Siemens and SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™, specialist in linear conveyor technology, have announced a new strategic alliance to maximize product range, machine throughput and reduce cycle times for engineering and manufacturing customers.
The two companies have joined forces to offer the market an intelligent conveyor system that can be installed as conveying technology on production machines and also integrated into the TIA Portal. The carriers are driven by linear motors and move flexibly between stations during the production process.
The SuperTrak Horizon3™ enclosed magnetic conveying system enables manufacturers to create high-performance, cost-efficient and space-saving machine designs. By combining the mechatronics system with the motion control capabilities of Simatic controllers and Siemens’ TIA Portal, all components work seamlessly together to help machine builders realize the optimal conveying solution.
“By combining Siemens’ strengths in automation and digitalization with SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™ expertise in intelligent transport systems, we help our customers solve their everyday manufacturing challenges,” said Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation. “Together, we enable manufacturers to build and deploy powerful, innovative automation and transport systems that increase throughput and reduce operational costs.”
“Intelligent transport systems enable more effective process design, helping machine builders and manufacturers achieve higher performance in tight spaces,” said Ben Hope, Director of Product Commercialization for SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™. “Combining this with full integration into the TIA Portal means users can use our technology in conjunction with Siemens’ motion control tools.”
Siemens Xcelerator: Reducing engineering complexity for machine builders
Combining Siemens’ hardware and software solutions from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio with the SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™ system yields a fully integrated, demand-oriented conveyance solution. The closed-loop linear transport system offers a variety of layout options. It’s designed for smaller payloads and products and can carry up to three kilograms per shuttle. The carrier pitch is reduced to a minimum size of 50 millimeters, allowing objects to be handled at high speed in a much closer range to achieve high throughput numbers, which are required by packaging customers.
Connecting the SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™ platform with the Siemens TIA Portal and integrating it in the Simatic S7-1500T controller allows users to easily implement synchronized motion tasks with additional motion-control axes by using real-time communication. Each shuttle can be controlled independently through the use of technology objects in TIA Portal. Technology objects enable different motion sequences, such as grouping of multiple shuttles or clamping a product between two shuttles for a filling process.
A 3D simulation and animation of the system’s production process and shuttle workflow provides machine builders with valuable insights into the ideal layout of the system, required shuttle numbers, and throughput figures.
The SuperTrak CONVEYANCE™ system with Siemens automation helps machine builders and manufacturers increase their productivity and product quality in order to remain competitive – while simplifying and reducing engineering effort