WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

05/2019
www.world-of-industries.com
16
Belt conveyors instead −
an efficient alternative?
in cooperation with

SORTATION
CHALLENGES
SOLVED.
Whether25items perminuteor25,000 itemsper hour,increase your productivity with the
broadestrange of sortation solutionsinthe industry. VisitusatCeMat, Hall W2,Stand A2.
©2019Honeywell Intelligrated. All rights reserved.
2 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 3/2019

EDITORIAL
Shifting of
balance of
power
Global Excellence
for Intralogistics
Dear readers,
Since we are living in the era of industry 4.0, it is important to
understand it’s global market dynamics on basis of technology
verticals, end user industry sectors, growth and maturity
geography-wise. On the basis of end user industry sectors,
automotive, industrial equipment, electrical equipment,
healthcare, food & beverage, chemical, and energy & power
are the leading sectors where the penetration of technology,
availability of educated professionals and suppliers is higher
as compared to other sectors. Industry 4.0 technologies assist
in multiple areas of an industry’s working, for example, on
the factory floor, data analytics contributes in analyzing the
condition of machines and avoids unplanned breakdowns,
the same data analytics technology also helps in smart
routing of trucks and improve logistics performance.
Today, Industry 4.0 offers many technologies under its
umbrella, like industrial robotics, cyber security, Internet of
Things, 3D printing, advanced human–machine interface,
data analytics, augmented reality & virtual reality, and
artificial intelligence. Geographically speaking, Asia Pacific
holds the largest market share and is expected to grow at the
highest rate from 2017 – 2022. One of the reasons, Asia Pacific
has overtaken rest of world is because of favorable government
policies and initiatives mainly from China, Japan, India,
Vietnam and South Korea etc.
As these waves of change reshape the competitive landscape,
organizations need to think strategically when determining
where to build their capabilities. Depending on their long
term strategic objective, manufacturers can decide which
Industry 4.0 technology they wish to adopt across multiple
objectives. However, it is often very difficult, to build up new
advanced capabilities right from scratch. Therefore, collaborating
with third party solutions providers and working with
industry 4.0 competent vendors and suppliers of various
industrial products becomes all the more important.
With this in mind, you can visit the international trade fair
Power transmission and Control Asia along with CeMAT Asia
being held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center,
Shanghai from the 23rd to 26th of October.
Yours Sincerely
Sushen Doshi
TRANSNORM’S range of conveyor modules and
solutions guarantee the logistical competitiveness of
global players such as parcel services, mail order companies
and distribution service providers.
Use this experience to speed up your logistics processes!
Whether individual modules, Solutions or Sub-Systems -
the choice is yours!
ASIA
Shanghai | China
23.-26. October 2019
German Pavilion
www.transnorm.com

TABLE OF CONTENT
14
10
24 20
NEWS AND MARKETS
03 EDITORIAL
06 WORLDWIDE NEWS
08 CHINA: A STRONG PARTNER AND
ALSO A FIERCE COMPETITOR FOR
GERMAN INDUSTRIES
10 DIGITALIZATION TAKES CENTER STAGE
AT CHINA’S LEADING INDUSTRIAL
TRADE FAIRS
LOGISTICS
12 THE NEW INTERROLL DC
PLATFORM
14 THERE IS ROOM IN THE SMALLEST
SHOP
16 BELT CONVEYORS INSTEAD OF TRUCKS
− AN EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVE?
MOTION AND DRIVES
05 PRODUCT NEWS
18 IN TIME WITH THE SUN
20 CHANGI AIRPORT SINGAPORE:
SAFETY FOR FLOATING PETALS
AUTOMATION
22 PICK AND PLACE WITH
THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS
24 COLORFUL CHALLENGE FOR
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
10 TH ANNIVERSARY
27 PERFECTLY PREPARED FOR
INTERNATIONALIZATION
4 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Gearboxes with integrated sensor module
Smart gearboxes with “cynapse” by Wittenstein alpha are identical
to the existing models in terms of design, size and contour, so that
a drive solutions which has already been designed needs no further
modification. It is the sensor module integrated in the smart gearbox
that makes the difference. Thanks to the integrated sensor module,
influencing quantities in the process and the environment which
impact on gearbox operation can be identified, measured and
output via an IO link. In other words, these smart gearboxes allow
parameters such as temperature, vibration, operating hours and
mounting position to be recorded
and communicated to the cloud
level using the standardized connectivity
of the IO link interface and an
IO link master. Both there and in the
machine’s immediate environment
this information can be used, for
instance, to improve the availability
and productivity of processes and
equipment in condition monitoring
or predictive maintenance applications. Gearboxes with “cynapse”
thus provide universal connectivity: data flows to their own machine
infrastructures as well as to all standard IIoT platforms.
Kostal introduces decentralized
drive controller
Kostal Industrie
Elektrik presents
the new Inveor MP
series for decentralized
drive technology.
That technology
delivers maximum energy efficiency to all
synchronous reluctance, synchronous and
asynchronous motors. The sensorless motor
control and extended speed setting range gets the
very best out of every application and does so
while consuming minimal energy. Thanks to the
universal motor adaptation concept, the INVEOR
MP (Motor-mounted Performance class) is suited
to any motor and because of its robust IP 65
protective class design can also be used in
heavy-duty environments. Smart features, such as
the pluggable connections and commissioning via
Bluetooth app or PC software, make the INVEOR
universal yet individual.
background: fotolia
www.wittenstein.de/en-en/
www.kostal-industrie-elektrik.com
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Please visit us: PTC/MDA Asia – Booth C2-1
Igus_EN.indd 1 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 23.09.2019 5/2019 19:47:55 5

W RLDWIDE NEWS
Aucotec continues to grow
Aucotec AG, the engineering software developer based in Hannover, Germany,
can look back on the most successful financial year in its 34-year history.
Sales in 2018/19 reached € 21.8 million, exceeding not only the previous year’s
result by 13 %, but also the original expectations. This development also
continued in some subsidiaries. Thus, Aucotec Shanghai Ltd. almost doubled
its turnover. The French branch Aucotec SARL in Dijon is reporting an
increase in turnover of 44 %. “The decisive reason for these
very pleasing figures is our cooperative platform
Engineering Base Plant (EB). Its unique ability to
accelerate highly complex processes, especially for
the oil, gas, chemical and pharmaceutical industries,
has already secured im portant major orders in
the current financial year,” explained Aucotec board
member Uwe Vogt (picture).
www.aucotec.com
New Managing Director at E&K Automation Ltd.
On August 23, 2019, Nicola Magrone (picture) was appointed as the new
Managing Director of E&K Automation Ltd. in England. The 43-year-old takes
over the baton from Mike Burke, who will take on the role of Head of Operations
for the UK’s Project and Service Management operations. Magrone has
been working for the E&K Group since March 2018 as Managing
Director of E&K Automation S.r.l. in Italy.
In that time he has successfully expanded the Italian business and
he will now turn his attention to expanding the market share of
the E&K Automation Limited in the UK. Mike Burke, who has
been with the company since 1986, has for the past eight years
been working successfully in England as Managing Director. The
experienced industry expert now takes over the management of the
Project and Operations business in the English market.
Siemens receives upgrade
contract for Munich Airport
Siemens Logistics
has received an
order to
upgrade the
baggage
handling
system in
Terminal 2
and its satellite
building at the
Franz Josef
Strauss Airport in
Munich. By integrating
innovative screening units, Siemens
supports the customer to ensure that
international specifications for baggage
checking are met to the highest degree,
and to continue to successfully manage the
ever-increasing number of passengers. The
customer is the “Terminal 2 Gesellschaft”, a
joint subsidiary of Munich Airport and
Lufthansa. This upgrade to the current safety
and security regulations for baggage
handling, which require explosives detection
systems based on Standard 3 of the European
Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), calls
for replacement of the X-ray equipment in
the baggage handling system. Siemens is also
implementing screening units of the latest
generation that provide high-resolution
3D-imaging and enhanced scanning quality.
www.siemens-logistics.com
www.ek-automation.com
NEWS AND MARKETS
Editorial board:
Winfried Bauer (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: w.bauer@vfmz.de
Peter Becker (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: p.becker@vfmz.de
Nicole Steinicke (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: s.steinicke@vfmz.de
Manfred Weber, E-mail: m.weber@vfmz.de
Svenja Stenner, E-mail: s.stenner@vfmz.de
Managing editor:
Winfried Bauer
Assistant editors:
Petra Weidt, Melanie Lerch, Angelina Haas, Ulla Winter
Design/Layout:
Anna Schätzlein, Sonja Daniel, Anette Fröder, Mario Wüst
E-paper designer:
Katja Rüdell
Publishing house:
Vereinigte Fachverlage GmbH
Lise-Meitner-Str. 2, 55129 Mainz, Germany
Commercial register No.:
HRB 2270, District Court of Mainz
VAT-ID:
DE149063659
Privacy statement:
ds-vfv.vfmz.de
Managing director:
Dr. Olaf Theisen
Publishing director:
Dr. Michael Werner, E-mail: m.werner@vfmz.de
Correspondent India:
Sushen Haresh Doshi M.Sc.
Advertising sales director:
Beatrice Thomas-Meyer, E-mail: b.thomas-meyer@vfmz.de
Advertising sales manager:
Oliver Jennen, E-mail: o.jennen@vfmz.de
Andreas Zepig, E-mail: a.zepig@vfmz.de
Sales representatives
Austria:
Heinz-Joachim Greiner,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-greiner@vfmz.de
France:
Marc Jouanny, E-mail: marc-jouanny@wanadoo.fr
Great Britain, Ireland:
Rob Brewer, E-mail: rob.brewer1@btinternet.com
Switzerland, Italy:
Hermann Jordi, E-mail: info@jordipublipress.de
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway:
Malte Mezger,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-mezger@vfmz.de
USA, Canada, Mexico:
Patrick Venezia Jr,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-venezia@vfmz.de
Advertising disposition:
Annemarie Benthin, E-mail: a.benthin@vfmz.de
Heike Rauschkolb, E-mail: h.rauschkolb@vfmz.de
Nevenka Islamovic, E-mail: n.islamovic@vfmz.de
In cooperation with:
Hannover Fairs International GmbH,
Messegelände, 30521 Hannover, Germany
Internet:
www.world-of-industries.com
6 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

MICROMO is now FAULHABER MICROMO LLC
As of July 2019, MicroMo Electronics Inc. (MICROMO) has been officially reorganized as FAULHABER MICROMO LLC and now becomes
a fully integrated part of the FAULHABER Drive Systems division of the FAULHABER GROUP. The restructuring represents the realization
of the long-term vision of the late owner of the company, Dr. Fritz Faulhaber Jr., and serves to solidify
FAULHABER MICROMO’s position in the North American market as a leading provider in the area
of high precision miniature motion systems. Dr. Faulhaber’s vision of a family-owned single
corporate entity was carried through by his widow, Ping Faulhaber. FAULHABER MICROMO
remains under family ownership, including Ping Faulhaber, as a 100% subsidiary of
FAULHABER Drive Systems, headquartered in Schönaich near Stuttgart, Germany. This
organizational change will be underscored by a transition from the existing MICROMO
company brand to the FAULHABER brand which bears the name of the founding family
and has become known around the world as a symbol of high quality and innovation in
the precision drives industry.
www.faulhaber.com
Designing intelligent
buildings together
The BACnet International
industry association supports the
successful, global application of
the BACnet protocol. Phoenix
Contact is now an official
member of this Who’s Who of
Building Automation. In building
automation networks, the open,
the neutral BACnet (Building
Automation and Control Networks)
communication protocol
creates the option for exchange
among the sensors, actuators, and
management systems of different
manufacturers. With the Emalytics
building management system
Conductor Rails
forShuttle Systems
Head
xxx
xxx
Foto: KNAPP AG
We move your business!
Conductix-Wampfler has onecritical mission:
To provideyou with energyand data transmission
systemsthatwill keep youroperations up
and running 24/7/365. Our systemstransmit
energyand data to electrified monorails,
shuttle systems, storage and retrieval systems,
packaging machines, sorting systems, AGVs
and much more.
and matching IoT controllers,
the company from Blomberg,
Germany facilitates building
automation using protocols that
are widespread in the building
sector: BACnet, for example. At
the same time, Phoenix Contact
solutions successfully build a
bridge to smart IoT technologies,
taking the increasingly complex
security requirements of the IT
world into account.
www.phoenixcontact.com
Charging Solutions forAGVs
and Shuttle Systems
Conductor Rails for
Electrified Monorail Systems
Our rugged, low maintenance products are time
tested in the most demanding environments
and theyare backed by aworldwide sales and
service network unmatched in our industry.
www.conductix.com
Conductix-Wampfler.indd 1 26.09.2019 16:28:55
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 7

Author: Sushen Doshi,
International Correspondent
for World of Industries
China: a strong partner and also a fierce
competitor for German industries
NEWS AND MARKETS
For so long, Germany and the E.U. have been handling
China with caution, as it was too important a market
for exports. But now, various industry sectors have
been complaining openly about restrictions and unfair
treatment to foreign companies. Even the Federation
of German Industries (BDI) now defines China as
a systemic competitor. China as a market is
indispensable, but there is a major shift in approach
from Germany and the E.U.
For the third consecutive year, China has managed to maintain its
position as Germany’s most important trading partner with a total
trade volume nearing € 200 billion in 2018, according to preliminary
figures published by the German Federal Statistical Office.
China accounted for the largest share of imports into Germany with
goods worth € 106 billion, followed by the Netherlands with € 98
billion and France with € 65 billion. Germany’s trade surplus was
highest with the United States, totaling € 49 billion, followed by the
UK € 45 billion and France € 40 billion. Germany’s trade deficit with
China amounted to € 13 billion in 2018. It is worth noting that Germany’s
trade with China is almost balanced, and mutually beneficial
for both the countries. For Germany’s mechanical and plant
engineering sector, China has been the most important export market
and second most important foreign investment destination. The
interest in this market is uninterrupted and a further expansion of
business activities in China is expected. A positive factor for German
engineering companies is that the Chinese demand for automation
and digitization will increase in the coming years. The modernization
efforts of China’s industry in particular offer good business
opportunities in the short term. But what about the medium and
long term?
The China’s economy started to blossom after the strategic reforms
of 1978 that led to opening of the Chinese economy. Since
then there was a belief that China would gradually move towards
being an open market and integrate into the global economy. It
looks like this convergence is no longer possible as China is in the
process of consolidating its trade and economic model. At the same
time, China’s economic and industrial strength remains one of the
key driving forces of the global economy and is shaping international
markets. From Germany’s perspective, it is also one of the
important sales and procurement market for German industry. As
such, German industry wants to engage and create more opportunities
in China, but the Chinese state controlled economic model
creates systemic unfair competition with open market economies,
which poses challenges that the EU simply cannot ignore.
Foul, but play on!
China has a hybrid economic system that has a mix of state and
market elements. Despite considerable liberalization of the economy,
the state still continues to play a strong role in the allocation of
resources. Its influence on prices of land, energy, capital, labor and
indirect or direct subsidies for companies or entire industry sector
have led to production overcapacities and global market distortions,
like in the steel sector. In future, overcapacities can be expected
in areas of robotics and electric vehicle batteries. Also, while
Chinese companies have enjoyed relatively free access to the EUs
internal market, this does not apply equally to foreign companies in
China. Even today, many industry sectors attract investment bans,
caps or obligation to set up joint ventures. Along with this, China
also has high levels of industrial tariffs and also multiple non-tariff
barriers for foreign companies.
8 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

In order to protect its own market and acquire strategic technology, Beijing introduced
new restrictions on foreign firms like investment restrictions, forced technology transfer,
lack of implementation of intellectual property rights, customs clearance issues, unequal
access to licenses, financing, subsidies etc. Frequent and non-transparent regulatory
changes make it difficult for foreign firms to do business, especially in industries that
have to rely on long-term investments. Despite multiple announcements on a global
level to support free and fair trade, China falls short in implementation, and thus restricting
the long-term prospects for foreign companies in China.
With the help of state investments in high value technologies and strategic takeovers of
foreign high-tech companies, China is rapidly climbing the technological ladder. Thus
diminishing Europe’s technological lead over its Chinese counterparts. Chinese mechanical
engineering companies are increasingly active on international markets and
are thus intensifying global competition. China is already the most important foreign
machine supplier in North America and Asia and is further expanding this position. The
Federation of German Industries (BDI), has been urging the German government and
the European Commission to strengthen the European Union (EU) in the face of growing
competition from China. For quite some time now, the BDI has been concerned with
China’s state-controlled economy and its impact on German engineering companies.
Steps EU and Germany needs to take
Choosing what actions to take in dealing with China is a very crafty thing. The EU needs
to posture itself strong and decisive but not too strong to create a trade war like situation.
There is a fine line between maintaining the liberal, social and open market economy on
one hand and a protectionist stance that isolates one’s own markets on the other hand.
Measures taken by the Trump administration indicate that protection against Chinese
distortions can quickly slide into protectionism. Germany and the EU must strike the
right balance in their reactions to China.
Germany and the EU cannot rest on its laurels that their model of a liberal and social
market economy will bring long-term macroeconomic advantages over the Chinese system.
In order to compete with China, Germany and other EU states need to focus on increasing
innovation and R&D, improving technical education system, making EU as an
attractive business destination, and encouraging strong entrepreneurship. On a policy
level, EU needs to reform its industrial policy and set itself an ambitious industrial target
for 2030, thereby prioritizing the strengthening of industry a policy objective on equal
terms with other objectives such as environmental, climate and consumer protection. It
needs to introduce tax incentives on research and reducing existing tax obstacles to
private R&D activities. At the same time more work needs to be done on ensuring that
Chinese government further improves the protection of intellectual property, technology,
patents and trademarks in China. To ensure a level playing field against China’s
production overcapacities and dumping of products in market, EU needs to create an
effective and balanced trade defense instruments, strengthen anti-subsidy instrument,
and prevent dumping of products and services in the European market. Europe also
needs to address the issue of shortage of skilled workers, not just university graduates but
also master craftsmen, finding the right labor market oriented immigration policy and
securing the workforce base for the long term.
On the digitalization front, Europe risks falling behind USA and China in the competition
for a leading role in the digital transformation of industry and economy. In order to
keep up with large and dynamic digital markets in China and the US, EU needs to further
develop the European digital market, adapt and synchronize the legal and regulatory
framework into a single market. The size of the collective market is a decisive factor for
the international competitiveness of digital business models.
The German industry body has called for a strong economic policy framework which
ensures that companies from ‘non-open market, state-led economies’ are bound to the
liberal market economy regulations of the EU if they want to be active in Europe. Internationally,
the German industry is not alone in its demands regarding China’s interventionism.
Instead of seeking individual answers, the German government and the EU
Commission should go for a coordinated approach with like-minded liberal market
economies. The EU must strengthen its foreign policy profile in the world.
Photographs: Lead Photo Fotolia
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 9
Turkish Machinery.indd 1 12.09.2019 10:50:29

Digitalization takes center stage
at China’s leading industrial trade fairs
NEWS AND MARKETS
As industry 4.0 gains more and more traction, all
sectors of industry are currently undergoing
transformation; and like all changes, this too brings
along both risk and opportunity. At PTC and CeMAT
Asia, explore new technologies, new market players,
new business models and understand the evolving
customer expectations.
China has always been a fan of international trade fairs and exhibitions.
With more than 3000 trade fairs being hosted all over
the country, they have become an influential part of the Chinese
economy. Over the last two decades, these industrial trade fairs
have been largely contributing to China’s rise as an industrial and
manufacturing power. Multinational gatherings and events like
Power, Transmission and Control Asia (PTC Asia) and CeMAT Asia
are best examples of how impactful they are as a medium of marketing
and reaching out to potential customers. One of the major
reasons of success is the possibility to communicate to people faceto-face.
For exhibitors, a well represented company booth and a
personalized approach to every visitor, keeping in mind that majority
of expo attendees are decision makers from all types of companies,
leaves a lasting impression on the visitors.
PTC and CeMAT Asia 2019
PTC Asia, the leading industrial trade fair for hydraulics, pneumatics,
mechanical and electrical power transmission and CeMAT Asia,
the globally renowned trade fair brand for logistics and supply chain
Author: Sushen Doshi, International Correspondent for World of Industries
management have proven to be an important platform for domestics
as well as foreign companies. For years, PTC and CeMAT Asia,
have managed to bring together thousands of domestic and international
buyers and sellers under one roof, and offer opportunities
that day-to-day business correspondence usually cannot. Organized
at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, by Germany’s leading
trade fair specialist, Deutsche Messe AG and Hannover Milano
Fairs Shanghai Ltd, the event has a large number of visitors coming
in from Asia’s top economies like South Korea, Japan, India, Indonesia,
Thailand and Vietnam. With a total display area of around
70,000 square meters, the show attracted more than 100,000 visitors
and 1300 leading companies as exhibitors. Just like last year, PTC
Asia and CeMAT Asia 2019 will be co-located along with other important
trade fairs like ComVac Asia, Cold Chain Asia, Industrial
Supply Asia. These sector specific fairs have earned quite a good
reputation for themselves in a short span of time. This year, the
event will commence on October 23rd and run until October 26th.
Product categories at PTC Asia 2019
PTC’s display area features a large number of products and technologies
from domestic as well as international exhibitors who are
looking to expand their business in the Chinese market. The booth
planning and management has been carried out with minute details
in mind that will help visitors to evaluate and compare products
of interest, to attend conferences and to carry out in-depth discussions
and negotiations.
Exhibit area E1 to E5 are dedicated for fluid power sector, which
has companies exhibiting products and technologies in hydraulics
and pneumatics segment like pumps, motors, gears pumps, gear
motors, power packs, cylinders, variable speed drive units, actuators,
control valves, pressure switches, pipes hoses and connectors,
sealing devices, filters and oil lubrication systems. Complementing
the hydraulic and pneumatic segment is the sealing technology
equipments like squeeze seals, rotating seals, reciprocating seals,
10 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Cemat Asia 2019
Asian leg of the globally renowned brand CeMAT, has become the
biggest annual meeting platform of the logistics industry in the
Asia-Pacific region. The show’s focus on smart and integrated logistics
attracts a lots of visitors. In this four-day event more than 600
exhibitors from various countries showcase their innovative products
and technologies. In recent years, the fast development of the
e-commerce industry has become one of the main drivers of innovation
in the logistics equipment industry. In 2018, CeMAT joined
hands with China’s e-commerce giant JD as exhibitor and companies
like Cainiao, Suning, Kaola and SF-Express organized visitor
delegations to the show. JD’s logistics and innovation hub JDX
showcased unmanned warehousing solutions on their booth.
As a result of industrial modernization, logistics sector has become
one of the biggest buyers for robotics and AGV technologies.
Leading robotics manufacturers like ABB, Fanuc, and Siasun and
emerging robotics providers like Geek+, Quicktron, HIK, Zhuineng
Robotics and Ares Robotics also participate at the show to increase
their international reach. Well established AGV manufacturers, e.g.
Comwin, JingYuan, SiWei, I-Cow, BoZhong and AGV Robot also
demonstrate their innovations such as forklift truck AGVs.
Product Categories at CeMAT 2019
mechanical seals, and sealing materials. In exhibit area E3 and E4
visitors can witness various international pavilions, like German,
Italian and Korean pavilion. Mechanical transmission parts and
equipments (MTPE) sector is represented in the E6, E7, E8 and N5
exhibit area. The display consists of vital engineering parts and
components in the mechanical power transmission sector. Products
like gears for automotive, aircraft, marine, railways, construction
machinery, agricultural machinery, high speed and heavy duty
gear boxes, planetary gear boxes, worm gears, and machine tools
for gears. The exhibition also has chain and belt transmission products
like conveyor short pitch precision roller chains, duplex pitch
roller chains, heavy transmission chains, sprocket wheels, v-belts,
flat belts and variable speed belt drives. Manufacturers of couplings
and brakes also showcase their product portfolio which includes
rigid, flexible couplings, universal joints, universal shafts, cam
mechanisms, fluid couplings, clutch systems, locking assemblies,
brakes and complete braking systems. Of the entire mechanical
parts and equipment portfolio, the most in-demand component is
the bearing. Keeping in mind the high participation from bearing
manufacturers, PTC highlights the bearings section. Visitors can
find deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical, spherical roller bearings,
self aligning ball bearings, needle roller bearings, angular contact
ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, thrust ball bearings,
thrust roller bearing, bearing components like rings, steel ball, antidust
shield seals, cage, sleeve, wheel and axle etc. Apart from this,
visitors can also find equipment for bearing production and machining,
all kinds of materials and accessories required in bearing
production such as lubricant, anti-rust materials, grinding wheels,
coolant, packing material, electric spindle frequency converter etc.
In the electrical power transmission sector, of which China has
been the top manufacturer and exporter, products like motors, servomotors,
frequency converters, electrical drive control systems,
electro-magnetic equipments, relays, contactors and other accessories
that complete the industrial electrical circuitry, will all be on
display at PTC Asia.
Exhibit area W1, W2 focus on warehousing systems and related logistics
technologies. Halls W3 and W4 focus on robotics in logistics,
packaging equipment, pallets and consumables, this area also plays
a host to various international pavilions. Halls W5 and N1 have exhibitors
exhibiting products like forklift trucks, automated guided
vehicles and their accessories. CeMAT’s product portfolio is divided
in 7 main categories namely, mechanical handling equipment, warehousing
technology and workshop equipment, packaging and order
picking equipment, logistics services and outsourcing, traffic engineering,
intralogistics systems and software, loading technology.
The mechanical handling portfolio consists of equipment like
cranes, lifting platforms, hoist-able man platforms, monorail conveyors,
industrial trucks, forklifts, trolleys, driverless transport systems,
lift, elevators, escalators, moving pavements, cable cars, components
of drive technology, entire conveying systems, robotics
handling systems, driverless transport systems, storage, and retrieval
equipment for shelves and rack, manual trolleys etc. Warehousing
technology and workshop equipment consists of shelving
systems, factory and warehousing equipment, pallets, bins and
containers, industrial doors and gates, cleaning systems for warehouses
and storage facilities. Packaging and order picking systems
for warehouses and shop floors, weighers and metering devices.
Apart from products, exhibitors at CeMAT also offer logistics services
like consulting, planning, financing, project management and
maintenance services in the transport, e-logistics sector, etc.
Logistics companies are facing an era of unprecedented change
as digitalization takes center stage and customer expectations
evolve. To cater this demand, CeMAT has special attention given to
intralogistics IT and software systems like computer and control
systems for material planning, warehouse management, transportation
management, identification technology, Auto ID systems,
sensors for intralogistics etc, that will be on display at the event.
Apart from the serious and business part of the event, make time
for small breaks and non-business conversations, in order to truly
connect to people from various walks of industry. After all the true
purpose of the trade fair is to bond and create long lasting relationships
with fellow attendees, that translates into successful business
partnership.
Photographs: lead Fotolia, Deutsche Messe AG
www.cemat-asia.com | www.ptc-asia.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 11

The new Interroll DC Platform
With the launch of its new DC platform, Interroll is once again
setting standards in material-handling technology. The range
of perfectly matched RollerDrive, controls and power supply
units enables system integrators and machine builders to
provide an even better fit for their customers’ needs – from
standard applications to equipment with Industry 4.0 or smart
digital manufacturing functionality. The new DC platform has
a solution to match every challenge.
01 The new DC platform − made up of coordinated components
such as the RollerDrive, controls systems, power supplies
and accessories
LOGISTICS
Technology at a glance
The RollerDrive EC5000 is the main component of the new DC platform.
Combined with the control systems, the motor rollers in this
product family are the key component of zero-pressure accumulation
conveyors with individually driven conveyor zones, such as
those used in the MCP. The RollerDrive EC5000 offers the following
technical innovations over the popular and still available Roller-
Drive EC310:
n 48V/24V: Alongside a 24V version, the new RollerDrive is now
also available with 48V technology.
n 20/35/50 watt: Users can choose between three power levels: 20,
35 and 50 watt. The 35-watt version is compatible with existing
RollerDrive Installations.
n Analog or bus interface: The new RollerDrive EC5000 is available
with an analog or a bus interface.
n Tube diameter: Alongside the versions with 50-mm tubes, the
RollerDrive EC5000 is also available with 60-mm tubes for heavy
transport materials.
n Other features: Depending on the conditions in which the system
will be used, you can choose versions of the RollerDrive EC5000
product family with IP54 and IP66 protection and suitable for
freezer applications.
n Controls solution for every application: Alongside DriveControl
2048 for standard applications with few RollerDrive, MultiControl
– a four-zone control compatible with multiple protocols –
offers the right solution for both simple and demanding applications,
from autonomous conveyors with integrated logic to
conveyors with customized PLC programming via fieldbus communication.
n New power supplies − Unpack, plug in and use: The new power
supply units do not need to be installed in the control cabinet.
Instead, the robust devices with protection rating IP54 are mounted
directly where the extra-low voltage is needed, enabling much
shorter cable lengths. All functions of the 24V and 48V power
units can be used straight out of the box. Automatic power limitation
and configurable line protection are integrated, as is status
evaluation via LED or a signal line to the PLC. Individual conveyor
zones can be serviced while others remain in operation
thanks to a switch secured against inadvertent start-up. With a
higher peak output up to 50 percent and built-in brake chopper,
the power supplies are perfect for use with RollerDrive.
12 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

The “acid test”
Interroll’s Global Center of Excellence for conveyor
rollers, RollerDrive and controls in Wermelskirchen
is responsible for the development,
production and market launch of the DC
platform. At the heart of the company is a test
center covering an area of around 1,600 square
meters.
Interroll’s engineers at the center submit
existing products and new innovations to comprehensive
fatigue and load tests. Special
chambers are used to test products’ resistance
to heat and cold, ensuring that customers can
rely on the quality of the Interroll range at anytime
and anywhere. “Our test facilities work
around the clock; we leave nothing to chance,”
says managing director Armin Lindholm. “We
have subjected the new DC platform to the acid
test, involving all conceivable application scenarios
and millions of test hours for the products
and their components.”
Built-to-order on an industrial scale
Production of the new DC platform in Wermelskirchen
works on the built-to-order principle.
Intelligent processes based on the Interroll
Production System (IPS) enable
build-to-order with numerous options and
short delivery times, even for small batches.
Interroll has a long history of manufacturing
expertise in this area, which applies to other
product groups as well.
“For the DC platform, we not only expanded
and reorganized our motor roller production,
but also systematically protected it against static
discharges so that we could work with sensitive
components,” says Lindholm. “We also
store the data on all products and their components
in the corporate cloud, allowing us to
identify them years later through their serial
numbers.” To ensure the same high product
quality in the manufacturing facilities all
around the globe, Interroll is steadily implementing
the relevant manufacturing processes
and equipment in America and Asia.
Photographs: Interroll
www.interroll.com
02 The RollerDrive EC5000
is the main component of
the new DC platform
Intelligent conveyor
solution
What’s behind the new Interroll DC
Platform? In this interview, Armin
Lindholm, Managing Director, Global
Center of Excellence Rollers & RollerDrive
in Wermelskirchen, discusses its benefits,
development and production.
What was the reason for bringing the new DC
platform − made up of coordinated components
such as the RollerDrive, controls systems, power
supplies and accessories − to the market?
Armin Lindholm emphasizes that
the new DC platform was a holistic
project that included both hardware
and software development
Lindholm: Because we wanted to use this innovation
to offer our customers, by which I mean system
integrators and manufacturers, real added value for their businesses. With our
new DC Platform, this added value comes in the form of the unique variety of new
options for providing users with an even more efficient material flow − precisely
tailored to their individual needs.
What new technical features are hidden “behind the scenes”
of this range of applications?
Lindholm: First, customers can now choose between three power levels − 20 W,
35 W and 50 W − for the motor rollers, our RollerDrive. This enables customers to
find individual solutions for light and heavy material to be transported. Next, the
new optional bus interface, which is based on the CANOpen standard, makes the
systems data-transparent. This means that the customer can read out, process and
visualize a range of operating data whenever they want. Additionally, the corresponding
control system means that users can not only control the acceleration,
speed and deceleration of the conveyed goods in the system more precisely; they
can also position the relevant goods on the conveyor to the nearest millimeter −
for seamless conveying interplay with robots or automated gripper arms.
And why did Interroll decide to offer two versions of this solution
with 24 V and 48 V technology?
Lindholm: Because this technology offers so many advantages. For instance, 48 V
systems facilitate the use of up to 50 percent fewer power supply units than 24 V
systems. They allow for smaller wire cross-sections in cabling and for longer cable
lengths, and they reduce the number of error sources, for instance as a result of
voltage drops on the wires. This significantly reduces the investment required in
the entire system and substantially decreases the risk of errors during commissioning.
What was it like developing the new solution?
Lindholm: It was a holistic project that encompassed both hardware and software
development. Alongside our own skills as a technology leader, we also relied on
the expertise of five partner companies over the course of this project. With
around 150 engineers and technicians working on it, this was the most extensive
innovation project that Interroll had ever taken on. And of course, we also redesigned
production. z
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 13

There is room
in the smallest shop
LOGISTICS
E-commerce business, including the handling of
returns, has not only led to an extreme increase in
parcel volume in recent years - the variety of
shipments and the requirements for the handling of
goods have also increased drastically. Smaller and
medium-sized courier, express or parcel locations
(CEP locations) are thus confronted with a delicate
challenge. Despite the necessity to unload large
volumes of parcels and above all to sort them,
there is often no space for a sorter. Flexible telescopic
conveyors as well as scalable sorting solutions can help
to use the space even in the smallest shop.
At the interface between extra logistics and intralogistics, rigid
loading concepts and a high proportion of manual work are
used in many places. This takes a lot of time and makes an increase
in parcel throughput almost impossible. Modern, flexible telescopic
conveyors can be a first step here. Even with standard models,
productivity can be increased by up to 30 percent compared to
manual handling and a large variety of applications can be implemented.
For example, the telescopes can be moved to the side so
that several loading docks can be operated simultaneously. If further
space is required from time to time in front of the ramp, compact
models are available which can be pulled back into a parking
position by personnel. This makes a mixed transport of general
cargo, roll containers or pallets possible.
Operating different vehicle types
with a single solution
Thanks to a lowerable front telescopic segment, it is also possible to
load and unload different vehicle profiles from containers and
trucks to delivery vans with one and the same telescopic conveyor.
For example, the Sovex Bendy Boom telescopic conveyor, which
was developed in close cooperation with market leaders in the parcel
industry, can be used to serve transporters, trucks or containers
with a length of up to 14 m on the same swap body. This is made
possible by the 1.8 m long, movable front telescope segment, which
can be angled by max. 25°. In addition to flexibility, this also allows
the boom to be positioned in the optimal ergonomic position at all
times. This prevents muscle-skeletal problems for operators or
work-related accidents. The model, which can be extended up to a
length of 15 m, provides the necessary conditions for a loading and
unloading capacity of 1,200 parcels per hour.
01 With lowerable front telescopic segments,
even smaller transporters can be operated
14 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Flexible, scalable sorting solutions eliminate
the need for sorters
Sorting solutions such as the Transnorm Sorting Modules (TSM),
which are easy to install, adapt, expand and duplicate, are available
so that smaller CEP locations can also achieve a high degree of
automation in shipment processing and distribution. Instead of a
sorter, a Smartsort Linesplitter forms the heart of every TSM layout.
With this reliable and robust solution, even the smallest mailing
bags or packages can be sorted quickly and safely, thanks to short
switching times and small spaces between the parcels.
If required, the terminals can be equipped with various functionalities,
such as slides or gravity roller conveyors up to the
functionality for loading and unloading. In combination with the
Linesplitter, they form a functional unit that requires just one simple
controller. These solutions enable gentle product handling
and can also be used efficiently as a simple discharging solution in
a conveyor line. Finally, several line splitters can be combined in a
layout to form a smart, modular subsystem with high sorting performance
and functionality, in which the modules and controllers
are simply interconnected.
The TSM modules were each optimized for specific functionalities
and cover all processes required at smaller CEP locations. TMS
thus covers the functions unloading, splitting and merging lines,
aligning, cycling, separating, sorting and finally loading. Due to the
flexibility of this modular solution, the layout can be adopted or
supplemented in peak season or when sudden order peaks occur in
line with the increasing volume of parcels.
02 At the heart of every TSM layout is a Smartsort line splitter
The result
While telescopic conveyors increase flexibility and productivity at
the loading ramp, the use of a single TSM line splitter module can
already provide a simple sorting solution. This makes it possible to
automate a delivery center without the space requirement and
investment costs of a sorter installation.
www.transnorm.com
DER ANTRIEB
Reliable. Versatile. Global.
NORD
4.0
READY!
THE GEAR UNIT
Strong bearings
Quiet running
THE MOTOR
High efficiency
Global standards
THE DRIVE ELECTRONIC
Field distribution system
Easy implementation
Getriebebau NORD GmbH &Co. KG |Fon +49 4532 289-0 |info@nord.com
nord.com

Belt conveyors instead of trucks −
an efficient alternative?
LOGISTICS
Recovered raw materials have to be transported from
the quarry to the factory or port, often over uneven
ground and across populated areas. Companies often
choose trucks for transportation. As an alternative,
system suppliers including Beumer Group offer open
troughed belt conveyors or closed Pipe Conveyors.
These solutions are more environmentally friendly and
can be considerably more economical. Deciding if the
investment is worthwhile depends on several factors.
A feasibility study and a cost comparison can help with
the decision.
Companies often choose trucks to transport limestone, coal ores
and other raw materials as efficiently as possible to the factory
and from there to the port, sometimes over distances spanning several
kilometers. Most of the time, the vehicles drive on public roads,
which are not always well-paved. And as the route can go through
hilly areas and nature reserves, across rivers and instable grounds,
the trip often includes detours which costs time and money. If it
goes through populated areas, it can be particularly taxing for local
residents. The more raw materials are transported, the more trips
are necessary. These factors motivate companies to take a closer
look at the alternatives. Beumer Group offers open troughed belt
conveyors and closed Pipe Conveyors for these scenarios. But will
the investment pay off? “That depends on the particular application,”
says Richard Munson. He has been with Beumer Group in
Kansas City, Missouri, since 2010 where he manages the development
and sales of conveying systems for the energy, cement and
mining industries and port terminals. “Companies should carry out
a profitability evaluation beforehand,” he advises.
An economic evaluation pays off
There are different methods to run an economic evaluation, including
the net present value method, which is a type of profitability
calculation. “Simply put, it means that all future income is discounted
to time zero and compared, including the initial investment,”
explains Munson. This method uses a calculation interest
rate that reflects the best available alternative investment. The user
receives a capital value, also called net present value or NPV. If this
value is positive, it means that the company will make a profit with
the investment.
“Another option is cashflow analysis. It estimates the surplus that
remains when deducting expenses from earnings,” Munson explains.
Based on the annual difference of the total operational costs between
conveying and trucking, the user calculates if investing in a
conveying system will pay off. Different variables are required to exactly
evaluate both transport options, for example the transport costs
per ton, the material volume that needs to be moved within a set
period of time, and also the specific investment cost and tax depreciation
plan. “A comparison of conveying and trucking in a time
diagram results in the break-even point,” explains the Beumer expert.
Cost comparison
Depending on the topography, length and power consumption,
costs for conventional conveying systems average between EUR
1,000 and 3,000 per meter. More costs are added for the construction,
supply and the mechanical and electrical installation. Complex
construction work is also often necessary. This makes the initial
investment in a conveying system fairly high. “The operational
costs however are considerably lower than with the use of trucks,”
reports Munson. “The costs for the vehicles also include the labour
input, vehicle depreciation, maintenance, repair, fuel and street
maintenance for example. And oftentimes there are additional,
more difficult to identify charges.”
To operate a conventional conveying system, the typical costs for
transporting one ton of material amounts to 20 Cents, with trucks
the costs are roughly three Euro. “The biggest variable for the vehicles
is the number of trips per hour,” says Munson. In case of short
and direct routes, this ranks better than for long routes, where
detours are necessary to get to the destination.” Troughed belt conveyors
and closed Pipe Conveyors lead directly to the destination.
They can also be adapted to the specific surroundings. An essential
feature of the technology is that it enables horizontal and vertical
curves. Angles of inclination of up to 15 degrees are possible, de­
16 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

01
02 Sichuan project: The troughed belt
conveyor runs through rough terrain and over
instable ground
02
01 Sichuan project: whenever technically possible, the routing of the
conveyor has been adapted to the topography
pending on the characteristics of the material to be transported and
the topography, with lengths greater than twelve kilometers. Due to
their ability to navigate curves, considerably fewer and in some
cases no transfer towers are required. This results in substantial cost
savings for the customer and the system continuously transports
the material even over challenging ascending and descending
sections, rivers or street crossings. Using Beumer calculation programs,
the experts precisely calculate the static and dynamic
tractive forces of the belt during the system development phase.
This is the prerequisite for the safe dimensioning of the curves.
For trucks, more cost factors must be taken into account that are
not as easy to estimate as the number of routes: control measures
against dust and rain drainage, for example. These variables are
eliminated completely in case of closed Pipe Conveyors. “If circa
1,000,000 tons of bulk material are moved per year, then the gross
differential value between trucks and a conveyor, using the above
mentioned costs of the material that needs to be conveyed, is at
2.8 million euro,” calculates Munson. That’s quite a number, in his
opinion. The conveying system pays for itself after only a few years.
Ecological and economical
The electric drives and low-energy belts have a positive effect on the
operational costs of the belt conveying systems. They are also better
for the environment compared to the truck drives. Therefore, especially
in these times of climate change and increasing greenhouse
gas emissions they are considered a more sustainable option. The
motors used for these systems are usually adjustable which permits
04 The civil engineering work for conveying systems is usually very
complex
the loads to be optimally distributed on the drive units under various
operating conditions. If the belt conveying system conveys
downhill, the system works in regenerative operation. The generated
electric energy is fed to the mains by a regenerative feedback
unit. This way the owners can further reduce the operational costs
of the entire system.
“Depending on the project, belt conveying systems require up to
90 percent less primary energy than comparable truck transports,”
says the sales manager, referring to a concrete project implemented
for the Chinese cement manufacturer Sichuan Yadong Cement.
Trucks operated with diesel fuel required a specific primary energy
of 11.4 kwh for each ton of transported material at their site. The belt
conveying system which was built later on required on the contrary
only 1.44 kwh. If, as in this case, 7.5 million tons of raw material are
transported annually, the user can save a total of 74 million kwh per
year with the belt conveyor. This corresponds to an energy consumption
of more than 20,000 single-family houses. Solely by saving
diesel fuel, the operational costs of the company are reduced
by more than 5.5 million Euro per year.
So does the investment in a belt conveying system pay off? “More
often than people realize,” explains Munson. “In the end, the operator
needs to consider the total costs per ton over time when evaluating
both transport options.” The fact is: The operational costs for a
belt conveyor are considerably lower than for a truck. The decisive
factor is how much material is transported during the project term,
then it can pay for itself quickly. Not to mention the Beumer conveying
systems are more environmentally friendly from the beginning.
Photographs: Beumer Group
03 View of the enclosed conveyor flight in the area of the bridge
www.beumergroup.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 17

In time with the sun
Since July 2018, the sewage treatment plant at
Chur (Switzerland) features a very special roof: The
HORIZON foldable solar roof by dhp technology is a
one of its kind worldwide and allows for an intelligent
dual use of industrial sites. Decentralised drives from
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS are used for autonomously
expanding and collapsing the folding roof panels.
Power producer, sun shade, sun worshipper, weather expert and
master in space saving – the HORIZON foldable solar roof by
dhp technology, a Swiss start-up, is a one of its kind worldwide. It is
erected over already used areas and thus allows for intelligent dual
use without needing to cover a single additional square metre with
buildings or restricting the primary use of the area below. This saves
resources such as space and ground in populated areas, makes
large decentralised solar power plants possible where electrical
power is needed, and provides shade for persons, goods and infrastructures.
In this way, car parks turn into charging stations, logistics
spaces into freshness zones, and sewage treatment plants into
power plants.
Solar technology redefined
“The foldable solar roof is a unique solution for generating solar electricity
on infrastructure areas because supporting columns can be
set wide apart”, explains Andreas Hügli, co-founder and co- manager
of dhp technology. “This is possible because we have chosen to opt
for cableway technology, and the flexible and lightweight foldable
roofs can be retracted to a protective position. Thanks to this protective
position, the entire photovoltaic system need not be designed to
withstand extreme weather; instead, we can make the modules lighter
and then protect them against wind, snow, and hail in the garage.”
dhp technology, founded in 2015, made energy history in the
Swiss city of Chur where the world’s first foldable solar roof covering
a sewage treatment plant was commissioned – covering the
Chur sewage treatment plant. On board: intelligent, decentralised
drive technology by NORD DRIVESYSTEMS.
Intelligent drive technology from NORD
With an area of 5,800 m 2 , the foldable solar roof of the Chur sewage
treatment plant covers the pretreatment, secondary (biological)
treatment, and tertiary treatment basins. The 2,120 modules produce
550,000 kWh of electrical power per year – equalling about
20 % of the auxiliary power required by the plant. The foldable solar
roof operates completely autonomously and adapts to ambient
MOTION AND DRIVES
www.mayr.com
Safety 4.0
ROBA ® -topstop ® —the certified
braking system for vertical axes
with brake monitoring
your reliable partner
MAYR-eng.indd 1 19.08.2019 14:34:12
18 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

conditions automatically using weather data provided by a local
weather station and external sources. The sun controls the intelligent
drive units with integrated PLC automatically: Using robust
cableway technology, the solar panels unfold automatically as soon
as the first sun rays penetrate the clouds in the morning. They return
to their protective garage position when the sun goes down in the
evening. The foldable solar roof also returns to this position automatically
in case of snow, hail or wind, and extreme situations –
such as power or communication failures.
Intelligent NORD DRIVESYSTEMS drives are used for retracting
and extending the folding roof panels. The company, headquartered
in North Germany, is one of the leading global full-service providers
in the industry and supplies optimally matched drive systems consisting
of gear unit, motor, and frequency inverter – an important
asset for dhp technology. “We chose a solution provided by NORD
because we wanted a provider that supplied drive technology from
a single source” says Andreas Hügli. “And what’s more: NORD products
perfectly meet our requirements. The fact that frequency inverters
are directly mounted on the motors makes installation much
easier. The PLC integrated in the drive unit also convinced us. With
this intelligent control system, we can retract the foldable roof
groups to the garage using an autonomous homerun function at any
time if communication should fail. This maximizes the operational
safety of the system and for us is a key factor of the drive solution.”
The NORD drives – consisting of a UNIVERSAL worm geared motor
with brake, magnetic encoder and motor-mounted NORDAC
FLEX SK 205E frequency inverter – are mounted in a protected position
on the supporting structure and can be addressed separately.
This allows the maintenance personnel to retract individual folding
roof groups into the garage and perform maintenance to specific
basins. Each of the 53 folding roof groups has a drive of its own and
can be extended and retracted, depending on the weather. Four
drives each are electrically linked via the internal CAN bus, with
one of the drives controlling the movement sequences as master.
01 The drives are worm
geared motors with
motor-mounted frequency
inverters. The revision
switch is easily accessible
for maintenance
personnel.
02 The drives are safely
mounted on the supporting
structure. Each of the
53 folding roof groups has
a drive of its own.
NORD.” No wonder that additional optimisations and joint projects
have already been wrapped up. Detection of a communication failure,
for example, is to be implemented in the PLC integrated in NORD
frequency inverters. Another objective is to simplify installation by
providing preassembled connectors. And the successful partnership
between dhp technology and NORD DRIVESYSTEMS will also be
continued for installations of foldable solar roofs to come.
www.nord.com
Automated extension and retraction
But how do the drives know when to extend and when to retract?
This is where the powerful PLC integrated in the NORD frequency
inverters comes into play. “The PLC reads local and external weather
data and processes this data using a generic meteo algorithm to
issue the “Extend” and “Retract” commands,” explains Philip Racine,
dhp technology system engineer. Rotary encoders ensure that
the position of the panels is known at any time. “The ramp function
is also very important for us as it ensures we can retract the panels
in an adequate period of time,” Racine continues. The ramps start
up slowly, accelerate in the middle, and slow down when the garage
is reached. The drive unit PLC controls this as well. The ramps for
extending and retracting the foldable roofs are always identical and
for this reason always require the same amount of energy. Thanks to
their high overload capacity, the compact and robust NORD worm
geared motors are capable of handling any malfunction that requires
more energy to return the panels into the garage.
Talking about malfunctions: The control unit has been programmed
to retract the solar panels into the secure garage position
automatically in case of a power or communication failure. This
means: Manual intervention via remote maintenance is possible
but unnecessary for secure operation.
Sunny outlook
“Cooperation with NORD was very agreeable. Everything just fitted
perfectly – the product range and also the personal contact,” reports
Andreas Hügli enthusiastically. “They offer top quality, quick delivery
times, and perfect consulting and servicing. The good support in case
of problems, further development and program extensions must also
be pointed out. To sum up: we felt we were in very good hands with
www.rheintacho.com

Changi Airport Singapore:
Safety for floating petals
Singapore’s Changi Airport opened its Terminal 4 in October 2017. A large kinetic
sculpture is one of the artistic highlights of the building: Aluminium elements in the
form of petals move to specially composed music. Safety brakes from the Allgäu-based
specialist mayr power transmission, who runs a Chinese subsidiary in Zhangjiagang,
protect the elements from falling and thus protect the passengers.
MOTION AND DRIVES
Soft music sounds. Slowly, 96 aluminium elements set themselves
in motion high above the viewers - the rings are based on the
shape of orchid leaves. In the rhythm of the music they move softly
and precisely coordinated with each other, constantly forming new
constellations. The installation “Petalclouds” can be admired in Terminal
4 of Changi Airport in Singapore. The airport opened the new
building in October 2017, and since 2018 the movable work of art
has also been in operation as the heart of the artistic concept.
Artistic heavyweight
What looks light and airy in the Central Galleria of the new terminal
is technically a heavyweight: with a length of 200 m and a weight of
40 kg per element, a total of approximately 4 t of steel and aluminium
move over the passengers. Each element is suspended from four
thin steel cables. Two servo motors with winches per petal ensure
the flowing movements according to a given choreography. In regular
operation, the control system is also a matter for the motors - yet
each one is individually equipped with an emergency stop brake,
just in case. This is where the ROBA-stop-M series from mayr power
transmission is used, two brakes are applied per winch. For smooth
control, each winch is supplied by a ROBA-SBCplus control module.
The SBCplus modules are particularly suitable here because they are
designed for security applications. So there is no cultural break
when they are combined with special safety PLCs. Thanks to its fully
electric functionality, the SBCplus dispenses with mechanical components
- a big plus for reliability. In addition, the modules make a
compact design possible. Each SBCplus controls two brakes at the
Petalclouds, so that both of its channels are fully utilised. The result:
less volume requirement in the control cabinet and a space-saving
design of the control electrics. Another advantage of the modules:
They can evaluate the release monitoring of the brakes and thus provide
information at any time as to whether the brakes are open or
closed. The motors only run when the brakes are open, thus avoiding
expensive damage to the drive from the outset.
The design for the installation comes from the Berlin-based
ART+COM Studios. MKT AG from Olching near Munich converted
ART+COM’s vision into a TÜV-certified system and conducted all of
the manufacturing, installation and commissioning. Dipl.-Ing.
Werner Riebesel, responsible for the project at MKT AG, describes
one of the biggest challenges: “We have installed hundreds of safety
elements in the Petalclouds. The difficulty was to keep the system
running smoothly without the safety components shutting everything
down with false alarms. That was especially important be-
20 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

cause we installed the project in Singapore - you can’t just go there
because of every little problem.”
Never compromise on safety
The safety elements must therefore be particularly reliable in this
case. This is also urgently necessary because the installation is not
mounted in a shielded area. It floats above the passengers under the
25 metre high ceiling of the Central Galleria. If one of the petals got out
of control and fell, the risk of injury would be enormous. This is why
MKT AG relied on brakes from mayr power transmission for its safety
concept - after all, there are no compromises when it comes to safety.
The electromagnetic ROBA-stop-M safety brakes work according
to the fail-safe principle. They are closed in a de-energised condition,
and therefore also in case of a power failure or an emergency
stop. When the current is switched on, the brake generates a magnetic
field. As a result, the armature disk is pulled towards the coil
carrier against the spring pressure. The rotor, which is connected to
the bearing-mounted pinion shaft via a gear hub, is thus free, meaning
that the brake is released. The motor can run freely, the wire
rope hoist can work in both directions without obstruction. In case
of error conditions such as power failure or emergency stop, the
ROBA-stop-M brakes intervene immediately and bring the wire
rope hoist reliably to a standstill within a very short time. A further
advantage for safety-critical applications: Even if the brake is damaged,
for example due to cable breakage or failure of the magnetic
coil, the braking torque is maintained.
Compact and functionally safe
The ROBA-stop-M brakes by mayr power transmission score crucial
points with regard to operational safety and ease of maintenance in
comparison to many other safety brakes. They distinguish themselves
through an enclosed constructional design and the high Protection
IP 54 or IP 65 in sealed design. Designed for a duty cycle of
100 per cent, the ROBA-stop-M brakes are maintenance-free for the
service lifetime of the friction linings. Their compact and functionally
safe construction enables quick and cost-effective installation.
Installation and adjustment errors can be avoided thanks to the
design-specific, tested and non-changeable working air gap. Furthermore,
the variable spring configuration for different torques
makes the safety brakes particularly flexible.
mayr brakes reliably guarantee maximum operating safety. For
this purpose, the company focuses on careful quality inspections:
these include quality assurance measures during the course of the
design process and a comprehensive final inspection. Prior to delivery,
all brakes are intensively tested on test benches and function-relevant
values are recorded. An electronic database in which
the measurement values are archived together with the associated
serial numbers of a product guarantee 100 percent traceability.
“Mayr quality means ‘Quality made in Germany’, independent of
the location”, explains CEO Günther Klingler. “In the Chinese subsidiary
in Zhangjiagang the same quality standards apply as in
Germany. The company Quality Management System there has
been certified in accordance with the ISO 9001 in the same way as
at the headquarters in Mauerstetten. Mayr power transmission will
remain a reliable partner in future – for its customers, suppliers
and employees.”
mayr at the PTC ASIA 2019 in Shanghai: Hall E7, Booth No. E7-A1
Photos: Big picture, Changi Airport, picture of brake mayr power transmission,
other picture MKT AG Olching
www.mayr.com

Pick and place with thermal
imaging cameras
AUTOMATION
Machine vision inspections using visual cameras
can occasionally cause recognition problems if
the product and background have too little color
contrast. In such cases, thermal imaging cameras
can be a practical solution - especially if the product
has a different temperature than the transport
medium. Two Austrian companies present a possible
solution in this area.
Author: Markus Moltkau, M.Sc., Sales Manager Automation (Central & North
Europe), Flir Systems GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The Austrian company Maplan GmbH is an internationally
active manufacturer of injection molding machines. With
230 employees worldwide, the company produces approximately
280 elastomer injection molding machines and presses per year,
99 % of which are exported to more than 60 countries. Recently, the
injection molding specialist presented an application during an
exhibition that included a Flir A-Series thermal imaging camera.
Challenge: Extrusion line for a rubber luggage tags
For a trade fair, Maplan planned the on-site production of give-aways
for trade fair visitors. The company produced customizable rubber
luggage tags in an extrusion line; they were then repositioned by a
robot and labelled using an inkjet printer. As with many other projects,
Maplan worked closely with Reliste GesmbH as the integrator to
implement this automation solution. Reliste has offered high-quality
products to its customers in the Austrian market for more than
45 years, while the Reliste Vision Group, founded in 2008, works as an
integrator for Flir thermal imaging cameras in the automation sector.
Low contrast: temperature as a solution
In the planned system, the weak contrast ratios between conveyor
belt and product initially proved to be a challenge. In a conventional
pick and place application, a robot was to remove the luggage
tags from the conveyor belt and position them for printing with an
22 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Thermal imaging
camera at a glance
The Flir A615 is used for thermal
monitoring and quality assurance
of production processes. The
compact thermal imaging camera can be controlled from
a PC and, thanks to its compliance with a wide range of
standards, is suitable as a plug-and-play device with software
for machine vision applications from third party manufacturers
such as National Instruments, Cognex, and Halcon. It is
compatible with the GigE Vision standard and supports the
GenICam protocol. The camera has a high-resolution detector
with 640 × 480 pixels and enables high-speed IR windowing.
With its high thermal sensitivity of 50 mK, it captures and
visualizes the smallest image details and the slightest temperature
differences. Its Gigabit Ethernet port allows 16-bit
image streaming to the computer in real time.
The camera
measures the exact
position of the
freshly-produced
rubber luggage tags
inkjet printer, which was ultimately to personalize the tags for the
stand visitors. The robot should receive the information as to where
the product is on the conveyor belt from a camera. But with lightgray
luggage tags on a light-gray conveyor belt, doubts quickly arose
about the functional stability when using a visual camera.
Reliste proposed an unusual but pragmatic solution. “Instead of
a conventional visual camera for product recognition, we proposed
a Flir thermal imaging camera,” explains Dipl. Ing. Thomas
Trauttenberg, Managing Director of Reliste. The model Reliste recommended
was a Flir A615, which offers 640 × 48 thermal resolution.
“The thermal imaging camera does not use visual light, but
„Thermal imaging cameras enable quality
analyses even of complex injection moulded
parts and thus contribute to the optimization
of the injection molding process.“
01 The fixed Flir A615 conforms to a wide range of standards, making it
a plug-and-play device for third-party machine vision software
the heat radiation resulting from the extrusion process for reliable
product detection.
“The solution convinced us because it was very simple and worked
right from the start,” adds Maplan’s technical manager Rudolf
Eisenhuber. “The high thermal imaging resolution of the Flir A615
also enables quality analysis, which we would like to demonstrate
with more complex injection molded parts in the future.”
Thermal imaging technology on complex formed
components
For the future, Maplan and Reliste are considering the possibility of
additional evaluation of thermal information for rubber injection
molding machines. The use of a thermal imaging camera could also
provide additional information about the quality of a product. This
method is particularly interesting for complex shaped components.
In this regard, Flir thermal imaging technology could contribute to
optimizing the injection molding process.
For more information on thermal imaging cameras or this application
example, visit www.flir.de/instruments/condition-monitoring.
Photographs: Flir Systems, Maplan, Reliste
02 The thermal image shows not only the exact position, but also the
temperature distribution of the luggage tags directly after production
www.flir.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 23

Colorful challenge for
measurement technologies
AUTOMATION
Determination, measurement and detection of colors
in industrial applications are complex measurement
tasks. Compared to other physical quantities, it is
difficult to define color: what exactly is color?
State-of-the-art color measurement technology does
not only answer this question but also offers solutions
for industrial applications.
Author: Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Joachim Hueber, MICRO-EPSILON Eltrotec GmbH,
Uhingen, Germany
Color is a great challenge for industrial measurement technology
since it is an individual, visual sensation elicited by light.
When measuring colors, everything is about comparing the measured
color with the actual color perceived by the human eye. The
crux of the matter in most applications is to detect very slight deviations
in color as even these can be perceived be the human eye.
Painted car parts, printing matter or facade panels are just some
examples of the many products whose color must be inspected
during production.
Human color perception
Color inspection in industrial applications requires suitable sensor
technology that corresponds to the color perception of the human
eye. The latter is invoked by light in the wavelength range of 380 nm
to 780 nm. The human eye has different sensor cells: 120 million
rods for light/dark differentiation and 6 million cones for color perception.
There are three different types of cones, of which each is
receptive to a different wavelength range of the visible spectrum.
Rods are much more sensitive than cones which is why color vision
depends on illumination. Based on human color impression, colors
can be described differently. As there are three different cone types,
the color space consists of three dimensions. Since 1931, the CIE
24 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

1931 standard color space stipulated by an international commission
has ensured comparability in color descriptions.
Color space in technical applications
In technical applications, the CIELAB color space is more common.
It is generated from the standard color space by transformation. The
coordinates of this color space are L as measure of the brightness, a
(green/red saturation) and b (blue/yellow saturation). The advantage
of this color space is that each hue perceived as a separate
color by the human eye has the same volume. The HSV/HSI color
spaces are rarely used. The RGB and CMYK color spaces used with
monitors and printing technology are significantly smaller than the
CIE standard color space. This means they cannot image all colors
that the human eye recognizes and so are not suitable for precise,
industrial color measurement.
Metrological challenge
When the observation geometry is determined, color is (in physical
terms) a reflected intensity spectrum in the visible wavelength
range. This reflection spectrum depends on the object color and the
illumination. Illumination is defined by different light sources, e. g.
light bulbs, daylight, fluorescent lamps or cold white LEDs. A color
sensor detects the reflected spectrum and imitates the principle of
the human eye. For measurements, the reflected light is refracted
into its spectral parts. The easiest method is to use filters where only
one part of the spectrum can pass through. Most conventional CCD
cameras whose sensors are divided into green, red and blue pixels
are also based on this technique.
Color sensors with attention to detail
A more accurate principle is used by color sensors for industrial
applications such as the new colorSensor CFO series from Micro-
Epsilon Eltrotec (see box). The specimen is illuminated by a light
source, which in most cases is a white light LED. The light reflected
by the probe hits the sensor where the light passes through different
filters and eventually reaches a light-sensitive sensor element. The
absorption spectra of the filters used should overlap. The filters
New True Color Sensors
The new, compact True Color colorSensor CFO sensors from
Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec stand out due to their high color
accuracy, modern interfaces and intuitive handling. They
operate according to the XYZ tristimulus measuring
procedure. A decisive factor for good measurement results
is that the illumination of the specimen is provided by
a defined light source. The new color sensors operate with
high performance white light LEDs, which cover the largest
part of the visible spectrum. All components such as
illumination, sensor element and evaluation electronics
are combined in a compact aluminum housing. An opticalfiber
cable is connected to the color sensor and ensures the
illumination and the measurement procedure. The use of
optical-fiber cables has several major advantages: 1. The sensor
can be used in restricted areas as the sensor head requires
a minimum of space. 2. There is a large number of different
sensor heads which are suitable for most tasks. Furthermore,
Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec can adapt the sensors according to
customer-specific requirements. 3. The maximum fiber-optic
cable length of 2.4 m allows for exterior sensor mounting e. g.
in the case of critical danger zones (vacuum, temperature,
EX zones). The color sensor can be configured via five buttons on
the housing. LEDs signify the respective state. Depending on
the sensor type, up to 255 colors in six color groups (CFO100)
or more than 320 colors in 254 color groups (CFO200) can be
taught via teach-in buttons. The user can define the permissible
tolerance range. The sensor sends a signal via digital
output channels if the measured color is within the tolerance
range. The CFO100 enables measurement frequencies up
to 10 kHz and the CFO200 up to 20 kHz. Therefore, even
applications with high speed requirements can be realized.
True Color sensors are suitable for any application that involves
color sorting or the inspection of the color consistency.
01 The human eye
has 6 million cones
for color perception
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 25

Another functional principle is applied by color measurement systems
such as the colorControl ACS7000 from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec.
This divides the spectrum of the incident light via a refraction
on a grid into 256 parts, which are imaged behind the grid onto a
CCD sensor line. This is how the complete visible spectrum can be
accurately measured with a spectral resolution of 5 nm. The color
measurement system not only compares the colors to reference values,
but also identifies and outputs these as coordinates in the color
space. As well as the sensor system, the white light LED is incorporated
into the housing of the system, enabling different sensor
heads to be connected via optical-fiber cables. In the ACS1 standard
sensor for conventional measurement tasks, illumination and
receiver are either arranged at an angle of 30°×:0° or 45°×:0°. This
leads to observation distances of 50 mm or 38 mm respectively. For
more complex measurement tasks e. g. with structured, highly reflective
or shiny metallic surfaces, the ACS2 circular sensor with
24 circular arranged lighting optics at a measuring angle of 45°c:0°
is used. This ensures continuous, homogeneous lighting for measurements,
regardless of the angular position of the target object.
Even with smaller measurement objects or on curved surfaces, reliable
color measurements are possible. For color measurements of
transparent objects such as film or glass, the ACS3 transmission
sensor is required where illumination and receiver are arranged at
an angle of 180°:0° to each other. This receiver sensor also measures
colors of self-luminous objects. No lighting unit is required.
Ease of use
AUTOMATION
02 The L*a*b color space has established itself in industrial
color inspection tasks and comprises all colors perceptible to the
human eye
03 The CFO100 color sensor can be
easily configured using the teach-in function
divide the light into long-wave (X), medium-wave (Y) and shortwave
(Z) parts. The individual signals are then transformed into
L*a*b* color values. This is how measurement values are generated
which enables the assignment of colors according to the color perception
of the human eye. Therefore, we refer to these as perceptive
color sensors or True Color sensors. They are ideal for recognition of
color deviations. A teach-in function enables the user to program
the desired color on the sensor and to determine the maximum permissible
color deviation. Next, the sensor compares the color of the
products during operation and can e. g. send a signal via a digital
output if the color of the specimen is within the tolerance limits.
Identification of colors as coordinates
in the color space
Although “color measurement” is a complex issue, color sensors
and color measurement systems from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec are
easy to use. Color teaching is carried out using a teach-in button,
LEDs on the color sensor or the measurement system signify the
mode of operation. In most cases, configuration is performed via an
integrated web server. Settings such as illumination and measurement
frequency for perfect color recognition and measurements
can be set up easily. The output signals are also set up directly using
the web interface.
Measurement of color in numerous industrial
applications
In order to ensure high quality standards, measurement of color is
an invaluable technique in numerous industrial applications. A
typical example is the automotive industry: most bumpers, door
handles and exterior mirrors are painted the same color as the car
chassis. Furthermore, distance sensors and headlight cleaning systems
are integrated in the bumpers. These components are painted
separately but must precisely match the color of the body. During
the assembly process, the measurement system verifies if these colors
are identical because the human eye recognizes even the smallest
of deviations. Also, in the passenger compartment, the colors
must be correct. Here, structured, curved and reflecting surfaces
are additional challenges for color measurement technology. Another
example is in the production of facade panels made from zinc
whose surface color can change after being coated. During production,
the color must be inspected continuously in order to ensure
early recognition of any deviations. Otherwise, facade panels with
slightly deviating colors would stand out, particularly in large facade
areas. In tablet production, the slightest color deviations must
be detected. In transparent blister packs, different color shades
would give a poor impression.
For the above examples and in many other applications, Micro-
Epsilon Eltrotec offers the optimum solution in terms of perceptive
color sensors and color measurement systems. Depending on the
requirements, the user can also solve difficult color measurement
tasks. The products for color recognition and measurement enable
very small Delta-E values, high measurement frequencies and inline
(in-process) measurements. The user benefits from a measurement
system that easily integrates into their industrial control systems and
simple configuration and handling via the integrated web server.
Photographs: Micro Epsilon
www.micro-epsilon.com
26 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Perfectly prepared for
internationalization
Jörg Paulus is General Manager – Europe
at Posital Fraba GmbH in Cologne, Germany
From your point of view, how
has the international market
developed both in general
and for Fraba over the last
ten years?
What trends are you
currently observing, where
are we heading in terms of
countries, markets, products
and solutions over the next
ten years?
We are growing much more quickly internationally than in the German market. Asia in particular –
with China as a driver – is providing much of the momentum. Chinese companies are growing rapidly,
and a lot is being tried out there. Asia is especially important in our newest business area, integrated
motor feedback. By now, almost all motor manufacturers are producing motors in the Far East.
Beyond the well established players, local companies are also playing a key role in the field of stepper
and servo motors. They often use incremental rotary encoders from local manufacturers, while we
score with innovations in absolute multiturn encoders.
Our multi-turn measurement systems, which make use of Wiegand energy-harvesting technology
to eliminate any need for backup batteries or complex gear systems, set the pace. Our feedback portfolio
ranges from kit encoders for servo and stepper motors to hollow shaft kits for the hollow shaft
segment.
When it comes to conventional self-contained rotary encoders, we see automation everywhere. Not
only in China, but also in India, America and Europe, automation is no longer the wave of the future,
but a present reality. There has also been a trend towards the use of absolute multiturn encoders here
for some time now, accelerated by declining prices.
Fraba is perfectly positioned for internationalization. For 25 years now, English has been the company
language. We have product decisionmakers in Asia and America – not just in Germany. Our cloudbased
Open Book information approach helps us to quickly provide support to our customers around
the globe. Our teams work together worldwide to find the right solution.
The trend towards integrated feedback systems will continue to increase. This technology is also being
used for simpler motors. Lower prices for assembly kits are accelerating this trend. We foresee that
self-contained rotary encoders will eventually become superfluous. We have been preparing ourselves
specifically for this change for some time now.
However, one should not one write off self-contained rotary encoders in the retrofit or MRO segment.
They have been installed in machines and plants for over 50 years. Even the best encoders fail at some
point or need to be replaced during upgrades. We have been preparing for this growing MRO market
for a long time. At our encodermatch.com website, you can find the right replacement for an old device
within seconds. Our database currently comprises over 1.5 million types of encoders from a wide
range of manufacturers and is growing every month. A user-friendly product finder tool allows you to
quickly configure a suitable replacement product. Production takes place in our digital factory – from
batch size one to large-volume. For express orders we can offer in many cases same day delivery.
Photo: Posital
www.posital.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 27

HANNOVER MESSE
WORLDWIDE
DISCOVER
NEW HORIZONS.
NEW MARKETS. NEW LEADS.
NEW CUSTOMERS.
→ hannovermesse.de/worldwide

05/2019
www.world-of-industries.com
16
Belt conveyors instead −
an efficient alternative?
in cooperation with

SORTATION
CHALLENGES
SOLVED.
Whether25items perminuteor25,000 itemsper hour,increase your productivity with the
broadestrange of sortation solutionsinthe industry. VisitusatCeMat, Hall W2,Stand A2.
©2019Honeywell Intelligrated. All rights reserved.
2 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 3/2019

EDITORIAL
Shifting of
balance of
power
Global Excellence
for Intralogistics
Dear readers,
Since we are living in the era of industry 4.0, it is important to
understand it’s global market dynamics on basis of technology
verticals, end user industry sectors, growth and maturity
geography-wise. On the basis of end user industry sectors,
automotive, industrial equipment, electrical equipment,
healthcare, food & beverage, chemical, and energy & power
are the leading sectors where the penetration of technology,
availability of educated professionals and suppliers is higher
as compared to other sectors. Industry 4.0 technologies assist
in multiple areas of an industry’s working, for example, on
the factory floor, data analytics contributes in analyzing the
condition of machines and avoids unplanned breakdowns,
the same data analytics technology also helps in smart
routing of trucks and improve logistics performance.
Today, Industry 4.0 offers many technologies under its
umbrella, like industrial robotics, cyber security, Internet of
Things, 3D printing, advanced human–machine interface,
data analytics, augmented reality & virtual reality, and
artificial intelligence. Geographically speaking, Asia Pacific
holds the largest market share and is expected to grow at the
highest rate from 2017 – 2022. One of the reasons, Asia Pacific
has overtaken rest of world is because of favorable government
policies and initiatives mainly from China, Japan, India,
Vietnam and South Korea etc.
As these waves of change reshape the competitive landscape,
organizations need to think strategically when determining
where to build their capabilities. Depending on their long
term strategic objective, manufacturers can decide which
Industry 4.0 technology they wish to adopt across multiple
objectives. However, it is often very difficult, to build up new
advanced capabilities right from scratch. Therefore, collaborating
with third party solutions providers and working with
industry 4.0 competent vendors and suppliers of various
industrial products becomes all the more important.
With this in mind, you can visit the international trade fair
Power transmission and Control Asia along with CeMAT Asia
being held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center,
Shanghai from the 23rd to 26th of October.
Yours Sincerely
Sushen Doshi
TRANSNORM’S range of conveyor modules and
solutions guarantee the logistical competitiveness of
global players such as parcel services, mail order companies
and distribution service providers.
Use this experience to speed up your logistics processes!
Whether individual modules, Solutions or Sub-Systems -
the choice is yours!
ASIA
Shanghai | China
23.-26. October 2019
German Pavilion
www.transnorm.com

TABLE OF CONTENT
14
10
24 20
NEWS AND MARKETS
03 EDITORIAL
06 WORLDWIDE NEWS
08 CHINA: A STRONG PARTNER AND
ALSO A FIERCE COMPETITOR FOR
GERMAN INDUSTRIES
10 DIGITALIZATION TAKES CENTER STAGE
AT CHINA’S LEADING INDUSTRIAL
TRADE FAIRS
LOGISTICS
12 THE NEW INTERROLL DC
PLATFORM
14 THERE IS ROOM IN THE SMALLEST
SHOP
16 BELT CONVEYORS INSTEAD OF TRUCKS
− AN EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVE?
MOTION AND DRIVES
05 PRODUCT NEWS
18 IN TIME WITH THE SUN
20 CHANGI AIRPORT SINGAPORE:
SAFETY FOR FLOATING PETALS
AUTOMATION
22 PICK AND PLACE WITH
THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS
24 COLORFUL CHALLENGE FOR
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES
10 TH ANNIVERSARY
27 PERFECTLY PREPARED FOR
INTERNATIONALIZATION
4 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Gearboxes with integrated sensor module
Smart gearboxes with “cynapse” by Wittenstein alpha are identical
to the existing models in terms of design, size and contour, so that
a drive solutions which has already been designed needs no further
modification. It is the sensor module integrated in the smart gearbox
that makes the difference. Thanks to the integrated sensor module,
influencing quantities in the process and the environment which
impact on gearbox operation can be identified, measured and
output via an IO link. In other words, these smart gearboxes allow
parameters such as temperature, vibration, operating hours and
mounting position to be recorded
and communicated to the cloud
level using the standardized connectivity
of the IO link interface and an
IO link master. Both there and in the
machine’s immediate environment
this information can be used, for
instance, to improve the availability
and productivity of processes and
equipment in condition monitoring
or predictive maintenance applications. Gearboxes with “cynapse”
thus provide universal connectivity: data flows to their own machine
infrastructures as well as to all standard IIoT platforms.
Kostal introduces decentralized
drive controller
Kostal Industrie
Elektrik presents
the new Inveor MP
series for decentralized
drive technology.
That technology
delivers maximum energy efficiency to all
synchronous reluctance, synchronous and
asynchronous motors. The sensorless motor
control and extended speed setting range gets the
very best out of every application and does so
while consuming minimal energy. Thanks to the
universal motor adaptation concept, the INVEOR
MP (Motor-mounted Performance class) is suited
to any motor and because of its robust IP 65
protective class design can also be used in
heavy-duty environments. Smart features, such as
the pluggable connections and commissioning via
Bluetooth app or PC software, make the INVEOR
universal yet individual.
background: fotolia
www.wittenstein.de/en-en/
www.kostal-industrie-elektrik.com
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Igus_EN.indd 1 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 23.09.2019 5/2019 19:47:55 5

W RLDWIDE NEWS
Aucotec continues to grow
Aucotec AG, the engineering software developer based in Hannover, Germany,
can look back on the most successful financial year in its 34-year history.
Sales in 2018/19 reached € 21.8 million, exceeding not only the previous year’s
result by 13 %, but also the original expectations. This development also
continued in some subsidiaries. Thus, Aucotec Shanghai Ltd. almost doubled
its turnover. The French branch Aucotec SARL in Dijon is reporting an
increase in turnover of 44 %. “The decisive reason for these
very pleasing figures is our cooperative platform
Engineering Base Plant (EB). Its unique ability to
accelerate highly complex processes, especially for
the oil, gas, chemical and pharmaceutical industries,
has already secured im portant major orders in
the current financial year,” explained Aucotec board
member Uwe Vogt (picture).
www.aucotec.com
New Managing Director at E&K Automation Ltd.
On August 23, 2019, Nicola Magrone (picture) was appointed as the new
Managing Director of E&K Automation Ltd. in England. The 43-year-old takes
over the baton from Mike Burke, who will take on the role of Head of Operations
for the UK’s Project and Service Management operations. Magrone has
been working for the E&K Group since March 2018 as Managing
Director of E&K Automation S.r.l. in Italy.
In that time he has successfully expanded the Italian business and
he will now turn his attention to expanding the market share of
the E&K Automation Limited in the UK. Mike Burke, who has
been with the company since 1986, has for the past eight years
been working successfully in England as Managing Director. The
experienced industry expert now takes over the management of the
Project and Operations business in the English market.
Siemens receives upgrade
contract for Munich Airport
Siemens Logistics
has received an
order to
upgrade the
baggage
handling
system in
Terminal 2
and its satellite
building at the
Franz Josef
Strauss Airport in
Munich. By integrating
innovative screening units, Siemens
supports the customer to ensure that
international specifications for baggage
checking are met to the highest degree,
and to continue to successfully manage the
ever-increasing number of passengers. The
customer is the “Terminal 2 Gesellschaft”, a
joint subsidiary of Munich Airport and
Lufthansa. This upgrade to the current safety
and security regulations for baggage
handling, which require explosives detection
systems based on Standard 3 of the European
Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), calls
for replacement of the X-ray equipment in
the baggage handling system. Siemens is also
implementing screening units of the latest
generation that provide high-resolution
3D-imaging and enhanced scanning quality.
www.siemens-logistics.com
www.ek-automation.com
NEWS AND MARKETS
Editorial board:
Winfried Bauer (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: w.bauer@vfmz.de
Peter Becker (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: p.becker@vfmz.de
Nicole Steinicke (Editor-in-chief), E-mail: s.steinicke@vfmz.de
Manfred Weber, E-mail: m.weber@vfmz.de
Svenja Stenner, E-mail: s.stenner@vfmz.de
Managing editor:
Winfried Bauer
Assistant editors:
Petra Weidt, Melanie Lerch, Angelina Haas, Ulla Winter
Design/Layout:
Anna Schätzlein, Sonja Daniel, Anette Fröder, Mario Wüst
E-paper designer:
Katja Rüdell
Publishing house:
Vereinigte Fachverlage GmbH
Lise-Meitner-Str. 2, 55129 Mainz, Germany
Commercial register No.:
HRB 2270, District Court of Mainz
VAT-ID:
DE149063659
Privacy statement:
ds-vfv.vfmz.de
Managing director:
Dr. Olaf Theisen
Publishing director:
Dr. Michael Werner, E-mail: m.werner@vfmz.de
Correspondent India:
Sushen Haresh Doshi M.Sc.
Advertising sales director:
Beatrice Thomas-Meyer, E-mail: b.thomas-meyer@vfmz.de
Advertising sales manager:
Oliver Jennen, E-mail: o.jennen@vfmz.de
Andreas Zepig, E-mail: a.zepig@vfmz.de
Sales representatives
Austria:
Heinz-Joachim Greiner,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-greiner@vfmz.de
France:
Marc Jouanny, E-mail: marc-jouanny@wanadoo.fr
Great Britain, Ireland:
Rob Brewer, E-mail: rob.brewer1@btinternet.com
Switzerland, Italy:
Hermann Jordi, E-mail: info@jordipublipress.de
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway:
Malte Mezger,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-mezger@vfmz.de
USA, Canada, Mexico:
Patrick Venezia Jr,
E-mail: verlagsbuero-venezia@vfmz.de
Advertising disposition:
Annemarie Benthin, E-mail: a.benthin@vfmz.de
Heike Rauschkolb, E-mail: h.rauschkolb@vfmz.de
Nevenka Islamovic, E-mail: n.islamovic@vfmz.de
In cooperation with:
Hannover Fairs International GmbH,
Messegelände, 30521 Hannover, Germany
Internet:
www.world-of-industries.com
6 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

MICROMO is now FAULHABER MICROMO LLC
As of July 2019, MicroMo Electronics Inc. (MICROMO) has been officially reorganized as FAULHABER MICROMO LLC and now becomes
a fully integrated part of the FAULHABER Drive Systems division of the FAULHABER GROUP. The restructuring represents the realization
of the long-term vision of the late owner of the company, Dr. Fritz Faulhaber Jr., and serves to solidify
FAULHABER MICROMO’s position in the North American market as a leading provider in the area
of high precision miniature motion systems. Dr. Faulhaber’s vision of a family-owned single
corporate entity was carried through by his widow, Ping Faulhaber. FAULHABER MICROMO
remains under family ownership, including Ping Faulhaber, as a 100% subsidiary of
FAULHABER Drive Systems, headquartered in Schönaich near Stuttgart, Germany. This
organizational change will be underscored by a transition from the existing MICROMO
company brand to the FAULHABER brand which bears the name of the founding family
and has become known around the world as a symbol of high quality and innovation in
the precision drives industry.
www.faulhaber.com
Designing intelligent
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among the sensors, actuators, and
management systems of different
manufacturers. With the Emalytics
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Conductor Rails
forShuttle Systems
Head
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We move your business!
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and matching IoT controllers,
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Conductix-Wampfler.indd 1 26.09.2019 16:28:55
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 7

Author: Sushen Doshi,
International Correspondent
for World of Industries
China: a strong partner and also a fierce
competitor for German industries
NEWS AND MARKETS
For so long, Germany and the E.U. have been handling
China with caution, as it was too important a market
for exports. But now, various industry sectors have
been complaining openly about restrictions and unfair
treatment to foreign companies. Even the Federation
of German Industries (BDI) now defines China as
a systemic competitor. China as a market is
indispensable, but there is a major shift in approach
from Germany and the E.U.
For the third consecutive year, China has managed to maintain its
position as Germany’s most important trading partner with a total
trade volume nearing € 200 billion in 2018, according to preliminary
figures published by the German Federal Statistical Office.
China accounted for the largest share of imports into Germany with
goods worth € 106 billion, followed by the Netherlands with € 98
billion and France with € 65 billion. Germany’s trade surplus was
highest with the United States, totaling € 49 billion, followed by the
UK € 45 billion and France € 40 billion. Germany’s trade deficit with
China amounted to € 13 billion in 2018. It is worth noting that Germany’s
trade with China is almost balanced, and mutually beneficial
for both the countries. For Germany’s mechanical and plant
engineering sector, China has been the most important export market
and second most important foreign investment destination. The
interest in this market is uninterrupted and a further expansion of
business activities in China is expected. A positive factor for German
engineering companies is that the Chinese demand for automation
and digitization will increase in the coming years. The modernization
efforts of China’s industry in particular offer good business
opportunities in the short term. But what about the medium and
long term?
The China’s economy started to blossom after the strategic reforms
of 1978 that led to opening of the Chinese economy. Since
then there was a belief that China would gradually move towards
being an open market and integrate into the global economy. It
looks like this convergence is no longer possible as China is in the
process of consolidating its trade and economic model. At the same
time, China’s economic and industrial strength remains one of the
key driving forces of the global economy and is shaping international
markets. From Germany’s perspective, it is also one of the
important sales and procurement market for German industry. As
such, German industry wants to engage and create more opportunities
in China, but the Chinese state controlled economic model
creates systemic unfair competition with open market economies,
which poses challenges that the EU simply cannot ignore.
Foul, but play on!
China has a hybrid economic system that has a mix of state and
market elements. Despite considerable liberalization of the economy,
the state still continues to play a strong role in the allocation of
resources. Its influence on prices of land, energy, capital, labor and
indirect or direct subsidies for companies or entire industry sector
have led to production overcapacities and global market distortions,
like in the steel sector. In future, overcapacities can be expected
in areas of robotics and electric vehicle batteries. Also, while
Chinese companies have enjoyed relatively free access to the EUs
internal market, this does not apply equally to foreign companies in
China. Even today, many industry sectors attract investment bans,
caps or obligation to set up joint ventures. Along with this, China
also has high levels of industrial tariffs and also multiple non-tariff
barriers for foreign companies.
8 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

In order to protect its own market and acquire strategic technology, Beijing introduced
new restrictions on foreign firms like investment restrictions, forced technology transfer,
lack of implementation of intellectual property rights, customs clearance issues, unequal
access to licenses, financing, subsidies etc. Frequent and non-transparent regulatory
changes make it difficult for foreign firms to do business, especially in industries that
have to rely on long-term investments. Despite multiple announcements on a global
level to support free and fair trade, China falls short in implementation, and thus restricting
the long-term prospects for foreign companies in China.
With the help of state investments in high value technologies and strategic takeovers of
foreign high-tech companies, China is rapidly climbing the technological ladder. Thus
diminishing Europe’s technological lead over its Chinese counterparts. Chinese mechanical
engineering companies are increasingly active on international markets and
are thus intensifying global competition. China is already the most important foreign
machine supplier in North America and Asia and is further expanding this position. The
Federation of German Industries (BDI), has been urging the German government and
the European Commission to strengthen the European Union (EU) in the face of growing
competition from China. For quite some time now, the BDI has been concerned with
China’s state-controlled economy and its impact on German engineering companies.
Steps EU and Germany needs to take
Choosing what actions to take in dealing with China is a very crafty thing. The EU needs
to posture itself strong and decisive but not too strong to create a trade war like situation.
There is a fine line between maintaining the liberal, social and open market economy on
one hand and a protectionist stance that isolates one’s own markets on the other hand.
Measures taken by the Trump administration indicate that protection against Chinese
distortions can quickly slide into protectionism. Germany and the EU must strike the
right balance in their reactions to China.
Germany and the EU cannot rest on its laurels that their model of a liberal and social
market economy will bring long-term macroeconomic advantages over the Chinese system.
In order to compete with China, Germany and other EU states need to focus on increasing
innovation and R&D, improving technical education system, making EU as an
attractive business destination, and encouraging strong entrepreneurship. On a policy
level, EU needs to reform its industrial policy and set itself an ambitious industrial target
for 2030, thereby prioritizing the strengthening of industry a policy objective on equal
terms with other objectives such as environmental, climate and consumer protection. It
needs to introduce tax incentives on research and reducing existing tax obstacles to
private R&D activities. At the same time more work needs to be done on ensuring that
Chinese government further improves the protection of intellectual property, technology,
patents and trademarks in China. To ensure a level playing field against China’s
production overcapacities and dumping of products in market, EU needs to create an
effective and balanced trade defense instruments, strengthen anti-subsidy instrument,
and prevent dumping of products and services in the European market. Europe also
needs to address the issue of shortage of skilled workers, not just university graduates but
also master craftsmen, finding the right labor market oriented immigration policy and
securing the workforce base for the long term.
On the digitalization front, Europe risks falling behind USA and China in the competition
for a leading role in the digital transformation of industry and economy. In order to
keep up with large and dynamic digital markets in China and the US, EU needs to further
develop the European digital market, adapt and synchronize the legal and regulatory
framework into a single market. The size of the collective market is a decisive factor for
the international competitiveness of digital business models.
The German industry body has called for a strong economic policy framework which
ensures that companies from ‘non-open market, state-led economies’ are bound to the
liberal market economy regulations of the EU if they want to be active in Europe. Internationally,
the German industry is not alone in its demands regarding China’s interventionism.
Instead of seeking individual answers, the German government and the EU
Commission should go for a coordinated approach with like-minded liberal market
economies. The EU must strengthen its foreign policy profile in the world.
Photographs: Lead Photo Fotolia
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 9
Turkish Machinery.indd 1 12.09.2019 10:50:29

Digitalization takes center stage
at China’s leading industrial trade fairs
NEWS AND MARKETS
As industry 4.0 gains more and more traction, all
sectors of industry are currently undergoing
transformation; and like all changes, this too brings
along both risk and opportunity. At PTC and CeMAT
Asia, explore new technologies, new market players,
new business models and understand the evolving
customer expectations.
China has always been a fan of international trade fairs and exhibitions.
With more than 3000 trade fairs being hosted all over
the country, they have become an influential part of the Chinese
economy. Over the last two decades, these industrial trade fairs
have been largely contributing to China’s rise as an industrial and
manufacturing power. Multinational gatherings and events like
Power, Transmission and Control Asia (PTC Asia) and CeMAT Asia
are best examples of how impactful they are as a medium of marketing
and reaching out to potential customers. One of the major
reasons of success is the possibility to communicate to people faceto-face.
For exhibitors, a well represented company booth and a
personalized approach to every visitor, keeping in mind that majority
of expo attendees are decision makers from all types of companies,
leaves a lasting impression on the visitors.
PTC and CeMAT Asia 2019
PTC Asia, the leading industrial trade fair for hydraulics, pneumatics,
mechanical and electrical power transmission and CeMAT Asia,
the globally renowned trade fair brand for logistics and supply chain
Author: Sushen Doshi, International Correspondent for World of Industries
management have proven to be an important platform for domestics
as well as foreign companies. For years, PTC and CeMAT Asia,
have managed to bring together thousands of domestic and international
buyers and sellers under one roof, and offer opportunities
that day-to-day business correspondence usually cannot. Organized
at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, by Germany’s leading
trade fair specialist, Deutsche Messe AG and Hannover Milano
Fairs Shanghai Ltd, the event has a large number of visitors coming
in from Asia’s top economies like South Korea, Japan, India, Indonesia,
Thailand and Vietnam. With a total display area of around
70,000 square meters, the show attracted more than 100,000 visitors
and 1300 leading companies as exhibitors. Just like last year, PTC
Asia and CeMAT Asia 2019 will be co-located along with other important
trade fairs like ComVac Asia, Cold Chain Asia, Industrial
Supply Asia. These sector specific fairs have earned quite a good
reputation for themselves in a short span of time. This year, the
event will commence on October 23rd and run until October 26th.
Product categories at PTC Asia 2019
PTC’s display area features a large number of products and technologies
from domestic as well as international exhibitors who are
looking to expand their business in the Chinese market. The booth
planning and management has been carried out with minute details
in mind that will help visitors to evaluate and compare products
of interest, to attend conferences and to carry out in-depth discussions
and negotiations.
Exhibit area E1 to E5 are dedicated for fluid power sector, which
has companies exhibiting products and technologies in hydraulics
and pneumatics segment like pumps, motors, gears pumps, gear
motors, power packs, cylinders, variable speed drive units, actuators,
control valves, pressure switches, pipes hoses and connectors,
sealing devices, filters and oil lubrication systems. Complementing
the hydraulic and pneumatic segment is the sealing technology
equipments like squeeze seals, rotating seals, reciprocating seals,
10 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Cemat Asia 2019
Asian leg of the globally renowned brand CeMAT, has become the
biggest annual meeting platform of the logistics industry in the
Asia-Pacific region. The show’s focus on smart and integrated logistics
attracts a lots of visitors. In this four-day event more than 600
exhibitors from various countries showcase their innovative products
and technologies. In recent years, the fast development of the
e-commerce industry has become one of the main drivers of innovation
in the logistics equipment industry. In 2018, CeMAT joined
hands with China’s e-commerce giant JD as exhibitor and companies
like Cainiao, Suning, Kaola and SF-Express organized visitor
delegations to the show. JD’s logistics and innovation hub JDX
showcased unmanned warehousing solutions on their booth.
As a result of industrial modernization, logistics sector has become
one of the biggest buyers for robotics and AGV technologies.
Leading robotics manufacturers like ABB, Fanuc, and Siasun and
emerging robotics providers like Geek+, Quicktron, HIK, Zhuineng
Robotics and Ares Robotics also participate at the show to increase
their international reach. Well established AGV manufacturers, e.g.
Comwin, JingYuan, SiWei, I-Cow, BoZhong and AGV Robot also
demonstrate their innovations such as forklift truck AGVs.
Product Categories at CeMAT 2019
mechanical seals, and sealing materials. In exhibit area E3 and E4
visitors can witness various international pavilions, like German,
Italian and Korean pavilion. Mechanical transmission parts and
equipments (MTPE) sector is represented in the E6, E7, E8 and N5
exhibit area. The display consists of vital engineering parts and
components in the mechanical power transmission sector. Products
like gears for automotive, aircraft, marine, railways, construction
machinery, agricultural machinery, high speed and heavy duty
gear boxes, planetary gear boxes, worm gears, and machine tools
for gears. The exhibition also has chain and belt transmission products
like conveyor short pitch precision roller chains, duplex pitch
roller chains, heavy transmission chains, sprocket wheels, v-belts,
flat belts and variable speed belt drives. Manufacturers of couplings
and brakes also showcase their product portfolio which includes
rigid, flexible couplings, universal joints, universal shafts, cam
mechanisms, fluid couplings, clutch systems, locking assemblies,
brakes and complete braking systems. Of the entire mechanical
parts and equipment portfolio, the most in-demand component is
the bearing. Keeping in mind the high participation from bearing
manufacturers, PTC highlights the bearings section. Visitors can
find deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical, spherical roller bearings,
self aligning ball bearings, needle roller bearings, angular contact
ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, thrust ball bearings,
thrust roller bearing, bearing components like rings, steel ball, antidust
shield seals, cage, sleeve, wheel and axle etc. Apart from this,
visitors can also find equipment for bearing production and machining,
all kinds of materials and accessories required in bearing
production such as lubricant, anti-rust materials, grinding wheels,
coolant, packing material, electric spindle frequency converter etc.
In the electrical power transmission sector, of which China has
been the top manufacturer and exporter, products like motors, servomotors,
frequency converters, electrical drive control systems,
electro-magnetic equipments, relays, contactors and other accessories
that complete the industrial electrical circuitry, will all be on
display at PTC Asia.
Exhibit area W1, W2 focus on warehousing systems and related logistics
technologies. Halls W3 and W4 focus on robotics in logistics,
packaging equipment, pallets and consumables, this area also plays
a host to various international pavilions. Halls W5 and N1 have exhibitors
exhibiting products like forklift trucks, automated guided
vehicles and their accessories. CeMAT’s product portfolio is divided
in 7 main categories namely, mechanical handling equipment, warehousing
technology and workshop equipment, packaging and order
picking equipment, logistics services and outsourcing, traffic engineering,
intralogistics systems and software, loading technology.
The mechanical handling portfolio consists of equipment like
cranes, lifting platforms, hoist-able man platforms, monorail conveyors,
industrial trucks, forklifts, trolleys, driverless transport systems,
lift, elevators, escalators, moving pavements, cable cars, components
of drive technology, entire conveying systems, robotics
handling systems, driverless transport systems, storage, and retrieval
equipment for shelves and rack, manual trolleys etc. Warehousing
technology and workshop equipment consists of shelving
systems, factory and warehousing equipment, pallets, bins and
containers, industrial doors and gates, cleaning systems for warehouses
and storage facilities. Packaging and order picking systems
for warehouses and shop floors, weighers and metering devices.
Apart from products, exhibitors at CeMAT also offer logistics services
like consulting, planning, financing, project management and
maintenance services in the transport, e-logistics sector, etc.
Logistics companies are facing an era of unprecedented change
as digitalization takes center stage and customer expectations
evolve. To cater this demand, CeMAT has special attention given to
intralogistics IT and software systems like computer and control
systems for material planning, warehouse management, transportation
management, identification technology, Auto ID systems,
sensors for intralogistics etc, that will be on display at the event.
Apart from the serious and business part of the event, make time
for small breaks and non-business conversations, in order to truly
connect to people from various walks of industry. After all the true
purpose of the trade fair is to bond and create long lasting relationships
with fellow attendees, that translates into successful business
partnership.
Photographs: lead Fotolia, Deutsche Messe AG
www.cemat-asia.com | www.ptc-asia.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 11

The new Interroll DC Platform
With the launch of its new DC platform, Interroll is once again
setting standards in material-handling technology. The range
of perfectly matched RollerDrive, controls and power supply
units enables system integrators and machine builders to
provide an even better fit for their customers’ needs – from
standard applications to equipment with Industry 4.0 or smart
digital manufacturing functionality. The new DC platform has
a solution to match every challenge.
01 The new DC platform − made up of coordinated components
such as the RollerDrive, controls systems, power supplies
and accessories
LOGISTICS
Technology at a glance
The RollerDrive EC5000 is the main component of the new DC platform.
Combined with the control systems, the motor rollers in this
product family are the key component of zero-pressure accumulation
conveyors with individually driven conveyor zones, such as
those used in the MCP. The RollerDrive EC5000 offers the following
technical innovations over the popular and still available Roller-
Drive EC310:
n 48V/24V: Alongside a 24V version, the new RollerDrive is now
also available with 48V technology.
n 20/35/50 watt: Users can choose between three power levels: 20,
35 and 50 watt. The 35-watt version is compatible with existing
RollerDrive Installations.
n Analog or bus interface: The new RollerDrive EC5000 is available
with an analog or a bus interface.
n Tube diameter: Alongside the versions with 50-mm tubes, the
RollerDrive EC5000 is also available with 60-mm tubes for heavy
transport materials.
n Other features: Depending on the conditions in which the system
will be used, you can choose versions of the RollerDrive EC5000
product family with IP54 and IP66 protection and suitable for
freezer applications.
n Controls solution for every application: Alongside DriveControl
2048 for standard applications with few RollerDrive, MultiControl
– a four-zone control compatible with multiple protocols –
offers the right solution for both simple and demanding applications,
from autonomous conveyors with integrated logic to
conveyors with customized PLC programming via fieldbus communication.
n New power supplies − Unpack, plug in and use: The new power
supply units do not need to be installed in the control cabinet.
Instead, the robust devices with protection rating IP54 are mounted
directly where the extra-low voltage is needed, enabling much
shorter cable lengths. All functions of the 24V and 48V power
units can be used straight out of the box. Automatic power limitation
and configurable line protection are integrated, as is status
evaluation via LED or a signal line to the PLC. Individual conveyor
zones can be serviced while others remain in operation
thanks to a switch secured against inadvertent start-up. With a
higher peak output up to 50 percent and built-in brake chopper,
the power supplies are perfect for use with RollerDrive.
12 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

The “acid test”
Interroll’s Global Center of Excellence for conveyor
rollers, RollerDrive and controls in Wermelskirchen
is responsible for the development,
production and market launch of the DC
platform. At the heart of the company is a test
center covering an area of around 1,600 square
meters.
Interroll’s engineers at the center submit
existing products and new innovations to comprehensive
fatigue and load tests. Special
chambers are used to test products’ resistance
to heat and cold, ensuring that customers can
rely on the quality of the Interroll range at anytime
and anywhere. “Our test facilities work
around the clock; we leave nothing to chance,”
says managing director Armin Lindholm. “We
have subjected the new DC platform to the acid
test, involving all conceivable application scenarios
and millions of test hours for the products
and their components.”
Built-to-order on an industrial scale
Production of the new DC platform in Wermelskirchen
works on the built-to-order principle.
Intelligent processes based on the Interroll
Production System (IPS) enable
build-to-order with numerous options and
short delivery times, even for small batches.
Interroll has a long history of manufacturing
expertise in this area, which applies to other
product groups as well.
“For the DC platform, we not only expanded
and reorganized our motor roller production,
but also systematically protected it against static
discharges so that we could work with sensitive
components,” says Lindholm. “We also
store the data on all products and their components
in the corporate cloud, allowing us to
identify them years later through their serial
numbers.” To ensure the same high product
quality in the manufacturing facilities all
around the globe, Interroll is steadily implementing
the relevant manufacturing processes
and equipment in America and Asia.
Photographs: Interroll
www.interroll.com
02 The RollerDrive EC5000
is the main component of
the new DC platform
Intelligent conveyor
solution
What’s behind the new Interroll DC
Platform? In this interview, Armin
Lindholm, Managing Director, Global
Center of Excellence Rollers & RollerDrive
in Wermelskirchen, discusses its benefits,
development and production.
What was the reason for bringing the new DC
platform − made up of coordinated components
such as the RollerDrive, controls systems, power
supplies and accessories − to the market?
Armin Lindholm emphasizes that
the new DC platform was a holistic
project that included both hardware
and software development
Lindholm: Because we wanted to use this innovation
to offer our customers, by which I mean system
integrators and manufacturers, real added value for their businesses. With our
new DC Platform, this added value comes in the form of the unique variety of new
options for providing users with an even more efficient material flow − precisely
tailored to their individual needs.
What new technical features are hidden “behind the scenes”
of this range of applications?
Lindholm: First, customers can now choose between three power levels − 20 W,
35 W and 50 W − for the motor rollers, our RollerDrive. This enables customers to
find individual solutions for light and heavy material to be transported. Next, the
new optional bus interface, which is based on the CANOpen standard, makes the
systems data-transparent. This means that the customer can read out, process and
visualize a range of operating data whenever they want. Additionally, the corresponding
control system means that users can not only control the acceleration,
speed and deceleration of the conveyed goods in the system more precisely; they
can also position the relevant goods on the conveyor to the nearest millimeter −
for seamless conveying interplay with robots or automated gripper arms.
And why did Interroll decide to offer two versions of this solution
with 24 V and 48 V technology?
Lindholm: Because this technology offers so many advantages. For instance, 48 V
systems facilitate the use of up to 50 percent fewer power supply units than 24 V
systems. They allow for smaller wire cross-sections in cabling and for longer cable
lengths, and they reduce the number of error sources, for instance as a result of
voltage drops on the wires. This significantly reduces the investment required in
the entire system and substantially decreases the risk of errors during commissioning.
What was it like developing the new solution?
Lindholm: It was a holistic project that encompassed both hardware and software
development. Alongside our own skills as a technology leader, we also relied on
the expertise of five partner companies over the course of this project. With
around 150 engineers and technicians working on it, this was the most extensive
innovation project that Interroll had ever taken on. And of course, we also redesigned
production. z
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 13

There is room
in the smallest shop
LOGISTICS
E-commerce business, including the handling of
returns, has not only led to an extreme increase in
parcel volume in recent years - the variety of
shipments and the requirements for the handling of
goods have also increased drastically. Smaller and
medium-sized courier, express or parcel locations
(CEP locations) are thus confronted with a delicate
challenge. Despite the necessity to unload large
volumes of parcels and above all to sort them,
there is often no space for a sorter. Flexible telescopic
conveyors as well as scalable sorting solutions can help
to use the space even in the smallest shop.
At the interface between extra logistics and intralogistics, rigid
loading concepts and a high proportion of manual work are
used in many places. This takes a lot of time and makes an increase
in parcel throughput almost impossible. Modern, flexible telescopic
conveyors can be a first step here. Even with standard models,
productivity can be increased by up to 30 percent compared to
manual handling and a large variety of applications can be implemented.
For example, the telescopes can be moved to the side so
that several loading docks can be operated simultaneously. If further
space is required from time to time in front of the ramp, compact
models are available which can be pulled back into a parking
position by personnel. This makes a mixed transport of general
cargo, roll containers or pallets possible.
Operating different vehicle types
with a single solution
Thanks to a lowerable front telescopic segment, it is also possible to
load and unload different vehicle profiles from containers and
trucks to delivery vans with one and the same telescopic conveyor.
For example, the Sovex Bendy Boom telescopic conveyor, which
was developed in close cooperation with market leaders in the parcel
industry, can be used to serve transporters, trucks or containers
with a length of up to 14 m on the same swap body. This is made
possible by the 1.8 m long, movable front telescope segment, which
can be angled by max. 25°. In addition to flexibility, this also allows
the boom to be positioned in the optimal ergonomic position at all
times. This prevents muscle-skeletal problems for operators or
work-related accidents. The model, which can be extended up to a
length of 15 m, provides the necessary conditions for a loading and
unloading capacity of 1,200 parcels per hour.
01 With lowerable front telescopic segments,
even smaller transporters can be operated
14 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Flexible, scalable sorting solutions eliminate
the need for sorters
Sorting solutions such as the Transnorm Sorting Modules (TSM),
which are easy to install, adapt, expand and duplicate, are available
so that smaller CEP locations can also achieve a high degree of
automation in shipment processing and distribution. Instead of a
sorter, a Smartsort Linesplitter forms the heart of every TSM layout.
With this reliable and robust solution, even the smallest mailing
bags or packages can be sorted quickly and safely, thanks to short
switching times and small spaces between the parcels.
If required, the terminals can be equipped with various functionalities,
such as slides or gravity roller conveyors up to the
functionality for loading and unloading. In combination with the
Linesplitter, they form a functional unit that requires just one simple
controller. These solutions enable gentle product handling
and can also be used efficiently as a simple discharging solution in
a conveyor line. Finally, several line splitters can be combined in a
layout to form a smart, modular subsystem with high sorting performance
and functionality, in which the modules and controllers
are simply interconnected.
The TSM modules were each optimized for specific functionalities
and cover all processes required at smaller CEP locations. TMS
thus covers the functions unloading, splitting and merging lines,
aligning, cycling, separating, sorting and finally loading. Due to the
flexibility of this modular solution, the layout can be adopted or
supplemented in peak season or when sudden order peaks occur in
line with the increasing volume of parcels.
02 At the heart of every TSM layout is a Smartsort line splitter
The result
While telescopic conveyors increase flexibility and productivity at
the loading ramp, the use of a single TSM line splitter module can
already provide a simple sorting solution. This makes it possible to
automate a delivery center without the space requirement and
investment costs of a sorter installation.
www.transnorm.com
DER ANTRIEB
Reliable. Versatile. Global.
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Belt conveyors instead of trucks −
an efficient alternative?
LOGISTICS
Recovered raw materials have to be transported from
the quarry to the factory or port, often over uneven
ground and across populated areas. Companies often
choose trucks for transportation. As an alternative,
system suppliers including Beumer Group offer open
troughed belt conveyors or closed Pipe Conveyors.
These solutions are more environmentally friendly and
can be considerably more economical. Deciding if the
investment is worthwhile depends on several factors.
A feasibility study and a cost comparison can help with
the decision.
Companies often choose trucks to transport limestone, coal ores
and other raw materials as efficiently as possible to the factory
and from there to the port, sometimes over distances spanning several
kilometers. Most of the time, the vehicles drive on public roads,
which are not always well-paved. And as the route can go through
hilly areas and nature reserves, across rivers and instable grounds,
the trip often includes detours which costs time and money. If it
goes through populated areas, it can be particularly taxing for local
residents. The more raw materials are transported, the more trips
are necessary. These factors motivate companies to take a closer
look at the alternatives. Beumer Group offers open troughed belt
conveyors and closed Pipe Conveyors for these scenarios. But will
the investment pay off? “That depends on the particular application,”
says Richard Munson. He has been with Beumer Group in
Kansas City, Missouri, since 2010 where he manages the development
and sales of conveying systems for the energy, cement and
mining industries and port terminals. “Companies should carry out
a profitability evaluation beforehand,” he advises.
An economic evaluation pays off
There are different methods to run an economic evaluation, including
the net present value method, which is a type of profitability
calculation. “Simply put, it means that all future income is discounted
to time zero and compared, including the initial investment,”
explains Munson. This method uses a calculation interest
rate that reflects the best available alternative investment. The user
receives a capital value, also called net present value or NPV. If this
value is positive, it means that the company will make a profit with
the investment.
“Another option is cashflow analysis. It estimates the surplus that
remains when deducting expenses from earnings,” Munson explains.
Based on the annual difference of the total operational costs between
conveying and trucking, the user calculates if investing in a
conveying system will pay off. Different variables are required to exactly
evaluate both transport options, for example the transport costs
per ton, the material volume that needs to be moved within a set
period of time, and also the specific investment cost and tax depreciation
plan. “A comparison of conveying and trucking in a time
diagram results in the break-even point,” explains the Beumer expert.
Cost comparison
Depending on the topography, length and power consumption,
costs for conventional conveying systems average between EUR
1,000 and 3,000 per meter. More costs are added for the construction,
supply and the mechanical and electrical installation. Complex
construction work is also often necessary. This makes the initial
investment in a conveying system fairly high. “The operational
costs however are considerably lower than with the use of trucks,”
reports Munson. “The costs for the vehicles also include the labour
input, vehicle depreciation, maintenance, repair, fuel and street
maintenance for example. And oftentimes there are additional,
more difficult to identify charges.”
To operate a conventional conveying system, the typical costs for
transporting one ton of material amounts to 20 Cents, with trucks
the costs are roughly three Euro. “The biggest variable for the vehicles
is the number of trips per hour,” says Munson. In case of short
and direct routes, this ranks better than for long routes, where
detours are necessary to get to the destination.” Troughed belt conveyors
and closed Pipe Conveyors lead directly to the destination.
They can also be adapted to the specific surroundings. An essential
feature of the technology is that it enables horizontal and vertical
curves. Angles of inclination of up to 15 degrees are possible, de­
16 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

01
02 Sichuan project: The troughed belt
conveyor runs through rough terrain and over
instable ground
02
01 Sichuan project: whenever technically possible, the routing of the
conveyor has been adapted to the topography
pending on the characteristics of the material to be transported and
the topography, with lengths greater than twelve kilometers. Due to
their ability to navigate curves, considerably fewer and in some
cases no transfer towers are required. This results in substantial cost
savings for the customer and the system continuously transports
the material even over challenging ascending and descending
sections, rivers or street crossings. Using Beumer calculation programs,
the experts precisely calculate the static and dynamic
tractive forces of the belt during the system development phase.
This is the prerequisite for the safe dimensioning of the curves.
For trucks, more cost factors must be taken into account that are
not as easy to estimate as the number of routes: control measures
against dust and rain drainage, for example. These variables are
eliminated completely in case of closed Pipe Conveyors. “If circa
1,000,000 tons of bulk material are moved per year, then the gross
differential value between trucks and a conveyor, using the above
mentioned costs of the material that needs to be conveyed, is at
2.8 million euro,” calculates Munson. That’s quite a number, in his
opinion. The conveying system pays for itself after only a few years.
Ecological and economical
The electric drives and low-energy belts have a positive effect on the
operational costs of the belt conveying systems. They are also better
for the environment compared to the truck drives. Therefore, especially
in these times of climate change and increasing greenhouse
gas emissions they are considered a more sustainable option. The
motors used for these systems are usually adjustable which permits
04 The civil engineering work for conveying systems is usually very
complex
the loads to be optimally distributed on the drive units under various
operating conditions. If the belt conveying system conveys
downhill, the system works in regenerative operation. The generated
electric energy is fed to the mains by a regenerative feedback
unit. This way the owners can further reduce the operational costs
of the entire system.
“Depending on the project, belt conveying systems require up to
90 percent less primary energy than comparable truck transports,”
says the sales manager, referring to a concrete project implemented
for the Chinese cement manufacturer Sichuan Yadong Cement.
Trucks operated with diesel fuel required a specific primary energy
of 11.4 kwh for each ton of transported material at their site. The belt
conveying system which was built later on required on the contrary
only 1.44 kwh. If, as in this case, 7.5 million tons of raw material are
transported annually, the user can save a total of 74 million kwh per
year with the belt conveyor. This corresponds to an energy consumption
of more than 20,000 single-family houses. Solely by saving
diesel fuel, the operational costs of the company are reduced
by more than 5.5 million Euro per year.
So does the investment in a belt conveying system pay off? “More
often than people realize,” explains Munson. “In the end, the operator
needs to consider the total costs per ton over time when evaluating
both transport options.” The fact is: The operational costs for a
belt conveyor are considerably lower than for a truck. The decisive
factor is how much material is transported during the project term,
then it can pay for itself quickly. Not to mention the Beumer conveying
systems are more environmentally friendly from the beginning.
Photographs: Beumer Group
03 View of the enclosed conveyor flight in the area of the bridge
www.beumergroup.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 17

In time with the sun
Since July 2018, the sewage treatment plant at
Chur (Switzerland) features a very special roof: The
HORIZON foldable solar roof by dhp technology is a
one of its kind worldwide and allows for an intelligent
dual use of industrial sites. Decentralised drives from
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS are used for autonomously
expanding and collapsing the folding roof panels.
Power producer, sun shade, sun worshipper, weather expert and
master in space saving – the HORIZON foldable solar roof by
dhp technology, a Swiss start-up, is a one of its kind worldwide. It is
erected over already used areas and thus allows for intelligent dual
use without needing to cover a single additional square metre with
buildings or restricting the primary use of the area below. This saves
resources such as space and ground in populated areas, makes
large decentralised solar power plants possible where electrical
power is needed, and provides shade for persons, goods and infrastructures.
In this way, car parks turn into charging stations, logistics
spaces into freshness zones, and sewage treatment plants into
power plants.
Solar technology redefined
“The foldable solar roof is a unique solution for generating solar electricity
on infrastructure areas because supporting columns can be
set wide apart”, explains Andreas Hügli, co-founder and co- manager
of dhp technology. “This is possible because we have chosen to opt
for cableway technology, and the flexible and lightweight foldable
roofs can be retracted to a protective position. Thanks to this protective
position, the entire photovoltaic system need not be designed to
withstand extreme weather; instead, we can make the modules lighter
and then protect them against wind, snow, and hail in the garage.”
dhp technology, founded in 2015, made energy history in the
Swiss city of Chur where the world’s first foldable solar roof covering
a sewage treatment plant was commissioned – covering the
Chur sewage treatment plant. On board: intelligent, decentralised
drive technology by NORD DRIVESYSTEMS.
Intelligent drive technology from NORD
With an area of 5,800 m 2 , the foldable solar roof of the Chur sewage
treatment plant covers the pretreatment, secondary (biological)
treatment, and tertiary treatment basins. The 2,120 modules produce
550,000 kWh of electrical power per year – equalling about
20 % of the auxiliary power required by the plant. The foldable solar
roof operates completely autonomously and adapts to ambient
MOTION AND DRIVES
www.mayr.com
Safety 4.0
ROBA ® -topstop ® —the certified
braking system for vertical axes
with brake monitoring
your reliable partner
MAYR-eng.indd 1 19.08.2019 14:34:12
18 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

conditions automatically using weather data provided by a local
weather station and external sources. The sun controls the intelligent
drive units with integrated PLC automatically: Using robust
cableway technology, the solar panels unfold automatically as soon
as the first sun rays penetrate the clouds in the morning. They return
to their protective garage position when the sun goes down in the
evening. The foldable solar roof also returns to this position automatically
in case of snow, hail or wind, and extreme situations –
such as power or communication failures.
Intelligent NORD DRIVESYSTEMS drives are used for retracting
and extending the folding roof panels. The company, headquartered
in North Germany, is one of the leading global full-service providers
in the industry and supplies optimally matched drive systems consisting
of gear unit, motor, and frequency inverter – an important
asset for dhp technology. “We chose a solution provided by NORD
because we wanted a provider that supplied drive technology from
a single source” says Andreas Hügli. “And what’s more: NORD products
perfectly meet our requirements. The fact that frequency inverters
are directly mounted on the motors makes installation much
easier. The PLC integrated in the drive unit also convinced us. With
this intelligent control system, we can retract the foldable roof
groups to the garage using an autonomous homerun function at any
time if communication should fail. This maximizes the operational
safety of the system and for us is a key factor of the drive solution.”
The NORD drives – consisting of a UNIVERSAL worm geared motor
with brake, magnetic encoder and motor-mounted NORDAC
FLEX SK 205E frequency inverter – are mounted in a protected position
on the supporting structure and can be addressed separately.
This allows the maintenance personnel to retract individual folding
roof groups into the garage and perform maintenance to specific
basins. Each of the 53 folding roof groups has a drive of its own and
can be extended and retracted, depending on the weather. Four
drives each are electrically linked via the internal CAN bus, with
one of the drives controlling the movement sequences as master.
01 The drives are worm
geared motors with
motor-mounted frequency
inverters. The revision
switch is easily accessible
for maintenance
personnel.
02 The drives are safely
mounted on the supporting
structure. Each of the
53 folding roof groups has
a drive of its own.
NORD.” No wonder that additional optimisations and joint projects
have already been wrapped up. Detection of a communication failure,
for example, is to be implemented in the PLC integrated in NORD
frequency inverters. Another objective is to simplify installation by
providing preassembled connectors. And the successful partnership
between dhp technology and NORD DRIVESYSTEMS will also be
continued for installations of foldable solar roofs to come.
www.nord.com
Automated extension and retraction
But how do the drives know when to extend and when to retract?
This is where the powerful PLC integrated in the NORD frequency
inverters comes into play. “The PLC reads local and external weather
data and processes this data using a generic meteo algorithm to
issue the “Extend” and “Retract” commands,” explains Philip Racine,
dhp technology system engineer. Rotary encoders ensure that
the position of the panels is known at any time. “The ramp function
is also very important for us as it ensures we can retract the panels
in an adequate period of time,” Racine continues. The ramps start
up slowly, accelerate in the middle, and slow down when the garage
is reached. The drive unit PLC controls this as well. The ramps for
extending and retracting the foldable roofs are always identical and
for this reason always require the same amount of energy. Thanks to
their high overload capacity, the compact and robust NORD worm
geared motors are capable of handling any malfunction that requires
more energy to return the panels into the garage.
Talking about malfunctions: The control unit has been programmed
to retract the solar panels into the secure garage position
automatically in case of a power or communication failure. This
means: Manual intervention via remote maintenance is possible
but unnecessary for secure operation.
Sunny outlook
“Cooperation with NORD was very agreeable. Everything just fitted
perfectly – the product range and also the personal contact,” reports
Andreas Hügli enthusiastically. “They offer top quality, quick delivery
times, and perfect consulting and servicing. The good support in case
of problems, further development and program extensions must also
be pointed out. To sum up: we felt we were in very good hands with
www.rheintacho.com

Changi Airport Singapore:
Safety for floating petals
Singapore’s Changi Airport opened its Terminal 4 in October 2017. A large kinetic
sculpture is one of the artistic highlights of the building: Aluminium elements in the
form of petals move to specially composed music. Safety brakes from the Allgäu-based
specialist mayr power transmission, who runs a Chinese subsidiary in Zhangjiagang,
protect the elements from falling and thus protect the passengers.
MOTION AND DRIVES
Soft music sounds. Slowly, 96 aluminium elements set themselves
in motion high above the viewers - the rings are based on the
shape of orchid leaves. In the rhythm of the music they move softly
and precisely coordinated with each other, constantly forming new
constellations. The installation “Petalclouds” can be admired in Terminal
4 of Changi Airport in Singapore. The airport opened the new
building in October 2017, and since 2018 the movable work of art
has also been in operation as the heart of the artistic concept.
Artistic heavyweight
What looks light and airy in the Central Galleria of the new terminal
is technically a heavyweight: with a length of 200 m and a weight of
40 kg per element, a total of approximately 4 t of steel and aluminium
move over the passengers. Each element is suspended from four
thin steel cables. Two servo motors with winches per petal ensure
the flowing movements according to a given choreography. In regular
operation, the control system is also a matter for the motors - yet
each one is individually equipped with an emergency stop brake,
just in case. This is where the ROBA-stop-M series from mayr power
transmission is used, two brakes are applied per winch. For smooth
control, each winch is supplied by a ROBA-SBCplus control module.
The SBCplus modules are particularly suitable here because they are
designed for security applications. So there is no cultural break
when they are combined with special safety PLCs. Thanks to its fully
electric functionality, the SBCplus dispenses with mechanical components
- a big plus for reliability. In addition, the modules make a
compact design possible. Each SBCplus controls two brakes at the
Petalclouds, so that both of its channels are fully utilised. The result:
less volume requirement in the control cabinet and a space-saving
design of the control electrics. Another advantage of the modules:
They can evaluate the release monitoring of the brakes and thus provide
information at any time as to whether the brakes are open or
closed. The motors only run when the brakes are open, thus avoiding
expensive damage to the drive from the outset.
The design for the installation comes from the Berlin-based
ART+COM Studios. MKT AG from Olching near Munich converted
ART+COM’s vision into a TÜV-certified system and conducted all of
the manufacturing, installation and commissioning. Dipl.-Ing.
Werner Riebesel, responsible for the project at MKT AG, describes
one of the biggest challenges: “We have installed hundreds of safety
elements in the Petalclouds. The difficulty was to keep the system
running smoothly without the safety components shutting everything
down with false alarms. That was especially important be-
20 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

cause we installed the project in Singapore - you can’t just go there
because of every little problem.”
Never compromise on safety
The safety elements must therefore be particularly reliable in this
case. This is also urgently necessary because the installation is not
mounted in a shielded area. It floats above the passengers under the
25 metre high ceiling of the Central Galleria. If one of the petals got out
of control and fell, the risk of injury would be enormous. This is why
MKT AG relied on brakes from mayr power transmission for its safety
concept - after all, there are no compromises when it comes to safety.
The electromagnetic ROBA-stop-M safety brakes work according
to the fail-safe principle. They are closed in a de-energised condition,
and therefore also in case of a power failure or an emergency
stop. When the current is switched on, the brake generates a magnetic
field. As a result, the armature disk is pulled towards the coil
carrier against the spring pressure. The rotor, which is connected to
the bearing-mounted pinion shaft via a gear hub, is thus free, meaning
that the brake is released. The motor can run freely, the wire
rope hoist can work in both directions without obstruction. In case
of error conditions such as power failure or emergency stop, the
ROBA-stop-M brakes intervene immediately and bring the wire
rope hoist reliably to a standstill within a very short time. A further
advantage for safety-critical applications: Even if the brake is damaged,
for example due to cable breakage or failure of the magnetic
coil, the braking torque is maintained.
Compact and functionally safe
The ROBA-stop-M brakes by mayr power transmission score crucial
points with regard to operational safety and ease of maintenance in
comparison to many other safety brakes. They distinguish themselves
through an enclosed constructional design and the high Protection
IP 54 or IP 65 in sealed design. Designed for a duty cycle of
100 per cent, the ROBA-stop-M brakes are maintenance-free for the
service lifetime of the friction linings. Their compact and functionally
safe construction enables quick and cost-effective installation.
Installation and adjustment errors can be avoided thanks to the
design-specific, tested and non-changeable working air gap. Furthermore,
the variable spring configuration for different torques
makes the safety brakes particularly flexible.
mayr brakes reliably guarantee maximum operating safety. For
this purpose, the company focuses on careful quality inspections:
these include quality assurance measures during the course of the
design process and a comprehensive final inspection. Prior to delivery,
all brakes are intensively tested on test benches and function-relevant
values are recorded. An electronic database in which
the measurement values are archived together with the associated
serial numbers of a product guarantee 100 percent traceability.
“Mayr quality means ‘Quality made in Germany’, independent of
the location”, explains CEO Günther Klingler. “In the Chinese subsidiary
in Zhangjiagang the same quality standards apply as in
Germany. The company Quality Management System there has
been certified in accordance with the ISO 9001 in the same way as
at the headquarters in Mauerstetten. Mayr power transmission will
remain a reliable partner in future – for its customers, suppliers
and employees.”
mayr at the PTC ASIA 2019 in Shanghai: Hall E7, Booth No. E7-A1
Photos: Big picture, Changi Airport, picture of brake mayr power transmission,
other picture MKT AG Olching
www.mayr.com

Pick and place with thermal
imaging cameras
AUTOMATION
Machine vision inspections using visual cameras
can occasionally cause recognition problems if
the product and background have too little color
contrast. In such cases, thermal imaging cameras
can be a practical solution - especially if the product
has a different temperature than the transport
medium. Two Austrian companies present a possible
solution in this area.
Author: Markus Moltkau, M.Sc., Sales Manager Automation (Central & North
Europe), Flir Systems GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The Austrian company Maplan GmbH is an internationally
active manufacturer of injection molding machines. With
230 employees worldwide, the company produces approximately
280 elastomer injection molding machines and presses per year,
99 % of which are exported to more than 60 countries. Recently, the
injection molding specialist presented an application during an
exhibition that included a Flir A-Series thermal imaging camera.
Challenge: Extrusion line for a rubber luggage tags
For a trade fair, Maplan planned the on-site production of give-aways
for trade fair visitors. The company produced customizable rubber
luggage tags in an extrusion line; they were then repositioned by a
robot and labelled using an inkjet printer. As with many other projects,
Maplan worked closely with Reliste GesmbH as the integrator to
implement this automation solution. Reliste has offered high-quality
products to its customers in the Austrian market for more than
45 years, while the Reliste Vision Group, founded in 2008, works as an
integrator for Flir thermal imaging cameras in the automation sector.
Low contrast: temperature as a solution
In the planned system, the weak contrast ratios between conveyor
belt and product initially proved to be a challenge. In a conventional
pick and place application, a robot was to remove the luggage
tags from the conveyor belt and position them for printing with an
22 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Thermal imaging
camera at a glance
The Flir A615 is used for thermal
monitoring and quality assurance
of production processes. The
compact thermal imaging camera can be controlled from
a PC and, thanks to its compliance with a wide range of
standards, is suitable as a plug-and-play device with software
for machine vision applications from third party manufacturers
such as National Instruments, Cognex, and Halcon. It is
compatible with the GigE Vision standard and supports the
GenICam protocol. The camera has a high-resolution detector
with 640 × 480 pixels and enables high-speed IR windowing.
With its high thermal sensitivity of 50 mK, it captures and
visualizes the smallest image details and the slightest temperature
differences. Its Gigabit Ethernet port allows 16-bit
image streaming to the computer in real time.
The camera
measures the exact
position of the
freshly-produced
rubber luggage tags
inkjet printer, which was ultimately to personalize the tags for the
stand visitors. The robot should receive the information as to where
the product is on the conveyor belt from a camera. But with lightgray
luggage tags on a light-gray conveyor belt, doubts quickly arose
about the functional stability when using a visual camera.
Reliste proposed an unusual but pragmatic solution. “Instead of
a conventional visual camera for product recognition, we proposed
a Flir thermal imaging camera,” explains Dipl. Ing. Thomas
Trauttenberg, Managing Director of Reliste. The model Reliste recommended
was a Flir A615, which offers 640 × 48 thermal resolution.
“The thermal imaging camera does not use visual light, but
„Thermal imaging cameras enable quality
analyses even of complex injection moulded
parts and thus contribute to the optimization
of the injection molding process.“
01 The fixed Flir A615 conforms to a wide range of standards, making it
a plug-and-play device for third-party machine vision software
the heat radiation resulting from the extrusion process for reliable
product detection.
“The solution convinced us because it was very simple and worked
right from the start,” adds Maplan’s technical manager Rudolf
Eisenhuber. “The high thermal imaging resolution of the Flir A615
also enables quality analysis, which we would like to demonstrate
with more complex injection molded parts in the future.”
Thermal imaging technology on complex formed
components
For the future, Maplan and Reliste are considering the possibility of
additional evaluation of thermal information for rubber injection
molding machines. The use of a thermal imaging camera could also
provide additional information about the quality of a product. This
method is particularly interesting for complex shaped components.
In this regard, Flir thermal imaging technology could contribute to
optimizing the injection molding process.
For more information on thermal imaging cameras or this application
example, visit www.flir.de/instruments/condition-monitoring.
Photographs: Flir Systems, Maplan, Reliste
02 The thermal image shows not only the exact position, but also the
temperature distribution of the luggage tags directly after production
www.flir.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 23

Colorful challenge for
measurement technologies
AUTOMATION
Determination, measurement and detection of colors
in industrial applications are complex measurement
tasks. Compared to other physical quantities, it is
difficult to define color: what exactly is color?
State-of-the-art color measurement technology does
not only answer this question but also offers solutions
for industrial applications.
Author: Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Joachim Hueber, MICRO-EPSILON Eltrotec GmbH,
Uhingen, Germany
Color is a great challenge for industrial measurement technology
since it is an individual, visual sensation elicited by light.
When measuring colors, everything is about comparing the measured
color with the actual color perceived by the human eye. The
crux of the matter in most applications is to detect very slight deviations
in color as even these can be perceived be the human eye.
Painted car parts, printing matter or facade panels are just some
examples of the many products whose color must be inspected
during production.
Human color perception
Color inspection in industrial applications requires suitable sensor
technology that corresponds to the color perception of the human
eye. The latter is invoked by light in the wavelength range of 380 nm
to 780 nm. The human eye has different sensor cells: 120 million
rods for light/dark differentiation and 6 million cones for color perception.
There are three different types of cones, of which each is
receptive to a different wavelength range of the visible spectrum.
Rods are much more sensitive than cones which is why color vision
depends on illumination. Based on human color impression, colors
can be described differently. As there are three different cone types,
the color space consists of three dimensions. Since 1931, the CIE
24 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

1931 standard color space stipulated by an international commission
has ensured comparability in color descriptions.
Color space in technical applications
In technical applications, the CIELAB color space is more common.
It is generated from the standard color space by transformation. The
coordinates of this color space are L as measure of the brightness, a
(green/red saturation) and b (blue/yellow saturation). The advantage
of this color space is that each hue perceived as a separate
color by the human eye has the same volume. The HSV/HSI color
spaces are rarely used. The RGB and CMYK color spaces used with
monitors and printing technology are significantly smaller than the
CIE standard color space. This means they cannot image all colors
that the human eye recognizes and so are not suitable for precise,
industrial color measurement.
Metrological challenge
When the observation geometry is determined, color is (in physical
terms) a reflected intensity spectrum in the visible wavelength
range. This reflection spectrum depends on the object color and the
illumination. Illumination is defined by different light sources, e. g.
light bulbs, daylight, fluorescent lamps or cold white LEDs. A color
sensor detects the reflected spectrum and imitates the principle of
the human eye. For measurements, the reflected light is refracted
into its spectral parts. The easiest method is to use filters where only
one part of the spectrum can pass through. Most conventional CCD
cameras whose sensors are divided into green, red and blue pixels
are also based on this technique.
Color sensors with attention to detail
A more accurate principle is used by color sensors for industrial
applications such as the new colorSensor CFO series from Micro-
Epsilon Eltrotec (see box). The specimen is illuminated by a light
source, which in most cases is a white light LED. The light reflected
by the probe hits the sensor where the light passes through different
filters and eventually reaches a light-sensitive sensor element. The
absorption spectra of the filters used should overlap. The filters
New True Color Sensors
The new, compact True Color colorSensor CFO sensors from
Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec stand out due to their high color
accuracy, modern interfaces and intuitive handling. They
operate according to the XYZ tristimulus measuring
procedure. A decisive factor for good measurement results
is that the illumination of the specimen is provided by
a defined light source. The new color sensors operate with
high performance white light LEDs, which cover the largest
part of the visible spectrum. All components such as
illumination, sensor element and evaluation electronics
are combined in a compact aluminum housing. An opticalfiber
cable is connected to the color sensor and ensures the
illumination and the measurement procedure. The use of
optical-fiber cables has several major advantages: 1. The sensor
can be used in restricted areas as the sensor head requires
a minimum of space. 2. There is a large number of different
sensor heads which are suitable for most tasks. Furthermore,
Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec can adapt the sensors according to
customer-specific requirements. 3. The maximum fiber-optic
cable length of 2.4 m allows for exterior sensor mounting e. g.
in the case of critical danger zones (vacuum, temperature,
EX zones). The color sensor can be configured via five buttons on
the housing. LEDs signify the respective state. Depending on
the sensor type, up to 255 colors in six color groups (CFO100)
or more than 320 colors in 254 color groups (CFO200) can be
taught via teach-in buttons. The user can define the permissible
tolerance range. The sensor sends a signal via digital
output channels if the measured color is within the tolerance
range. The CFO100 enables measurement frequencies up
to 10 kHz and the CFO200 up to 20 kHz. Therefore, even
applications with high speed requirements can be realized.
True Color sensors are suitable for any application that involves
color sorting or the inspection of the color consistency.
01 The human eye
has 6 million cones
for color perception
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 25

Another functional principle is applied by color measurement systems
such as the colorControl ACS7000 from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec.
This divides the spectrum of the incident light via a refraction
on a grid into 256 parts, which are imaged behind the grid onto a
CCD sensor line. This is how the complete visible spectrum can be
accurately measured with a spectral resolution of 5 nm. The color
measurement system not only compares the colors to reference values,
but also identifies and outputs these as coordinates in the color
space. As well as the sensor system, the white light LED is incorporated
into the housing of the system, enabling different sensor
heads to be connected via optical-fiber cables. In the ACS1 standard
sensor for conventional measurement tasks, illumination and
receiver are either arranged at an angle of 30°×:0° or 45°×:0°. This
leads to observation distances of 50 mm or 38 mm respectively. For
more complex measurement tasks e. g. with structured, highly reflective
or shiny metallic surfaces, the ACS2 circular sensor with
24 circular arranged lighting optics at a measuring angle of 45°c:0°
is used. This ensures continuous, homogeneous lighting for measurements,
regardless of the angular position of the target object.
Even with smaller measurement objects or on curved surfaces, reliable
color measurements are possible. For color measurements of
transparent objects such as film or glass, the ACS3 transmission
sensor is required where illumination and receiver are arranged at
an angle of 180°:0° to each other. This receiver sensor also measures
colors of self-luminous objects. No lighting unit is required.
Ease of use
AUTOMATION
02 The L*a*b color space has established itself in industrial
color inspection tasks and comprises all colors perceptible to the
human eye
03 The CFO100 color sensor can be
easily configured using the teach-in function
divide the light into long-wave (X), medium-wave (Y) and shortwave
(Z) parts. The individual signals are then transformed into
L*a*b* color values. This is how measurement values are generated
which enables the assignment of colors according to the color perception
of the human eye. Therefore, we refer to these as perceptive
color sensors or True Color sensors. They are ideal for recognition of
color deviations. A teach-in function enables the user to program
the desired color on the sensor and to determine the maximum permissible
color deviation. Next, the sensor compares the color of the
products during operation and can e. g. send a signal via a digital
output if the color of the specimen is within the tolerance limits.
Identification of colors as coordinates
in the color space
Although “color measurement” is a complex issue, color sensors
and color measurement systems from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec are
easy to use. Color teaching is carried out using a teach-in button,
LEDs on the color sensor or the measurement system signify the
mode of operation. In most cases, configuration is performed via an
integrated web server. Settings such as illumination and measurement
frequency for perfect color recognition and measurements
can be set up easily. The output signals are also set up directly using
the web interface.
Measurement of color in numerous industrial
applications
In order to ensure high quality standards, measurement of color is
an invaluable technique in numerous industrial applications. A
typical example is the automotive industry: most bumpers, door
handles and exterior mirrors are painted the same color as the car
chassis. Furthermore, distance sensors and headlight cleaning systems
are integrated in the bumpers. These components are painted
separately but must precisely match the color of the body. During
the assembly process, the measurement system verifies if these colors
are identical because the human eye recognizes even the smallest
of deviations. Also, in the passenger compartment, the colors
must be correct. Here, structured, curved and reflecting surfaces
are additional challenges for color measurement technology. Another
example is in the production of facade panels made from zinc
whose surface color can change after being coated. During production,
the color must be inspected continuously in order to ensure
early recognition of any deviations. Otherwise, facade panels with
slightly deviating colors would stand out, particularly in large facade
areas. In tablet production, the slightest color deviations must
be detected. In transparent blister packs, different color shades
would give a poor impression.
For the above examples and in many other applications, Micro-
Epsilon Eltrotec offers the optimum solution in terms of perceptive
color sensors and color measurement systems. Depending on the
requirements, the user can also solve difficult color measurement
tasks. The products for color recognition and measurement enable
very small Delta-E values, high measurement frequencies and inline
(in-process) measurements. The user benefits from a measurement
system that easily integrates into their industrial control systems and
simple configuration and handling via the integrated web server.
Photographs: Micro Epsilon
www.micro-epsilon.com
26 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019

Perfectly prepared for
internationalization
Jörg Paulus is General Manager – Europe
at Posital Fraba GmbH in Cologne, Germany
From your point of view, how
has the international market
developed both in general
and for Fraba over the last
ten years?
What trends are you
currently observing, where
are we heading in terms of
countries, markets, products
and solutions over the next
ten years?
We are growing much more quickly internationally than in the German market. Asia in particular –
with China as a driver – is providing much of the momentum. Chinese companies are growing rapidly,
and a lot is being tried out there. Asia is especially important in our newest business area, integrated
motor feedback. By now, almost all motor manufacturers are producing motors in the Far East.
Beyond the well established players, local companies are also playing a key role in the field of stepper
and servo motors. They often use incremental rotary encoders from local manufacturers, while we
score with innovations in absolute multiturn encoders.
Our multi-turn measurement systems, which make use of Wiegand energy-harvesting technology
to eliminate any need for backup batteries or complex gear systems, set the pace. Our feedback portfolio
ranges from kit encoders for servo and stepper motors to hollow shaft kits for the hollow shaft
segment.
When it comes to conventional self-contained rotary encoders, we see automation everywhere. Not
only in China, but also in India, America and Europe, automation is no longer the wave of the future,
but a present reality. There has also been a trend towards the use of absolute multiturn encoders here
for some time now, accelerated by declining prices.
Fraba is perfectly positioned for internationalization. For 25 years now, English has been the company
language. We have product decisionmakers in Asia and America – not just in Germany. Our cloudbased
Open Book information approach helps us to quickly provide support to our customers around
the globe. Our teams work together worldwide to find the right solution.
The trend towards integrated feedback systems will continue to increase. This technology is also being
used for simpler motors. Lower prices for assembly kits are accelerating this trend. We foresee that
self-contained rotary encoders will eventually become superfluous. We have been preparing ourselves
specifically for this change for some time now.
However, one should not one write off self-contained rotary encoders in the retrofit or MRO segment.
They have been installed in machines and plants for over 50 years. Even the best encoders fail at some
point or need to be replaced during upgrades. We have been preparing for this growing MRO market
for a long time. At our encodermatch.com website, you can find the right replacement for an old device
within seconds. Our database currently comprises over 1.5 million types of encoders from a wide
range of manufacturers and is growing every month. A user-friendly product finder tool allows you to
quickly configure a suitable replacement product. Production takes place in our digital factory – from
batch size one to large-volume. For express orders we can offer in many cases same day delivery.
Photo: Posital
www.posital.com
WORLD OF OF INDUSTRIES 5/2019 27

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