MIXING, WEIGHING & CONVEYING MODULES ARE ON A ROLL
IN CONVEYOR CONTROL Holger Spies, project manager sales at Turck, explains how lntralogistics provider SSI SCHAEFER is digitalising its conveyor control using I/O module technology developed by Turck
erman company SSI SCHAEFER, originally best known for its household waste garbage cans, is today one of the world’s leading solution providers for intralogistics. This is made possible by a product portfolio that covers the entire range of logistics requirements – from sustainable container systems and conveyor technology for small and large load carriers to complex overall intralogistics solutions, including software for internal material flow and supporting services.
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The company’s Graz site in Austria produces and develops container conveyor technology, among other things. At the end of 2018, conveyor control product manager Christian Steiner and his colleagues were considering what requirements the next generation of conveyor systems should meet. Steiner is also responsible as product manager for the automation and control of the conveyor technology. Hansjo
̈rg Lerchster was also part
of the project team, at the time as R&D product manager. Today Lerchster is product owner and business operations manager at SupplyBrain, a startup founded by SSI SCHAEFER, where he is responsible for the development of predictive maintenance solutions and other data-based services for intralogistics systems.
The next generation of conveyor technology is to be automated and controlled digitally as much as possible. The previously used roller motors with analogue control and the associated control modules could no longer meet the increased number of requirements. The next generation of motorised roller drives therefore are to be controlled digitally throughout.
Interroll, the company that was selected to supply and manufacture the motor rollers to be implemented, uses CAN bus as the fieldbus protocol, so this was also chosen for the I/O and controller technology. The power supply of the new motors also had to be changed from 24 volts to 48. The larger voltage range allows smaller cable cross-sections and longer cables on account of the lower losses, and therefore larger and more efficient power supply units.
SSI SCHAEFER searched the market for systems that could offer a data connection to the motor rollers with a CAN interface, the
8 MARCH 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL
required 48 volt power supply and Profinet communication for controlling the systems. The devices were required to have a robust design with protection to IP67 for direct installation on the conveyor belts. However, the perfect solution for this was not available on the market: “Although it was possible to also buy CAN bus controllers on the market, we wanted an SSI SCHAEFER solution that was really tailored to our needs,” said Steiner. After initial contact with Turck at the SPS automation trade fair in Nuremberg, the automation specialist checked whether it was possible to modify its own I/O solutions to meet SSI SCHAEFER’s requirements. Long story short – it was.
The TBEN-LL-4RM-4DI-4DXP I/O module for controlling CAN roller motors, which was then further developed by Turck, is known at SSI SCHAEFER as the Conveyor Control Unit or CCU for short. Digital inputs and outputs for external trigger signals or actuators were also required in addition to the 48-volt power supply for the roller motors, 24 volts for conventional actuators, CAN communication to the motor and Profinet communication to the PLC. Besides four conventional I/Os, four DXP ports are provided on the module, which can be used either as inputs or outputs. Hansjo
̈rg Lerchster explains the benefit of
the new CCU: “The module now enables us to collect more sensor data, or to be more precise, and double the number of I/Os compared to the previous module. We previously had to use additional I/O modules from other manufacturers to collect the signals from the sensors.” He continued: “We can now combine all this together. Bus communication also makes the solution plug-
and-play compatible.” There are also benefits gained from the easier installation and commissioning of the CCU modules. “Addresses are now assigned automatically. We have received very good feedback from the plants under construction. The CCU module is easy to install and the error handling is also very good. It directly displays which motor roller is not working. That wasn’t possible with the old technology,” said Steiner, describing the feedback from his colleagues. The new motor rollers have been gradually introduced since 2021. SSI SCHAEFER produces over 100km of conveyor technology every year. The motor rollers are integrated into various product groups, from straight conveyor belts to curves and inclined rollers right through to complex alignment conveyors. Due to the extensive conversions and adjustments required in the design drawings, this type of transition does not happen overnight. Thanks to their digital control, the CCU modules offer a wide range of options for optimisation and automation. The option of controlling the modules both via Profinet and via I/O signals ensures a high degree of flexibility and backwards compatibility. This flexibility enables the intralogistics specialist to retrofit older systems with the new
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