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FOOD & BEVERAGE
COMPARING ELECTRIC AND PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS
The benefits EA can bring in terms of enhanced equipment functionality and speed, reduced risk of downtime and cheaper maintenance, make it a solution which will quickly repay its higher capital outlay
the appropriate choice for you, ask yourself whether your processes would benefit from any of the following:
• Multiple positions within a given stroke • Differing speeds of movement, especially within the same direction
• Controllable acceleration and deceleration in any movement
• High accuracy and repeatability for any of the above
Aniq Rehman, Technical Specialist in Electric Automation (EA) for Thorite, explains the benefits of EA compared to pneumatic systems
ompanies wishing to replace or upgrade their pneumatic systems are increasingly turning to electrically automated systems, and it is easy to see why. Compressed air systems are generally considered to cost eight to 10 times more than electric systems. And the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) calculates that, on average, 30% of a company’s entire energy costs can be attributed to compressed air generation. Using a comparison based on one pneumatic cylinder unit with a travel time of 1.29 seconds, a Festo electric cylinder unit with the same travel time achieves energy savings of 705kWh per year – a saving of roughly £120 per year at current tariffs - and a 93% reduction in carbon emissions. These savings will scale up for large industrial plants with multiple units.
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EA delivers a number of other benefits, all of which are particularly relevant to the food and beverage sector.
More compact and quieter than air cylinders, these systems do not expel
microscopic moisture and oil particles into the environment, reducing the risk of contamination.
EA also meets the challenges presented by automated packaging, where frequent changes of direction and differing speeds are required along the line and there is a need for absolute precision during repeat actions. While pneumatic systems often demand frequent manual intervention to set and readjust the drive at multiple stages of the packaging process, EA allows multiple positions and differing speeds to be programmed within a given stroke.
Pre-set ‘recipes’ can be stored and selected at the push of a button, while quick and accurate adjustment is via a touchscreen or keyboard. Higher speeds can also be achieved (taking the load into account).
Electrically driven systems do not present the risk of equipment failure and unscheduled downtime and require lower maintenance. Malfunctions are quicker to identify and repair. To establish whether electric automation is
In reality, the only environments not ideally suited to electric systems are ones exposed to high levels of moisture or dirt. ATEX zones can also be a challenge.
One Thorite customer, a packaging company serving the food and drink industry, achieved long term benefits by upgrading to a fully electrically automated system. The customer was using a combination of pneumatic cylinders and some electric drives to try and achieve a packaging cycle of one product every five seconds, without success, and procedural change requiring a wrapping motion with multiple rotation processes had added an additional complication. An initial inspection by Thorite established that the machine was at the limit of its components and needed a ground-up redesign. Working closely with the customer, Thorite’s Technical Solutions team used exact load and motion data to configure electric drives that were capable of achieving the increased speeds. They also configured an ERMO unit which could achieve continuous rotation in the same direction. CAD models of the drive units were then used to build the final design.
Thorite configured and supplied five linear motion systems, one rotary motion system and one servo unit to drive a conveyor. The final design included a combination of servo and stepper drives, simplified motion and IO- Link connectivity.
The cost-effective design of the new machine enabled the customer to achieve a faster packaging cycle of one product every five seconds, and achieve the closure method that other alternatives were unable to deliver. The result: improved productivity, reduced manpower and maintenance demands, a reduction in energy use and carbon emissions and ongoing cost savings.
Thorite
www.thorite.co.uk
30 JULY/AUGUST 2024 | PROCESS & CONTROL
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