FDBusiness.com

Savoye (the logistics solutions division of the Legris Industries Group) is launching a new generation of 100 per cent electrical conveyors in November 2013. The new generation of conveyors are smart, fully scalable and connected on site, with no prior configuration required. Designed to bring to life the ‘plug and play’ principle, Savoye’s new range also brings the benefits of reduced energy consumption in the warehouse.

A revolution for light load handling

Savoye’s new range of conveyors has been specially designed for the handling of light loads (up to 32kg) and is a major step forward for the business. An investment in excess of one million Euros, two years of research and development, input from an eco-design specialist and six months of pre-market testing have been involved in the development of the new conveyor. This new product launch represents a sizeable investment for what Savoye considers the backbone of any automated installation.

Fully scalable plug and play architecture

Innovation based on a fully scalable architecture. The conveyor is made up of various standard elements^[1], which are 100 per cent independent and are connected directly to the site via a plug and play mode. Each element has its own mechanical structures, electrical distribution and control unit: delivered ready to be installed and interconnected.

Smart conveyors which adapt to required volumes

No need for prior configuration or programmable PLCs. Conveyor control becomes completely de-centralised with the new solution from Savoye. Each conveyor section has an individual electronic card, which allows elements to adapt their performance in accordance with carton flow. Furthermore, each element adapts itself to the flow to be conveyed and to the volume of activity.

Each conveyor section is able to accelerate automatically to catch the loads downstream and reduce unwanted ‘gaps’ in traffic. They can also accumulate boxes in a defined zone, without pressure and without disrupting flows. This feature offers increased fluidity and an increased ability to react in the event of an incident on the line.

Installation, reconfiguration, re-use: simplicity at each stage of its lifecycle

The new range responds to an essential requirement for the customer: having a system which is operational as quickly as possible! Installation time is reduced by approximately 40 per cent compared to other similar types of solution. This time saving is partly due to its innovative mechanical design. The conveyors are manufactured with a reduced number of components (fewer parts used and fewer references). All the connector engineering, cables, etc. are integrated into reversible spars which act as a guide, ready to be connected. From its implementation, each element (whose card has been configured) can thus be tested. The line’s configuration has changed? The card’s parameterisation can be modified, at any time and remotely. Finally, if the installation is extended or the site moves, all the components can be re-integrated whatever the new configuration. The installation can develop quickly and easily according to the requirements, activity peaks and warehouse configuration. It can also be connected to conveyors from the previous generation.

A high performance range from an energy point of view

The Savoye range has been developed internally with advice from an eco-design consultancy. The desire was to get closer to the market trend for an ‘all electric’ conveyor solution that did not require a compressed air supply. The new range is 100 per cent electric, with motors directly integrated into the rollers. This innovation allows a considerable energy saving. When the conveyors are not in use, the motors stop automatically; only the elements which need to work are running. As a load progresses, the modules are successively turned on and off. This also enables a significant noise reduction generated by an installation.

The range also offers an ‘eco mode’ operation. If the activity level is properly controlled and there is no risk of saturation, this function allows conveying without acceleration and automatic energy recovery on braking.

Everyday maintenance made easier

Maintenance can be easily anticipated and planned with the Savoye range.  The electronic cards in each element of the conveyor carry out an automatic audit of the condition of parts to be replaced and feed back the fault indicators via graphs based on component wear thresholds. Whether an electronic card needs to be changed or an electrical box needs to be replaced: all of these operations are carried out simply by unscrewing and unplugging the hardware.

Electronic cards are configured in three turns of a screwdriver and a remote transfer or using an SD memory card.

Finally, because of the limited number of components required for their design and operation, the conveyors enable you to reduce the spare parts stock and take advantage of the space.