, complete with dividers, sliding pads, bespoke spacers, and Series 700 cables already installed. The chain has a bend radius of 1,350mm, allowing it to slide in a simple circular channel. This ensures movement without wear.
To guarantee such performance, CO.MAS takes particular care in the selection of the materials and components used in the production and attached great importance, as well as guaranteeing an excellent maintenance service.
The M Series KABELSCHLEPP cable carriers are robust and designed for use in harsh environments. They are available with different variants of frame stays and dividers. All M series chains are multivariable with nylon sidebands and aluminium frame- stays. The chain links are very solid and feature an efficient enclosed stop system. Locking bolts makes cable installation as well as shortening and extending very easy. The M Series can be opened on the inside and outside for cable laying. Thus time can be saved during assembly and maintenance processes. In addition tensile and thrust forces are reduced by an optimized link design — the ‘two-disc principle’ — reducing wear of the link bosses and thus maximizing the service life.
The chain band also has a high load capacity. The wide range of KABELSCHLEPP Systems allows realizing bespoke solutions quickly, and tailored to the specific needs. Following these diverse requirements, TSUBAKI KABELSCHLEPP has offered the Totaltrax complete system for several years now. The system covers pre-assembled cable carriers with cables, as well as highly systems. Every customer can choose from a wide range of cable carriers in steel, plastic or hybrid materials with most diverse options for compartment layout, together with a broad range of connectors, highly flexible cable and other components.