MDA Technologies 4/2014

Motion, Drive and Automation 

international 

Online Edition 

4 

October 2014 

20 

Geared 

motors for bulk 

handling machinery 

in transshipment port 

10 

PTC ASIA: China embraces 

Industry 4.0 as driver 

Improving 

of future growth 

24 42performance 

process control 

at Arab Potash Company 

Lines conquer new 

areas 

www.mda-technologies.com 

in cooperation with 

Fluidtechnik 

Antriebstechnik

EDITORIAL 


Country of the 

Superlatives 

Dear reader, 

China has been the second-largest economy in the world, before Japan, 

since 2010; since 2013, it has been the largest trading nation. China also 

holds the highest foreign currency reserves at approx. 3.8 Tn USD. Chinese 

foreign trade grew more than tenfold over the last twelve years. Exports grew 

by 7.9 % in 2013, imports by 7.3 %. The commercial balance sheet surplus 

grew to roughly 260 Bn. USD or 2.5 % of the gross domestic product. China is 

the export world champion, before the USA and Germany. Development is 

continuing– e.g. with a growth of the Chinese economy by 7.7 % in 2013. The 

two-digit growth rates of the past years cannot be repeated currently, but the 

figures are still very high by international comparison. 

This development, however, also leaves its traces and the rapid growth is 

bringing some severe social and ecological problems that must be controlled. 

The current government is putting together a development model to 

trigger sustainable and pervasive reformation that in turn is the prerequisite 

for new growth. Key subjects include social justice and participation of all 

classes, where possible, in the further economic and social development. 

China is facing massive tasks: to remain competitive, its economy must 

become more modern. Substantial reforms are required. Therefore the goal 

is to restructure the Chinese economy from an investment- and exportorientated 

to an innovation-driven one more strongly aligned with the 

inland market. 

Chinese engineering already supporting this process positively is not only 

reflected by the turnover growths of 12 to 16 % or the current forecasts of the 

China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF) at 10 to 15. When the PTC 

trade fair Asia opens its gates in Shanghai on 

27 October 2014, more than 1,300 companies will once again present their 

latest developments. More still: China will present itself as a good host and 

partner of global industry. This issue will tell you what this important event 

has in store for you. There will also be plenty of new technologies again – 

from the world of Motion, Drives and Automation. 

Have fun reading! 

Dirk Schaar 

– MDA Technologies – 

Simone Robering 

– Hannover Fairs International – 

Editors-in-chief: 

Dirk Schaar 

Email: d.schaar@vfmz.de 

Michael Pfister 

Email: m.pfister@vfmz.de 

Editorial board: 

Peter Becker, Nicole Grube, 

Aileen Pinkert, Nicole Steinicke 

Assistant editor: 

Svenja Stenner, Email: s.stenner@vfmz.de 

Design/Layout: 

Conny Grothe, Doris Buchenau, Anette Fröder, 

Melanie Lerch, Sonja Schirmer, Mario Wüst 

Managing editor: 

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Winfried Bauer 

Publisher: 

Vereinigte Fachverlage GmbH 

Lise-Meitner-Str. 2 

55129 Mainz, Germany 

Managing director: 

Dr. Olaf Theisen 

Publishing director: 

Dr. Michael Werner 

Email: m.werner@vfmz.de 

Advertising sales director: 

Beatrice Thomas-Meyer 

Advertising sales manager: 

Oliver Jennen 

Email: o.jennen@vfmz.de 

Sales representatives 

Austria 

Heinz-Joachim Greiner 

Email: verlagsbuero-greiner@vfmz.de 

Brazil 

Carlos Frederico Graf Schaffgotsch 

Email: datadress@vfmz.de 

China 

Oliver Jennen 


France 

Marc Jouanny 

Email: marc-jouanny@wanadoo.fr 

Great Britain 

Rob Brewer 

Email: rob.brewer1@btinternet.com 

India 

Oliver Jennen 


Italy, Switzerland 

Hermann Jordi 

Email: info@jordipublipress.de 

Poland 

Dr. Miroslaw Bugajski 

Email: premiummedia.mb@gmail.com 

Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan 

Natalia Hretschkova 

Email: nhrethkova@ivdk.ru 

Sweden, Finland, Norway 

Malte Mezger 

Email: verlagsbuero-mezger@vfmz.de 

USA, Canada 

Aryan Zandieh 

Email: aryan@hfusa.com 

Advertising disposition: 

Annemarie Benthin 

Email: a.benthin@vfmz.de 

In cooperation with: 

Hannover Fairs International GmbH 

Messegelände, 30521 Hannover, Germany 

Additional Partners: 

Fachverband Antriebstechnik im VDMA 

Fachverband Fluidtechnik im VDMA 

Fluid Power Association of India 

Moskauer Deutsche Zeitung 

Internet: 


Fifth year (2014) 

MDA Technologies 4/2014 3

table of content 

14 New 

products at PTC Asia 16 

Bright 

prospects for 

MDA North America 

18 A 

Preview to India 


26 

Innovation 

in Packaging 

applications with 

Motion Control 

like us on facebook 

28 

An 

intelligent electric taxi 

for tropical megacities 

30 

Increased 

performance 

for rolling bearings 

34 

Glide 

or roll? Linear ball 

bearings and linear plain 

bearings compared 

50 

Assistance 

system 

supporting start-up of 

electro hydraulic drives 

columns 

03 Editorial 

03 Imprint 

news and markets 

06 World News 

10 China embraces Industry 4.0 

as driver of future growth 

Drive Technologies 

20 Reliable geared motors for bulk 

handling machinery in 

transshipment port 

24 Improving process control at Arab 

Potash Company 

38 Product News 

Hydraulics & 

Pneumatics 

42 Lines conquer new performance 

areas 

46 Product News 

4 MDA Technologies 4/2014

Worldwide News 

Hanover Trade Fair 2015: 

India as Partner Country 

India is the partner country of the Hanover trade 

fair 2015. Thus, the country with its more than 

1.2 bn people will move into the focus on the 

most important industrial trade fair in the world 

next year. “India is an up-and-coming economic 

power that opens up an enormous sales 

potential for the German and international 

exhibitors of Hanover trade fair,” says Dr. Jochen 

Köckler, member of the board of Deutsche 

Messe AG. “At the same time, we offer even more 

exhibitors from India access to new global 

markets. In the end, exhibitors, visitors and the 

trade fair site of Hanover all benefit from this 

attractive partner country in the end.” There 

were mostly three reasons for this choice: the 

still strongly-growing Indian economy, the 

long-term good relationships between the 

German and Indian companies and the positive 

experience with India as a partner country of the 

trade fair in 2006 . 

www.hannovermesse.com 

Magnet-Schultz completes its 102 nd 

business year 

Magnet-Schultz Memmingen (MSM)(Germany), special factory 

for electromagnetic actors and sensors, completed its 102 nd 

business year with strong growth on 30 June 2014. The group’s 

member companies Prefag near Karlsruhe, W.E. Schultz 

(Switzerland) and Magnet-Schultz of America (USA) have grown 

as well. Magnet-Schultz (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., founded in Wujiang 

(West of Shanghai) in 2013, will take up production for the 

Chinese market in 2014. MSMgroup employed 2475 persons in 

June 2014, achieving an external turnover of 350 M Euro in its 

102 nd business year; for the 103 rd business year, they are 

planning to reach 385 M Euro. The growth is carried by present 

and new customers. The high-tech innovation in Automotive, 

Aerospace, Automation and Medical Technology continues. 

www.magnet-schultz.com 

20 years of Nord in the Czech Republic 

The Nord Drivesystems subsidiary in the Czech Republic 

celebrates its 20 th anniversary this year. Nord Pohánĕcí 

Technika, s.r.o. has become an established partner for the 

machine building and construction industries amongst 

other sectors. In 1994, a sales office was established in 

Hradec Králové. In the fall of 2007, an 2,000 m² assembly 

site was inaugurated in Prague. In 2013, the staff of now 30 

created revenues of approximately EUR 11 million. 

Especially the geared motor segment is generating 

promising turnover and growth rates. 

www.nord.com 

Argo-Hytos presents the factory 

in the Czech Republic 

Argo-Hytos group produces and develops components 

and systems for fluid technology. It acts globally with 

many sales companies and more than 100 international 

sales partnerships. The group has its corporate seat in 

Switzerland and employs more than 1,300 employees in 

total; about 550 of them work in Czechia. The portfolio of 

Argo-Hytos includes filters and filter elements for hydraulic 

pressurized liquids and lubricants, components and system 

solutions for control and regulating technology, fluid 

management systems, as well as sensor and measuring 

technology. Customers include manufactures of agricultural 

and construction machinery, industrial trucks and 

municipal technology, as well as tool machines and energy 

generation. As a large, medium-sized family-owned 

company, The company has more than 65 years of experience 

in control and regulation technology, as well as 

filtration, in mobile and industrial hydraulics. 

Argo-Hytos presents in a new video the 

factory in the Czech Republic: 

http://bit.ly/1rUFFNg 

www.argo-hytos.com 

Video 


Porto Alegre will host the 2 nd edition 

of RENEX South America 

The only event that brings together all 

segments of the renewable energy sector 

in one place with the aim of presenting 

industry news, trends, innovation, ideas 

and investment attraction to Brazil and 

Latin America. This is RENEX South 

America (Renewable Energy Exhibition), 

an international fair which will have its 

second edition in Porto Alegre (RS), 

November 26-28, bringing together 

companies, governments and entities that operate and invest in the 

segments of Wind Energy, Solar Thermal Energy, Photovoltaic, 

Biogas, Biofuels, Biomass, SHP (Small Hydro Power), Decentralized 

Generation and Smart Grid (intelligent power grids). The fair will 

feature an exhibition area, international conference, business 

meetings and technical visits. 

www.renex-southamerica.com 

KTR is building a new R & D centre in Rheine 

KTR continues to expand its headquarters in Rheine (Germany) 

building a new R & D centre with a multifunctional assembly hall. 

State of the art work places are developed covering 8,800 square 

meters. The completion is scheduled for March 2015. The R&D 

centre will be one of the most advanced technology centres in North 

Rhine-Westphalia. KTR is realizing the biggest investment project in 

the company history building the R&D centre. „The Power Transmission 

Center (PTC) is another milestone in our business activities 

emphasizing the importance of our designing and development 

work for the KTR group of companies”, Prof. Dr. Josef Gerstner, 

General Managing Director of KTR, explains. Power Transmission 

components like mechanical couplings, torque limiters and torque 

measuring shafts as well as hydraulic components such as bellhousings, 

oil tanks and damping elements will be developed, tested and 

assembled in the R & D centre in the future. 

www.ktr.com

Maximum 

performance 

Worldwide News 

Bosch Rexroth to acquire a 50 % 

stake in the Hytec Group 

Bosch Rexroth plans to acquire a 50 % stake in its sales 

partner Hytec Holdings (Pty) Limited, a wholly owned 

subsidiary of the Tesuco Group. Hytec Holdings 

generated sales of almost Rand 1 bn rand (about € 63 m) 

in the 2013/2014 fiscal year and employs 675 employees 

across its operations. Bosch Rexroth will have the 

option to increase its shareholding over the next few 

years to 100 % of the Hytec Group. Power Team, a 

subsidiary company of Hytec which specializes in 

hydraulic maintenance tools and torque tightening 

equipment, is excluded from the deal and will remain a 

wholly owned subsidiary of the Tesuco Group. 

Web: 

Shop 

Finder 

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Freudenberg takes over 

US manufacturer 

Tobul Accumulator 

Sealing specialist Freudenberg Sealing 

Technologies took over Tobul Accumulator, 

US manufacturer of 

hydraulic accumulators. The 

company produces, among 

others, piston and bladder 

accumulators for industrial 

applications. The focuses are on 

the market segments of energy/ 

oil and gas, mining and fluid 

power in North and South America. 

The most important product 

are hydraulic accumulators for 

blowout preventers that prevent 

uncontrolled escape of drill 

flushing, crude oil or natural 

gas in raw material transport. 

Tobul is a family-owned company 

with sites in Bamberg, South Carolina, 

and Houston, Texas, as well as a sales office in 

Shanghai. It employs about 120 employees. The 

industry accumulators by Tobul are applied in more 

than 50 countries around the world. 

www.fst.com 

8 MDA Technologies 4/2014 

Igus-englisch.indd 1 23.09.2014 15:16:29

SKF builds a new Global Technical Center in USA 

SKF is reinforcing its commitment in research and development on the North American 

continent: the company is investing in a new 12 100 m 2 research and development 

facility in the metropolis region of Chicago. The latest SKF facility of this kind is to 

employ approx. 80 engineers in the first four years. The “Global Technical Center 

Americas” (GTCA) expresses the strategy of SKF to place these centres close to important 

customers. By this, the company pursues the goal of focusing on market-specific product 

innovations with its five competence platforms (storage and storage units, seals, 

mechatronic components, lubrication systems and services). The GTCA will supplement 

the two recently opened facilities in China and India. There are also two European 

centres in the Netherlands and Sweden that are currently under construction. 

www.skf.com 

B&R opens subsidiary 

in Japan 

Leading provider of automation 

technology B&R is proud to 

announce the opening of its 

24th subsidiary – B&R Japan, 

headquartered in Yokohama 

and led by Masashi Ono. “Japan 

is one of the toughest markets in 

the world, but we’re ready,” says 

your reliable partner 

ROBA ® -topstop ® 

Ono. “We’re confident that 

Japanese customers will enjoy 

working with us, and we look 

forward to showing them all the 

exciting things that our 

innovative portfolio and 

automation expertise can do for 

their business.” As one of B&R’s 

strengths is its strong local 

presence, B&R Japan starts with 

a full team of sales, application 

and support engineers to care 

for Japanese customers at their 

locations and in their own 

language. B&R has an impressive 

30-year record of continuous 

growth and has proven its 

dedication to innovation. “With 

the strength of open technology 

and international standards as 

well as a network of subsidiaries 

and partners in over 70 

countries, B&R is a solid partner 

for Japanese companies looking 

to compete with the top players 

on a global scale,” says Ono. 

Securing instead 

of improvising 

Visit us at: 

PTC-ASIA 

Hall E1/ 

Booth C5-1 

“As manufacturer of percision machining machines, we 

place high demands on quality, reliability and safety. This 

is why, for 25 yeras, we have trusted in ROBA-stop ® 

safety brakes by mayr ® power transmission.” 

Klaus Bauer, Head of Design and Development 

Machine Tools Factory, WALDRICH COBURG GmbH 

Safe brake system for 

gravity-loaded axes 

www.br-automation.com 

www. 

.com

News and Markets 

China embraces 

Industry 4.0 as driver 

of future growth 

PTC ASIA, Asia’s biggest trade fair for power 

trans mission and fluid power and the second-largest 

worldwide, will reflect China’s embrace of Industry 4.0 

when it opens its doors from 27 to 30 October 2014 at 

the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Focusing 

on such topics as smart manufacturing, energy 

efficiency and environmental protection, the sold-out 

event is expected to attract more than 70,000 visitors. 


Voice from exhibitiors and vistors 

“First Day of PTC ASIA 2013 was fantastic ! The interest of our Chinese customers 

and business partners in this show is really great!” 

China is transitioning from a low-tech to a 

high-tech nation. A recent summary 

from Germany Trade & Invest reports that 

China’s consumer base is expanding; 

urbanization is generating additional 

demand for infrastructure and consumer 

goods; and improving sustainability is a priority. 

Furthermore, China’s recent natural 

gas agreement with Russia will significantly 

increase China’s need for gas pipelines, rail 

transportation and other infrastructure. 

“China’s engineering sector is projected 

to grow between 9 and 12 % in 2014. To 

sustain this growth the country needs 

modern engineering solutions and automation 

technologies as well as research, development 

and innovation,” said Wolfgang 

Pech, senior vice president at Deutsche 

Messe AG. “With 1,350 exhibitors on a display 

area the size of 12 football pitches, PTC 

is Asia’s foremost power transmission and 

fluid power showcase. We expect many 

exhibitors will demonstrate their vision of 

Karl Haeusgen Chief Executive Officer, HAWE Hydraulics 

“Kastas Sealing Technologies considers PTC ASIA as the main exhibition for Asian 

market since 2006. Parallel to our increasing marketing activities in Asian market, 

PTC ASIA is the correct ground for us to introduce new sealing solutions, innovative 

designs and materials.” 

Bircan ATILGAN International Marketing Manager, Kastas Sealing Technologies AS 

China is one of the most important markets to our company and PTC ASIA provides 

us a good opportunity to see the development trend of hydraulic products in China 

and across the world. We participated in this show every year, not only as visitors, 

but also as exhibitors every two years. 

Takuji Kanegae, Manager, Overseas Sales Sect. 

Fluid Power & Control Systems Co., Tokyo Deiki Inc. 

“This is my first time visiting PTC ASIA. It is a famous show for industry player to 

learn about market and do business. The onsite visiting is rewarding with so many 

good exhibitors and exhibits and we do find many good suppliers and meet many 

of our old partners here.” 

Zhou Bo, Wuxi Buhler Machinery Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. 



A side glance to ComVac Asia 2014 

According to the China General Machinery Industry Association, China’s air compressor 

sector alone generated operating revenue of US $2.9 billion in 2013 – an 

Industry 4.0 as well as how using ecofriendly 

materials can maximize production 

efficiency and conserve energy.” 

PTC ASIA’s exhibit program features a 

complete range of products and services for 

power transmission, motion control and 

fluid power. For example, ContiTech AG’s 

product display will include bushings and 

mounts that feature integrated fluid systems 

for optimized vibration damping; versatile 

air actuators and air springs that master difficult 

pneumatic tasks in machine and plant 

engineering; and heavy-duty polyurethane 

timing belts with carbon tension members 

that are highly wear-resistant and transmit 

power reliably. Nord Drivesystems will 

present drive solutions for a wide range of 

industrial sectors, including a working 

manipulator model that achieves maximum 

dynamics due to decentralized drive 

annual increase of 6.7 % – and further average annual growth of almost 6 % is 

projected between 2014 and 2017. ComVac ASIA, Asia’s leading trade fair for 

compressed air and vacuum technology, reflects this increasing demand: it is sold 

out with an expected display area increase of 15 %and the number of exhibiting 

companies has increased 12 %. Consequently, the event will fill an entire hall – an 

area the size of 33 tennis courts – and showcase 170 companies during its 

27–30 October 2014 run at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. 

www.comvac-asia.com 

units that combine energy-saving motors, 

high-efficiency gearboxes, and intelligent 

motor-mounted frequency inverters. 

Other participating companies include 

such industry leaders as ABB, Bonfiglioli, 

Kastas, Lenze, NOK Freudenberg, Siemens, 

SKF, and Tsubaki. Germany, Italy, Korea 

and Taiwan will contribute country pavilions. 

In addition to Turkish companies 

exhibiting at PTC ASIA, AKDER (Turkish 

Association for Fluid Power Engineering) is 

sponsoring an official visitor delegation. 

PTC ASIA is organized by Hannover Milano 

Fairs Shanghai Ltd., Deutsche Messe’s 

subsidiary in China, and runs parallel to 

ComVac ASIA, CeMAT ASIA, Industrial 

Supply ASIA, Cold Chain ASIA, and Heavy 

Machinery ASIA. 

www.ptc-asia.com 


The Germany-China Business Association. 

Exchange expertise. 

Extend your network. 

Since 1987, the German-Chinese Business Association (DCW) has made it its mission to work for 

better economic relations between China and Germany. Our non-profit association has become a 

valuable platform for members and partners to initiate and deepen long-term partnerships. DCW 

members are united in a common goal: Create the right conditions for sustainable growth in trade 

and investment between Germany and China. 

As a member, you will join over 380 companies, organizations and private individuals in working towards 

these goals. Members enjoy a range of privileges that include the following: 

• Talk to us about your business plans in China 

• Find new business partners on the online platform www.DeZhong.de 

• Participate in our regional seminars to exchange experiences and gain new expertise 

• Join business delegations to China, connect to member companies of European partner organisations 

• Gain online access to our member-only information archive 

• Benefit from discounts at professional conferences, trade fairs and other events 

• State your views on fair investment and trade relations and help us draft our next position paper 

• Present your company as a contributor for better economic relations between China, Europe, and 

Germany 

The advantages of a membership are available to both private individuals and businesses. They will be 

granted to all employees of your institution or company. 

We are excited about welcoming you to our network. If you have any question, please do not hesitate to 

talk to us. 

www.dcw-ev.de 

German-Chinese Business Assiciation 

Unter Sachsenhausen 10–26 · 50667 Cologne, Germany 

Phone: +49 221 120370 · Fax: +49 221 120417 · E-mail: info@dcw-ev.de 



Find these new products at PTC Asia: 

Standard Motors Offer Efficiency 

up to IE3 

The new generation of grey cast low-voltage motors by ABB are 

available in the IE2 and IE3 efficiencies. The manufacturer has 

revised the electrical and mechanical construction to comply 

with today’s requirements. The material use has been 

optimised as well. With their classic, renewed shape, these 

motors are more compact then their predecessor generation. 

The robust motors are also primarily suit- 

able for 

pump and fan applications as well 

as for other simple uses 

such as gears, conveyor 

systems and general 

machine construction. 

The larger 

number of versions 

offers additional 

flexibility. 

www.abb.com 

Hall E1, Booth A1 

Play-free servo 

couplings with 

half-shell hubs 

The servo couplings Roba-DS from Mayr Antriebstechnik 

are able to transfer high torques even at comparatively 

low volumes and are thus suitable as shaft 

couplings for dynamic drive systems with high speeds. 

The construction of steel and high-strength aluminium 

alloys forms the basis for the compact build. The elastic 

lamella packages permit the couplings to balance out 

the radial, axial and angled shaft offsets to protect the 

bearings from undesired strain. The Roba-DS lamella 

package couplings transfer the torque play-free and with 

a high torsional rigidity. 

www.mayr.com 

Hall E1, Booth C5-1 

Control system for industrial brakes 

Ringspann offers a wide range of industrial brakes that are 

used as parking, stopping and adjusting brakes. The brakes 

are used in many industrial applications, as well as in gear 

applications. 

For this application, the provider developed the BCS 600 

control system, which supplies hydraulically actuated and 

vented brakes with controlled 

hydraulic pressure. It consists of 

a controller unit and a hydraulic 

unit. Furthermore, a hydraulic 

accumulator, uninterrupted 

power supply and many additional 

expansions are available 

optionally. 

Together with any hydraulic brake 

of the provider, the control system 

permits demanding brake curves, 

at the same time controlling and 

monitoring the entire system. 

Control of up to eight brakes is 

possible. 

www.ringspann.com 


Optimised power amplifier 

With the new development of the power amplifier of 

type PAM-199-P, W.E.St. Elektronik (Germany) 

has put a technically and cost-optimised 

version of the known power amplifiers on the 

market. The most important features include 

its USB interface. A special programming 

cable is no longer necessary. The module 

costs could be reduced as well. Technology 

was observed as well, offering improved 

adaptation to the valves by smooth adjustment 

of the rated magnetic flow and a robust 

magnetic flow control. 

www.w-e-st.de/en 

Hall E4 , Booth C4-2 



Motor Portfolios for General 

Industrial Applications 

With the series W40, W50 and W60, WEG completely renewed 

its portfolio of standard industrial motors. Three motor series 

cover a performance range of 11 to 4250 kW at frequencies of 

50 or 60 Hz. The rotary current asynchronous motors are 

suitable for almost all industrial applications where high 

performance and reliability are required even in rough 

environments, specifically including pumps, compressors and 

fans. Due to the optimised design, the motors are even more 

compact, so that they are lighter in weight than the predecessor 

models, smaller and needing less space. The robust grey-cast 

iron housing not only makes them suitable for use in rough 

industrial environments, but also permits low noise and 

vibration development. 

www.weg.net 


Beneficial shaft alignment by App 

Medium-sized spur gear and 

conical spur gear drives 

The spur gear and conical spur gear drives HDP and 

HDO by Bonfiglioli, Italy, are even more competitive 

thanks to the new size 125 build. The models are 

available with two, three and four switching steps and a 

gear reduction range of 1:9 to 1:500. They provide an 

output torque in excess of 49 kNm. Thus, they are a 

supplement to the already-available Bonfiglioli series 

with 40 kNm (HDP120) and 70 kNm (HDP130). 

Especially applications in feed spindles, lifting 

systems, pumps, 

conveyor belts or 

mixers and 

agitators are to 

profit from this. The 

125 size has the 

known robustness 

and reliability of 

the HDP and HDO 

series. Its new 

design is to be 

applied to the entire 

series in future. 

www.bonfiglioli.com 

Hall E1, Booth B3 

Drive dynamics by Nord Drivesystems 

The TKSA 11 shaft alignment system by SKF, Sweden, has 

inductive proximity sensors and can be operated by app 

via Smartphone or tablet. The meter is attached to shafts 

or coupling sleeves at the moving machine side. A 

reference strip is connected to the stationary machine. 

The intuitive app leads the user through the measurement 

and the subsequent alignment correction. Real time 

presentation of the horizontal machine position facilitates 

precise alignment. The device is well suitable for 

alignment of narrow couplings and use in small installation 

spaces. For large couplings and shafts, the manufacturer 

offers optional extension rods and chains. 

www.skf.com 


At the PTC Asia exhibition Nord Drivesystems will present 

drive solutions for industrial applications in a wide range of 

sectors. The main exhibit, a working manipulator model 

achieves maximum dynamics due to decentralized Nord 

drives. This solution is featured in palletizers manufactured 

by Nord customer Symach. The drive units combine IE2 

energy-saving motors, highly efficient gearboxes, and 

intelligent motor-mounted frequency inverters from the 

SK 200E series, all manufactured in-house by Nord. Important 

additional applications include conveyor technology, 

pumps, and ventilators. 

www.nord.com 




Bright prospects for 

MDA North America 

Author: Peter Becker, MDA Technologies 

Peter Becker 

Power transmission and fluid 

technology solutions. Only two of 

the key topics at this year’s Motion, 

Drive & Automation (MDA) North 

America in Chicago. But there was 

even more to discover as our 

editorial team saw for themselves 

at the fairground. 

The weather was great when our editors 

arrived at O’Hare airport in Chicago. But 

there were not only bright prospects regarding 

the weather. The forecast for the second 

MDA North America at McCormick Place 

was good, too. The inaugural MDA North 

America 2014 and Industrial Automation 

North America 2014 trade shows and conferences 

were co-located with IMTS – The 

International Manufacturing Technology 

Show – providing the events with a wellknown 

and established partner in North 

America. 

This co-location was one of the reasons 

for the fair’s success. But for the organizers, 



Video 

01 National pavilions from several countries added to the internationality of the fair 

Interview with Larry 

Turner, CEO Hannover 

Fairs USA 

We had the opportunity 

to interview the CEO of 

Hannover Fairs USA at the fair in 

Chicago. Watch the full interview 

regarding the future of the event, 

trends in the North American 

market and the cooperation with 

Hannover Fairs in Germany here. 

there were even more reasons to be happy 

as Larry Turner, CEO Hannover Fairs USA, 

points out: “We doubled our size from 2012 

and sold out the show six months before the 

event.” Motion, Drive & Automation North 

America and Industrial Automation North 

America together attracted 194 exhibiting 

companies from 14 countries, covering 

more than 50,000 ft² of exhibition space in 

the East Building of McCormick Place. Together 

with the IMTS, the show attracted 

more than 114,000 total registrants. 

Up-to-date and international 

Video review of the fair 

Our editorial team captured the fair for you. 

Watch our video impressions from 

McCormick Place, Chicago 

Addressing many of the current challenges 

of the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 

4.0, MDA North America 2014 focused 

on a variety of core topics, such as flexible 

manufacturing, network security, technology 

integration, worker productivity, as well 

as data collection and analysis. The show’s 

roster of global exhibitors expressed excitement 

about the growth of the 2014 event 

since its founding in 2012 and acknowledged 

that attending the show is a critical 

component of their North American brand 

extension and end-user marketing programs. 

National pavilions from Germany, Taiwan 

and Italy added to the internationality 

of the event. And the organizers are expecting 

this trend to grow even further. Turner 

paints a picture of the future of the fair: “In 

2016, we already got delegations coming in 

from the Netherlands and South Korea. We 

see it even expanding from an international 

standpoint.” 

Exhibitor highlights 

The inaugural Motion, Drive & Automation 

(MDA) North America trade show introduced 

attendees to a range of motion control 

topics. Within the show, the IFPE Fluid 

Power Zone, a dedicated display area hosted 

by the National Fluid Power Association, 

showcased the latest hydraulics and pneumatics 

products, technology and services. 

Among the exhibitors were some of the 

Video 

leading companies in their respective 

branches such as THK America or Desch. 

Desch showcased gear couplings used in all 

sectors of mechanical engineering. They 

featured crowned splines with permanent 

grease lubrication that translate to long service 

life and maximum reliability for the 

end user. THK America demonstrated a 

broad range of linear motion systems for industries, 

such as aerospace, robotics and 

medical. “The registration numbers for 

MDA North America and Industrial Automation 

North America were impressive,” 

said Gregory R. Pelster, THK America Exhibit 

Manager. “This was clearly an outstanding 

place for THK America to reach 

North American industry leaders and to 

strengthen our relationship with current 

and potential customers.” 

A look into the future 

The CEO of Hannover Fairs USA was 

pleased with the event as well – and the organizers 

have big plans for 2016: “Overall, 

attendees were very satisfied with the show 

and plan on returning in 2016. To that end, 

we expect to double our space in the East 

Building at IMTS 2016 and look forward to 

introducing additional product and service 

categories.” The next Motion, Drive & Automation 

North America and Industrial Automation 

North America events will be held 

from September 12-17, 2016. 

www.mda-na.com 



A Preview to India 

When in December 2014 the WIN India show opens its doors, it’s the 

second time on Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. After the successful start 

last year, the organizer expects now even more visitors and exhibitors, 

not only from India, but from all over the world, to present the Indian 

market of engineering. 

Five industrial shows – one location – 

infinite opportunities. This is the 

slogan of WIN India – World of Industry, 

which will take place from 10 to 13 December 

in New Delhi. The trade show will 

be demonstrating complete range of 

products and services, from Hydraulics 

and Pneumatics to Electro-Mechanical 

Transmission, auto mation components 

to process and factory automation systems, 

materials handling equipments to 

logistics infrastructure systems. Surface 

technology products to electroplating 

and surface engineering techniques. 

These shows will be special attractions for 

the industry. The powerful synergy of 

these concurrent events will attract the 

visitor traffic at the exhibitor booth 

ensuring significant ROI. 

In 2013 more than 11,000 visitors, 200 

industry delegations and 20 delegations of 

industrial associations arrived at the exhibition 

centre in order to receive extensive 

information about more than 400 new products 

from the fields of the shows “MDA India”, 

“Industrial Automation India”,”CeMat India” 

and “Surface Technology India”. In particular, 

the exhibitors were satisfied. Andreas Frey of 

HFB Wälzlager-Gehäusetechnik (Germany): 

“This year, we have definitely had more 

contacts and, in particular, more decision 

makers visited our stand.“ And the leaders of 

Festo thought: “We have had a successful 

show at WIN INDIA 2013. We had visits of 

good number of decision makers and potential 

customers with interesting projects. 

Needless to say, Festo SmartBird was the 

centre of attraction of the entire event.” 

In addition to two exhibition halls with a 

total exhibition area of more than 

11,000 m 2 , the WIN INDIA event features 

2014 again numerous conferences, seminars 

and live demonstrations, application 

parcs, summits and awards thus offering 

visitors the opportunity to receive information 

and create networks. So WIN 

INDIA delivers all you need for your business 

– meetings with important buyers, 

ample promotions, lively atmosphere & a 

smooth experience. 

Today there is only a small taste: In the 

next issue of “MDA Technologies” in 

November 2014 we will give you a detailed 

view of the exhibition. Please save the date 

and event in your calendar. 

www.win-india.com 



Engineering, Design and Application of Drives and Controls 

Machine Elements: 

Linear ball bearings 

and linear plain 


Increased performance 


Drive Technologies: 

Reliable geared motors 

for bulk handling 

machinery in 

transshipment port 

Improving process 

control at Arab Potash 

Company 

Innovation in 

Packaging applications 

with Motion Control 

Measurement 

and Control: 

An intelligent electric 

taxi for tropical 

megacities 

Image: igus, Cologne, Germany


Reliable geared motors for bulk handling 

machinery in transshipment port 

China’s Wuhan Iron and Steel Group (WISCO), one of the largest 

companies in the nation’s steel sector, has built a new transshipment port 

to better handle growing quantities of imported ore arriving in the East 

China Sea. Various bulk handling machinery installed throughout the port 

by three different OEMs has one thing in common: in all of these supersize 

loaders, unloaders, and stacker-reclaimers, a total of over 170 geared 

motors supplied by German manufacturer Nord Drivesystems ensure 

everything stays reliably in motion. 


Now often billed as an island paradise, 

the Zhoushan Archipelago comprises 

more than 1,300 scenic isles and islets off 

the Chinese eastern seaboard. However, 

Zhoushan’s emergence as a popular tourist 

destination is a relatively new development. 

By contrast, its other role as a cen-ter of 

trade is steeped in an old tradition. Zhoushan’s 

major islands lie just a few miles off the 

coast, close to Ningbo in Zhejiang province 

and about 150 miles south of Shanghai and 

the Yangtze estuary. Even centuries ago, 

their proximity to these bustling cities and 

the Yangtze, one of China’s premier waterways, 

has made the Zhoushan ports the 

region’s chief entrepôts for all sorts of 

goods. In modern times, these have come to 

include industrial commodities such as 

iron ore, mostly destined for Wuhan Iron 

and Steel Group (WISCO), China’s oldest 

steel giant headquartered about 400 miles 

inland up the Yangtze. Though WISCO 

Drive solutions for 

port machinery 

Nord provides cost-efficient, reliable 

drive technology for all types and 

sizes of crane hoists and trolleys as 

well as conveyors. One of the world’s 

widest ranges of gear units enables 

OEMs and end users to fine-tune 

their individual solution for maximum 

efficiency and low maintenance 

requirements. 

A dedicated microsite, http://cranes. 

nord.com/, provides an over-view of 

drive technology for crane applications. 

Frequency inverters from 

Nord’s SK 500E line are an obvious 

match for Nord geared motors used 

in cranes. The robust, high-performance 

units provide an efficiency 

of more than 95 % and a typical 

overload capacity of 200 % for 5 s. 

Compatible with all standard bus 

interfaces, the units are easy to 

operate and program. Basic models 

feature an integrated brake chopper 

with management for brake motor 

control, which is ideally suited for use 

in hoist applications. Advanced 

positioning functions as well as 

various options including the costefficient 

“Safe Stop” feature according 

to EN 954-1 and EN 13849-1 are 

also available. 

operates a number of mines in China, highquality 

ore is domestically in short supply. 

Hence, the com-pany must source most of 

its iron from abroad. Water transport on the 

Yangtze is the obvious, highly efficient, and 

economic choice, but ore imports for the 

industrial group usually arrive in the East 

China Sea in very large ocean-going vessels. 

Inevitably, these must call at a coastal port, 

where cargo can be offloaded and transferred 

onto smaller ships – even on the lower 

reaches of the Yangtze, large freighters 

would be stopped cold at the river bridge in 

Nanjing. 10,000 dwt ships, on the other 

hand, can pass under it and make their way 

onwards to Wu-han. 

New port with super-size 

machinery 

Demand for WISCO’s products has grown 

steeply over the course of the last decade in 

par-ticular. As raw materials are needed in 



Wuhan in ever growing quantities, establishing 

addi-tional unloading and loading 

bases along the coast – preferably under 

WISCO’s own direction – had become a 

pressing issue some time ago. Partnering up 

with two co-financiers, WISCO eventually 

came to hold a stake in a new port construction 

project in the island town of Wugang, 

in the south of the Zhoushan Archipelago. 

All facilities at Wugang Port were built in 

2010 and 2011. The German manufacturer 

of full-scale drive solutions, Nord Drivesystems, 

supplied more than 170 heavy duty 

geared motors. As inspections, test runs and 

approvals for full-scale operation have concluded 

in mid-2012, Wugang now serves as 

WISCO’s main transshipment terminal with 

a cargo throughput of up to 30 million tons of 

ore per year. The port includes an unloading 

berth boasting a water depth of 27 m, where 

huge ships carrying up to 300,000 dwt can 

arrive. Three loading berths are 15 m deep 

and can accommodate smaller ships – one 

will fit a 50,000 dwt class vessel, two are cut 

out for 10,000 dwt ships. Designed to handle 

up to 5,000 tons of ore per hour, the ship 

loaders, ship unloaders, and bucket-wheel 

stackers installed along the berths and yards 

in Wugang Port are all the biggest equipment 

of their kind for civil use in China. 

01 

Reliable drive solutions 

are essential 

Given Wugang Port’s location and limited 

accessibility from the mainland and even 

the larger islands of the Archipelago, WIS- 

CO’s key requirement for all heavy 

machinery was extremely high reliability 

and low maintenance characteristics. It 

takes at least one hour for a mainte-nance 

crew coming from the coast or Zhoushan 

Zhujiajian Airport to get to Wugang by 

ship, plus possible delays in bad weather, 

which might also rule out helicopters as an 

alternative. In any case, serious problems 

with machinery would very likely incur 

staggering costs for repairs and, of course, 

disturbances of unloading and loading 

processes due to dysfunctional equipment. 

Therefore, highly reliable drive solutions 

are required to ensure that large gantry 

cranes, conveyors and the like keep moving. 

Nord Drivesystems was commissioned 

to supply heavy duty geared motors. Headquartered 

near Germany’s foremost harbor 

city of Hamburg, this company was 

anything but a stranger to the maritime 

world: Nord has a long track record of supplying 

mechanical and electronic drive 

technology for gantry cranes and other 

port ma-chinery – albeit in other parts of 

the world. Though Nord now has a considerable 

presence in China that includes 

several production and assembly plants 

and a number of regional offices, the 

German company only set foot in the 

country a couple of years ago. Still, the 

superior quality and durability of the drive 

products as well as the pre- and after-sales 

services prof-fered by the drive specialist 

prompted WISCO to have the bulk 

handling machinery at Wugang Port 

equipped with geared motors supplied by 

the Chinese branches of the German company. 

A very experienced manufacturer of 

top-quality large gearboxes, the company 

en-sures long service life, minimum maintenance 

requirements, and high load tolerance 

for the complete geared motor. Over 

170 units were integrated into cranes and 

conveyor systems sourced from several 

different Chinese OEMs. All partners cooperated 

very well, and Nord’s team was 

readily available for OEM support through- 

01 Large stacker-reclaimers service 

the iron ore stockyards at the port 

02 WISCO had heavy-duty, 

but low-maintenance Nord geared 

otors installed as traveling drives 

for port machinery 

03 Nord drives move the loaders 

on tracks along the berth 


out the project. From the day Wugang port 

was opened, all machines have been used 

to capacity almost all the time, with the 

drives reliably doing their duty. 

Geared motors for 

demanding conditions 

Three very large clamshell unloaders 

(2,500 t/h) serve the 300,000 dwt berth. 

These machines incorporate a total of 

72 three-stage bevel gear units from Nord. 

Two massive mobile ship loaders 

(5,000 t/h) are equipped with 16 threestage 

bevel geared motors and a two-stage 

heli-cal bevel gear unit each. These drives 

are capable of moving these large systems 

along the berth on tracks to position them 

as needed to access various areas of operation. 

Another 72 three-stage bevel gear 

units are installed in three bucket-wheel 

stacker-reclaimers (500 t/h) for the ore 

stockyards at the port. All geared motors at 

Wugang feature a heavy duty housing that 

makes them suitable for outdoor use and 

severe weather. Well sealed against moisture 

ingress and fitted with corrosion- and 

moisture-resistant components, they 

provide a high degree of protection against 

the typical challenges of maritime environments. 

Special paint coats are applied 

against the salty atmosphere. These units 

are also tough enough to resist considerable 

mechanical shock. Most units come 

equipped with application-specific optional 

parts, includ-ing e.g. dust- and corrosion-protected 

brakes, micro-switches for 

continuous brake monitoring, or double 

canopies serving as drip covers at the 

motor fans. Such features make these 

geared motors even more reliable. 

Designed to move large 

loads without fail 

For drives used in port installations, a 

robust, wear-resistant design also means 

that geared motors must be constructed to 

withstand massive forces, since the 

machines they move are faced with very 

large loads most of the time. All gear units 

are manufactured from a single housing 

block – an original Nord development. This 

design ensures optimal resistance to axial 

and radial forces as well as high efficiency, 

high output torques, low-noise operation 

and min-imal maintenance efforts during 

a long service life. Nord can specify and deliver 

a versatile range of helical bevel 

geared motors for port machinery, all from 

About 

Company name: Nord Drivessytems 

Headquarters: Bargteheide, Germany 

Turnover: approx. €450 m (Nord-Group) 

Employees: more than 3000 worldwide 

Products: Geared motors, industrial gear units, 

motors, frequency inverters, motor starters 

in-house production. Solu-tions for cranes 

and trolleys feature a wide choice of gear 

ratios. The manufacturer supplies two or 

three-stage designs with a hollow or solid 

shaft as required. Users can choose 

between models with a foot mount, flange 

models, and shaft-mounted models. All 

types are equipped with the same spacesaving 

housing, which allows for easy integration. 

Though motors used in cranes and 

trolleys often operate around the clock, 

some loading facilities may also stand still 

for certain periods of time. The build 

standard of the drives ensures that normal 

operation can be resumed directly after 

even prolonged phases of this kind, without 

any special maintenance requirements. 

Moreover, all models are also available 

as explosion-protected (ATEX) 

versions if required. 

www.nord.com 

02 03 



Improving process control 

at Arab Potash Company 

Arab Potash Company (APC) is a major producer of potash, an essential 

mineral used for example in fertilizers. APC’s plant in Ghor Al Safi, approximately 

110 km south of Amman in Jordan, has been extended several 

times to increase and optimize production. Vacon AC drives have been 

used at the site since 2006 to control pumps and process equipment. 

The business relationship is growing continuously. 

extra mechanical stress on the parts. Pump 

control with Vacon AC drives also reduces 

energy consumption by 20 %. This is 

achieved by continuously adjusting the 

speed of the motor according to process 

requirements. The power required by the 

drive is proportional to the speed of the driven 

equipment. This means that even a small 

drop in speed leads to huge energy savings. 

Potash production at Arab Potash Company’s 

site in Ghor Al Safi began in 1983 

with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons. 

In 2012, APC produced 1.8 million tons of 

potash and aims at further increasing its 

annual capacity to 2.5 million tons. To 

achieve this, APC has both upgraded its existing 

production lines and built new ones, 

such as a cold crystallization plant. 

Variable speed drives supplied in the 

1990s by another manufacturer have been 

replaced with Vacon AC drives, and most of 

these are used to control pumps and other 

process equipment. Vacon has supplied to 

the site Vacon NXC, Vacon NXP and Vacon 

NXS drives in the range of 2.2 kW to 710 kW 

(400 V and 690 V) with an approximate installed 

power of 26 MW. All drives are in 

IP54 enclosures, which means that the 

drives can be installed in the process environment 

without any extra protection. The 

Profibus-DP protocol is used for communication. 

The deliveries also include dust 

filters, panel heaters, motor temperature 

protection modules, contactor units, line 

isolators and dU/dt filters. 

Optimum pump control and 

significant energy savings 

Put simply, the key process in the potash 

recovery at Ghor Al Safi involves pumping 

water (brine) from the Dead Sea into huge 

salt ponds and then, after solar evaporation, 

pumping the concentrated brine on to the 

processing plants to produce the final product, 

potassium chloride. 

The operation of these pumps is 

controlled by Vacon AC drives. Using the 

drives improves process control and enables 

optimum pump control, resulting in a 

steady flow and pressure. By accelerating 

the pump motors quickly but smoothly to 

their running speed, the drives help avoid 

Easy to operate and monitor 

Continuous monitoring of the process is 

important for the quality of the end product. 

“Vacon AC drives are reliable and easy 

to operate. They have extensive communication 

possibilities which enable us to have 

full control and to monitor the drives over 

the DCS and SCADA automation systems 

at all the plants,” says Mr. M Owadeh, 

Electrical & Instruments Manager, Arab 

Potash Company. 

APC’s strategy is to rely on strategic long 

term associations, geographical advantages 

and high quality service. Cooperation 

between Arab Potash Company and Vacon 

started in 2006 when the companies signed a 

contract for high power drives worth more 

than one million euros. In 2011 and 2012, the 

companies signed several other contracts. 

Vacon’s long term partner in Jordan, 

Younes Khader Trading, has provided technical, 

commissioning and after sales 



01 Arab Potash Company’s Ghor Al 

Safi site is located 110 kilometers 

south of Amman and 200 kilometers 

north of Aqaba in Jordan 

What is Potash? 

Potash refers to a group of potassium 

(K) bearing minerals and chemicals. 

The compound, Potassium Chloride 

(KCL), refers to a naturally occurring, 

pink, salty mineral. KCL is the dominating 

mineral in the world potash 

market. Potash is an important 

mineral used in the fertilizer industry, 

which plays a significant role in 

producing more and more high-quality 

agricultural products for the world’s 

growing population. 

support locally. Younes Khader is Vacon’s 

authorized service centre and provides 

repair facilities, spare parts and training. 

Mr. Mohammad Y. Khader, General Manager 

of the company says: “We have been 

working with Vacon for the past 15 years 

and are pleased to say that this long-term 

partnership has resulted in having loyal 

customers such as APC, which has 

approved Vacon as their variable speed AC 

drives supplier. Keeping in stock Vacon 

variable speed AC drives up to 355 kW and 

spare parts for drives up to 710 kW, and 

offering 24-hour service have a great impact 

in the area where the customer’s needs 

are served immediately.” 

As the result of years of cooperation, 

mutual trust among the partners is strong. 

“Thanks to the high quality of the Vacon 

variable speed AC drives and the qualified 

Vacon service centre with training facilities 

available nearby, we recommend Vacon AC 

drives for our coming projects and for our 

OEM suppliers, such as FLSmidth which 

supplies us with harvesters from the USA,” 

says Mr. M Owadeh, Electrical & Instruments 

Manager, Arab Potash Company. 

Ismo Korhonen, Vacon’s Regional Sales 

Director for the Gulf Region, is very 

honored by the long-term cooperation with 

Arab Potash Company. “Our first agreement 

with Arab Potash Company in 2006 

was an excellent breakthrough for us, 

particularly in the Middle East region, and 

an indication of the trust that customers 

have in us and our products. We are 

extremely glad that APC has chosen us as 

their AC drives supplier and that our business 

relationship is today continuing to 

grow positively,” he says. 

Vacon has had a presence in the United 

Arab Emirates since 2005, with its office 

located in the Dubai Airport Free Zone, the 

region’s premier free zone destination. It 

has a Regional Service & Training Centre in 

the UAE and provides efficient services and 

support to all its clients in the Middle East, 

either directly or through well-established 

service partners. 

Photographs: iStockphoto.com/hildr and courtesy of 

Arab Potash Company 

www.vacon.com 

02 The Vacon 

AC drives 

reduces energy 

consumption 

by 20 

About 

Company name: Vacon PLC 

Headquarters: Vaasa, Finland 

Turnover: 403.0 million Euros 

Employees: approx. 1,600 worldwide 

Products: AC drives, solar inverters, wind 

power converter 



Innovation in Packaging applications 

with Motion Control 

Mitsubishi Electric manufactures its own technologies in robotics, CNC and general motion control, something 

which very few other manufacturers can match. Combining this capability with unmatched service results in 

control solutions enabling the construction of the highest quality machines and systems. 

ll these technologies can be seamlessly 

A integrated onto one single controller 

platform, the Melsec iQ Platform, combining 

a PLC CPU with a robot CPU and a 

motion CPU, along with an MES IT module 

to provide direct connection to higher level 

business systems such as SAP – an integrated 

solution that is unique throughout 

the industry. What were once simply individual 

control components become fully 

integrated systems with synchronised 

scanning cycles. 

Recently introduced products include 

the new MR-J4 series of servo-drives and 

matched servomotors, with features such 

as a 22-bit absolute encoder, a frequency 

response of 2.5 kHz, and the inclusion of a 

double vibration suppression filter. These 

features help machinery manufacturers to 

develop machines with reduced positioning 

times and reduced cycle times, meeting 

the production requirements of customers. 

Greater production flexibility is a further 

requirement, which translates into an 

increased number of axes to be controlled. 

To meet this need, Mitsubishi Electric uses 

a full duplex 150 Mbps fibre optic bus, 

which simplifies connection and commissioning 

and permits multi-axis co-ordination 

in synchronous machines, allowing the 

control of up to 96 axes with the Q173DS 

controllers. 

Innovation in packaging 

solutions 

For example packaging machine manufacturer 

PKS develops end-of-line solutions 

that meet the latest market requirements. In 

the ten years since its formation, PKS has 

built its reputation on constant innovation, 

meeting customer requirements for 

production lines that meet the needs of ever 

changing markets, where companies face 

an ongoing challenge to develop new products 

and styles of packaging. This is true not 

only in primary packaging, but also and 

perhaps more importantly in secondary 

packaging and palletisation. 

PKS offers turnkey systems including packing 

and pack/box conveyors, underside distributors 

with and without pressure, balers, 

tray fillers, wrap around box fillers, mosaic 

formers, palletisers, pallet conveyor shuttles, 

pallet conveyors and elevators. Antonio Corpas, 

General Manager of Packaging Del Sur 

S.L., Villafranca, Spain, comments, “One of 

the keys of our success is the integration of 

advanced drive control systems from Mitsubishi 

Electric, which enable our machines 

to provide reliability, flexibility and speed.” 

Extended reliability 

When considering the issue of reliability, 

PKS places special emphasis on extending 

the useful life of the machine, and this can 

be easily appreciated in the dimensioning 

and choice of the components. For example: 



01 Packaging machine manufacturer PKS develops end-of-line 

solutions that meet the latest market requirements 

02 One of the keys to its success is the integration of advanced drive 

control systems from Mitsubishi Electric 

n Chains with rollers in the links for robust 

anchorage of power elements (folding 

fingers in box fillers, box, tray, pack 

conveyors, palletizer shutter rollers, etc.). 

n A Mitsubishi Electric servomotor for each 

axis, with grease-free stainless steel planetary 

gearboxes and pressure couplings. 

The mechanical components are simplified 

and the use of pneumatics is confined 

to secondary or safety functions. 

n The basic construction of the machines is 

in stainless steel. 

n Simple maintenance, with all the components 

being standard and easy to source 

from market. Programming of the drives 

is carried out from the central Mitsubishi 

Electric Q-Motion controller, enabling the 

operator to replace one damaged servo 

drive with a new one, just by setting a 

switch in the front panel display. 

The backward compatibility of Mitsubishi 

Electric products and their worldwide 

presence supports the key demands of PKS. 

For example, the new MR-J4 series servos 

can be configured in exactly the same way 

as the current MR-J3 series. 

Flexibility at every level 

From an innovation point of view, flexibility 

is of the greatest importance, impacting on 

the design of every aspect of the machine, 

both in hardware and especially in software. 

As an example, the PKS IBER60C wrap 

around box filler has 16 absolute Mitsubishi 

Electric servomotors with angular planetary 

gearboxes, which control the process from 

the separation of entry lines and gathering 

of products into groups to the filling of the 

box, folding or the optional fitting of a cover. 

Thanks to a form type interface on the 

integrated 10.4” touch screen, the user can 

control the different machine formats. 

Adjustment in operation is also possible, for 

example by de-phasing the corresponding 

axis and memorising the change, without 

needing to stop or to empty the machine. 

In the development of the machine, PKS 

addressed the requirements of a wide range 

of packaging formats, ranging from 3x2 

groups of 1 litre cartons to ½ pallet trays 

(800 x 600 mm) with 185 mm flaps. PKS can 

even look at repurposing existing machines 

at a customer’s plant, for example by converting 

a “tray filler” (tray only) into a “wrap 

around” so as to be able to pack with it a low 

tray, high tray, open box, open box with 

“cover” and “wrap around” box. A heat 

shrink film and tunnel module can also be 

included in order to configure a “COMBI” 

version. Staggered grouping on open trays 

with high production is also possible. 

Speed and productivity 

When we talk about the speed of a machine, 

what we are looking at is its production 

capacity. Of course this means a high production 

speed, but also a minimum changeover 

time from one product to another. PKS 

has developed both to high levels, and is 

keen to stress that the true cost of the machine 

is a relation between price and productivity. 

The use of motor control technologies 

has a very large effect on the 

denominator, whilst it does not have as high 

a relative impact on the numerator, so that 

in practice the cost of a 30 boxes/minute 

box filler does not differ greatly from one 

offering 60 boxes/minute. 

The PKS ALCO PAL F Palletiser System 

consists of a mosaics grouper with eight 

Mitsubishi Electric servomotors and a handling 

capacity of 90 packs per minute. The 

grouper has the capacity to move and to 

rotate each pack as a function of the layer 

mosaic, while it accompanies the product 

with an electronic synchronous coupling 

system. This is followed by the palletizer 

which has seven Mitsubishi Electric servomotors 

and can handle up to eight layers 

per minute. The line production rate can be 

estimated with these details, but what about 

the impact of the changeover time for different 

formats? On many machines, that could 

be considerable downtime, which impacts 

on overall productivity. By contrast, on the 

PKS machines, the change is simply made 

by the operator from the HMI screen. 

www.eu3a.mitsubishielectric.com 

Company name: Mitsubishi Electric 

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan 

Turnover: $ 39,3 bn 

Employees: 124,000 worldwide 

About 


An intelligent electric taxi 

for tropical megacities 

Stefanie Reiffert, Ulrich Huber 

Particularly in Africa and Asia, the search for work is bringing more 

and more people to urban centers. The infrastructure of such cities 

needs to be adapted to the growing number of inhabitants. 

Author: Stefanie Reiffert, Technische Universität 

München, Media Relations, Munich, Germany 

Ulrich Huber, Project Manager, Sensor-Technik 

Wiedemann GmbH, Kaufbeuren, Germany 

Car exhaust fumes on the overcrowded 

streets are major contributors to the 

high level of air pollution in these large 

cities, while noise pollution places an 

enormous burden on people. For these 

reasons, there is a great need for efficient 

and clean transportation systems. 

Vehicles that are powered by an electric 

motor could be the solution to many of the 

problems caused by the transport infrastructure 

in megacities. These vehicles 

have no emissions and their motors are 

extremely quiet. 

Researchers from the Singapore-based 

TUM CREATE have developed an electric 

taxi that has been specially tailored to the 


Measurement and Control 

01 Battery Management System including main switch and power measurement 

02 The battery has a capacity of 50 kilowatt-hours, of which 

35 kilowatt-hours are needed for the quick recharge 

requirements of tropical megacities. TUM 

CREATE is a joint research program of the 

Technische Universität München (TUM), 

Germany, and the Nanyang Technological 

University (NTU), and receives strong 

support from the National Research Foundation 

in Singapore. It is part of the “Campus 

for Research Excellence And Technological 

Enterprise” (CREATE) 

Program. 

The EVA project of TUM 

CREATE was launched in late 

2011 with the aim of developing 

an electric taxi, specifically 

for use in Singapore. 

After two years, the team 

was able to present the 

prototype at the 43 rd Tokyo 

Motor Show in 2013. 

Taxis as role model 

Singapore, a city-state in South- 

East Asia, is home to approximately 

5.3 million people and has a total land 

area of 712.4 square kilometers. One’s 

own car is associated with high costs in 

Singapore. For this reason, most people 

use the city’s sophisticated public transportation 

network to get from one place to 

another. Any gaps in the system are filled 

by the approximately 27,700 taxis in the 

city, which generally only make short trips. 

Although taxis make up less than three percent 

of Singapore’s vehicles, they account 

for 15 % of all trips taken in the city. Many 

taxis operate 24 hours a day, traveling an 

average of 520 kilometers during this period 

of time. 

Until now, the state of the art was such 

that electrically powered vehicles were only 

partially suitable for use as a taxi. Their 

reach was very limited, and battery charging 

could take up to eight hours. For taxi 

companies, whose vehicles sometimes 

operate continuously around the clock, 

such a vehicle would simply not be an 

option. 

Battery management 

system for safety 

The researchers developed a quick-charge 

system for EVA. The battery has a capacity 

of 50 kilowatt-hours, of which 35 kilowatthours 

are needed for the quick recharge. 

The battery is designed to be charged to 

70 % in 15 minutes, which means enough 

energy to travel a distance of at least 

200 kilometers. 

A voltage of up to 450 volts and a current 

of up to 360 amperes are applied during the 

charging process, which generates heat in 

the battery. To prevent this from affecting 

the service life of the lithium-polymer battery, 

the researchers developed a cooling 

system that comprises three different components. 

An active water cooling system and 

a climate compressor keep the temperature 

in the 216 pouch bag cells low. Furthermore, 

the cells are coated with a phase change 

material that behaves much like wax: if the 

temperature rises, the material becomes 

liquid and absorbs the excess energy. 

For safety reasons a battery management 

system (BMS) from the company Sensor- 

Technik Wiedemann (Germany) is 

installed. The BMS constantly measures the 

voltage and temperature of the lithiumpolymer 

cells and additionally monitors 

battery current and the insulation resistance. 

The BMS uses the measured data to 

calculate precisely the battery’s current 

charge level and power abilities. 

An electric motor drives the front wheels 

of EVA. The TUM CREATE team limited the 

power of the motor to 60 kilowatts so that it 

would be in line with the requirements of 

urban traffic. The speed limit in Singapore is 

90 kilometers per hour. 

Energy-efficient 

It goes without saying that a taxi without 

air-conditioning would not be conceivable 

in Singapore. However, to save energy, 

researchers have developed a zone-based 

air-conditioning system for EVA. Each seat 

in the vehicle has its own zone in which the 

cooling can be regulated. 

As yet, EVA is still only a prototype. TUM 

CREATE is looking for partners from the 

automotive industry to be able to implement 

this project. 

www.sensor-technik.de/en 

www.eva-taxi.sg 

www.tumcreate.edu.sg 

About 

Company name: STW Technic LP 

Headquarters: Kaufbeuren GERMANY 

Employees: approx. 400 

Established: 1985 

Products: controllers, I/O modules, sensors, 

measurement technology, hybrid technology, 

teleservices 


Machine elements 

Increased performance 


Patrick Scherr 

For more than ten years now, X-life bearings has been the seal of quality for particularly 

high-performance products from the INA and FAG brands. Now Schaeffler has optimized 

its product range. But what are the benefits? 

Author: Patrick Scherr, Director Program 

Management X-life, Schaeffler Technologies 

GmbH & Co. KG, Schweinfurt, Germany 

X-life products are characterized by 

significantly higher dynamic load 

ratings than previous standard products. 

The catalog range is continuously being 

expanded through the addition of new and 

performance-optimized X-life bearings that 

allow customers’ requirements to be 

fulfilled and the overall efficiency of 

machines and equipment to be increased. 

More and more catalog products are thus 

being replaced by their X-life versions. 

Optimized design 

Under the same operating conditions, the 

operating life of X-life bearings is signifi- 

cantly longer or, alternatively, higher loads 

can be applied while maintaining the same 

rating life values. These state-of-the-art 

manufacturing technologies enable a better 

and more uniform surface over the whole 

contact zone between the rolling elements 

and raceway. The internal construction is 

designed for optimum functionality using 

state-of-the-art analysis and evaluation 

methods which ensures optimized contact 

surface geometry and more even internal 

load distribution inside the bearing. As a 

result, there is a reduction in the stress conditions 

present on the rolling elements and 

mating track under identical load. This produces 

a higher dynamic load rating, longer 



nominal rating life, less friction, lower bearing 

temperatures as well as a reduction in 

the strain placed on the lubricant. 

Tests have confirmed that optimizing 

bearing positions with X-life bearings allows 

the overall cost-effectiveness of the relevant 

application to be improved. The hydraulic 

system used in wheel loader travel drives 

with a power transfer unit, hydraulic pumps, 

motors, and innumerable rolling and plain 

bearing positions is one example: The overall 

efficiency of this application can be 

increased by up to two percent. For a wheel 

loader with 140 kW drive power, this means 

a total saving of around 9 kW. With 1,000 

wheel loaders in service, operated for 

around eight hours a day, this gives an annual 

savings potential of approximately 

26,000 MWh, in other words a financial 

saving of around five million Euros and a 

CO 2 

saving of around 16,000 tons. In addition, 

optimization using X-life bearings 

ultimately means that the hydraulic pumps 

and motors that are used can be designed 

one size smaller. 

For a longer bearing life 

Thanks to X-life quality, radial insert ball 

bearings and housing units for applications 

in agriculture, the food processing and packaging 

industry, and in textile machines also 

benefit from a 15 % increase in bearing life, 

an expanded application temperature range 

of -40 °C to 180 °C, and a high level of anticorrosion 

protection through the use of 

Corrotect N coating. An improved locking 

collar design also means higher clamping 

forces and thus secures better seating on the 

shaft, thanks to optimized geometry and 

improved material properties. Reliable seals 

keep the high-quality bearing grease inside 

the bearing and prevent the ingress of contamination 

and moisture. This increases the 

durability of the bearing and thus extends 

the operating life of the machine. 

For increased robustness 

FAG axial and radial spherical roller bearings 

in X-life quality are characterized by 

increased robustness, load carrying capacity, 

lower friction levels, and greater efficiency 

in addition to a longer rating and operating 

life. They are used where very high loads 

have to be supported and shaft deflections 

or bearing seat misalignments have to be 

compensated. 

01 Over the last few decades, the ongoing technical development of rolling bearings has 

led to a significant increase in their dynamic load ratings 

The design measures mean that on average, 

FAG radial spherical roller bearings 

have a 50 % higher limiting speed and allow 

the dynamic load rating to be increased by 

15 % and the nominal rating life by 60%. 

Thanks to the design of the rollers which is 

characterized by an enlarged load-bearing 

contact surface. At the same time, however, 

the convex form of the roller end faces ensures 

a low-friction contact between the 

rollers and the lip. 

Improved performance offered by FAG 

axial spherical roller bearings was made 

possible by changes to their geomewtry that 

increase the load rating, such as longer rollers 

and larger roller diameters. The rolling 

partners’ improved surfaces ensure that a 

lubricant film with an even higher load carrying 

capacity is formed, while improved osculation 

conditions and additional profiling 

optimize the rolling contact. This increases 

the dynamic load rating by 30 %, reduces 

friction and more than doubles the rating 

life. 

For higher performance 

In addition to reducing energy consumption, 

the technical optimization using 

X-life increases the dynamic load rating 

which, at approximately 10 %, is significantly 

higher than the values achieved by 

previous bearing designs. This in turn 

increases the nominal operating life by up 

to 33 %. As a result, the axial angular contact 

ball bearings have a longer operating 

life under the same operating conditions. 

Alternatively, the bearing support can be 

subjected to correspondingly higher loads 

while maintaining the same operating life. 

Design engineers thus have additional 

options for designing the bearing support. 

In addition to the improvements made to 

the surfaces, the bearing ring material also 

undergoes a special heat treatment process. 

This makes the raceways of the inner and 

outer rings more resistant to solid particles 

and mixed friction. This in turn extends the 

operating life of the lubricating grease, as 

the strain placed on the lubricant is 

reduced. This heat treatment measure thus 

means that the operating life of bearings in 

X-life quality is significantly longer compared 

to that of standard bearings and competitors’ 

bearings. The significant improvement 

in the performance of the bearing 

support increases its overall cost-effectiveness, 

which means the customer benefits 

from a better price-performance ratio. 

For efficiency with downsizing 

INA’s-D needle roller bearings in X-life 

quality feature a newly developed, profiled 

steel cage produced by optimized forming 

methods that allows a significantly higher 



02 03 

04 05 

02 INA radial insert ball bearings and housing units 

03 The performance increase offered by FAG radial spherical roller bearings in X-life quality 

is achieved through a new bearing design 

04 INA axial angular contact ball bearings in X-life quality for screw drives 

05 INA’s -D machined needle roller bearings in X-life quality feature a newly developed, 

profiled steel cage produced by optimized forming methods 

load carrying capacity to be achieved. The 

cage is designed that the number of needle 

rollers and the needle roller length can be 

increased while maintaining the same bearing 

dimensions. The larger number of rolling 

elements and the increase in their loadbearing 

length means that the load ratings 

of new -D needle roller bearings in X-life 

quality are up to 25 % higher. The bearings 

installed in the same mounting space can be 

subjected to significantly higher loads. 

Viewed another way, the new -D needle roller 

bearings in X-life quality open up new design 

options for downsizing, i.e. a reduction 

in the size of machines and units while 

maintaining the same performance. For example: 

The X-life needle roller bearing 

NK20/16-D with a bore diameter of 20 mm 

and a width of 16 mm corresponds to the existing 

X-life needle roller bearing NK26/16 

with a bore diameter of 26 mm in terms of 

load carry capacity. If the new bearing is 

used for downsizing, the section height of 

the bearing is reduced by 15 %, the weight 

by 20 % and the friction by 30 % while maintaining 

the same load carrying capacity. 

www.schaeffler.com 

About 

Company name: Schaeffler Technologies 

Brands: INA, LuK and FAG 

Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany 

Turnover: € 11,2 bn (2013) 

Employees: over 79,000 worldwide 

Products: Rolling bearing and plain bearing 

solutions, linear and direct drive technology, 

as well as high-precision products for the 

automotive industry 


NORD DRIVESYSTEMS | Intelligent Drivesystems, Worldwide Services 

Intralogistics specialist 

Frequency Inverter 

■ Scalable functionality 

■ Full fieldbus connectivity 

■ Wide power range 

Please visit us! 

PTC SHANGHAI 

Hall E1 Stand B1 

27–30 October 2014 

Gear Unit 

■ High efficiency 2-stage bevel design 

■ High power density 

■ Long service life 

Motor 

■ Designed to global standards 

■ High overload capacity 

■ Wide voltage range 

intralogistics.nord.com 

Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co. KG 

Tel: +49 (0) 45 32 / 289 - 0 

info@nord.com 

Member of the NORD DRIVESYSTEMS Group

Machine Elements 

Glide or roll? 


and linear plain 


Stefan Niermann 

As with all bearings in linear technology, the same basic 

distinction is made between two bearing types: gliding and 

roller bearings. The latter type is often named ball bearings 

after the main individual type within the group. Thanks to 

innovative high-performance plastics, today’s plain bearings 

can manage without lubrication, hence are particularly 

suitable for demanding applications. 

Author: Stefan Niermann, Head of the 

drylin Linear and Drive Technology Division, 

Igus GmbH, Cologne, Germany 

In historical terms, plain bearings are the 

simplest and oldest type of bearing. The 

ancient Egyptians transported the stones 

for their pyramids on slides which were 

drawn over special hardened transport 

ramps and lubricated with a mixture of 

sludge and water. Contact surface as well 

as slide and ropes acted as a guide for 

straight, translative movement. This 

ancient principle is still basically applicable 

for tool guidance in modern machine 

and plant construction. The large contact 

surface guaranteed a high static loadbearing 

capacity; at the same time it 

meant enormous resistance to movement 

which could only be overcome by the 

mass use of human and animal tractive 

force. 

When the industrial revolution came 

along, plain bearings and roller bearings 

made of metal became increasingly important. 

The development of roller bearings 

was based on reducing friction and thus the 

motive force required. The surfaces were 

reduced to point contact, and low-friction 

guiding of shafts or axles was achieved. 

Heat development was also able to be 

reduced thanks to the reduction in friction. 

At the same time, wear and lubricant 

requirements were lower compared to plain 

bearings. An elementary component of all 

roller bearings is the so-called roll body. 

Roll bodies are usually balls made of steel. 

In the case of linear ball bearings the roll 

bodies are moved in races in an axial orbit. 

In the linear direction, the load is always 

passed on through the inner ball race 

whereas the load on the outer race is 

reduced against the movement. As a general 

rule, it can be said that the more balls are 

used, the greater the load-bearing capacity 

Mutual ball contact requires ball bearings 

to be permanently lubricated. This makes 

them susceptible to maintenance and particularly 

sensitive to soiling and humidity, 


which is why they are often fitted with cover 

and sealing plates. The inner ball and cage 

structure also makes them relatively prone 

to external impact and vibration. Consequently, 

they are neither smooth-running 

nor quiet. The inertia of the balls also reduces 

the possible speed of operation. All in all, 

however, ball bearings were a significant 

technical innovation which remained the 

best alternative until special materials 

made plain bearings the better performing 

bearing variant, and the original disadvantages 

– namely lubrication and maintenance 

requirements – were turned into an 

advantage of plain bearings. 

The potential of 

plastic technology 

The development of high-performance 

plastics opened up new opportunities in the 

field of plain bearings as well. Tribologically 

optimised material components now 

permit the production of polymer plain 

bearings which do without lubrication 

completely. Glide elements and counterrotation 

partners made of tribo-plastics 

possess optimum wear and friction coefficient 

characteristics. In contrast to metal 

bearings, which are prone to corrosion and 

thus need constant oiling or greasing in 

outdoor applications in particular, plastic 

bearings are suitable for universal use. They 

are resistant to humidity and heat in equal 

measure. Systems such as packaging 

machines which are equipped with polymer 

plain bearings benefit from the long 

service life and high wear resistance of the 

plastics. Expensive maintenance stoppages 

or machine failure are no longer a problem. 

Polymer bearings in 

linear technology 

As an example, the technical advantage of 

polymer plain bearings (also known as slide 


Machine Elements 

01 Drylin linear plain bearings glide on 

high-performance plastics 

02 Sand, dust or other foreign particles cannot stick to the plain 

bearings so these have no problems, however difficult the conditions 

bushes) over ball bearings (ball linings) can 

be illustrated in the field of linear and drive 

technology. Thanks to the larger contact 

surface and lower surface pressure, softer 

shaft or axle materials (e.g. aluminium or 

carbon fibre) can be used, one of the advantages 

of which is further weight reduction. 

Since there is no mechanical rolling of 

hard friction partners and no collision of 

roll bodies, the gliding movement causes 

much less noise and vibration. Stringing 

guide rails together to make even larger 

stroke lengths possible is also much easier 

using linear plain bearings, because the 

glide element grooves can be moved over 

much more easily than by balls. One important 

material-related disadvantage of all 

roller bearings is the restriction of permissible 

speeds and accelerations. The maximum 

values are limited, particularly with 

low loads. In contrast, polymer slide bushes 

have high gliding speeds and accelerations, 

and significantly increase cycle times in 

numerous applications. However, the most 

important trump card is service life. Bearings 

made of high-performance polymers 

are often more durable than a conventional 

ball bearing could ever be. In addition, the 

service life can be calculated by various 

programs. In the past few years, enormous 

progress has been made in terms of precision 

and friction values. Plastic plain bearings 

are now being used in numerous areas 

of application where conventional ball 

linings were previously used. 

For sensitive application fields 

Maintenance- and lubricant-free linear 

plain bearings such as the Igus drylin range 

are already in use in numerous industries 

thanks to their performance spectrum. In 

production processes which make special 

demands on robustness and insensitivity 

against environmental influences such as 

humidity, chemicals or dirt, systems with 

polymer linear plain bearings can be 

offered as the ideal solution – from profile 

rails through to complete linear axes. 

One of the first uses for self-lubricating 

and innovative plain bearing technology 

was in the wood and furniture industry, 

where the combination of wood dust and 

traditional lubricants caused expensive 

production downtimes. Guides jammed or 

glide partners became fused and then 

cracked apart again due to a lack of lubrication 

(so-called “seizure”). Igus was one of 

the first plastics specialists to take up this 

challenge, and developed linear plain 

bearings which stand out on account of 

their low-friction dry running properties. 

In the meantime, the advantages of the 

drylin technology supplied by Igus have 

paved the way for use in much more sensitive 

application fields. Complete linear units 

are installed in sensitive hygienic areas such 

as medical technology and the food industry, 

in clean room technology and in high-temperature 

systems, and guarantee a soilingresistant 

and reliable drive that even makes 

high speeds and minimum running noise 

possible. The drylin systems also have design 

advantages over competitive products. Igus 

is the only supplier to offer glide elements 

with integrated dirt channels, for example, 

which strip the dirt particles off the guide 

track and route them through the bearing, 

preventing pressure build-up in front of the 

bearing. And the gliding films can be 

replaced easily and at low cost wherever a 

high degree of soiling and wear makes this 

necessary. Competitors whose linear plain 

bearings do not have such dirt channels and 

who emphasise the larger contact surfaces of 

their products are neglecting the load caused 

by dirt and dust deposits. Unlike them, Igus 

researchers use their in-house laboratory 

facilities to look for the optimum ratio 

between surface pressure and reliable 


03 Since the gliding film is not made up of one surface 

foreign bodies such as swarf can be displaced easily, so 

that the plain bearing can run perfectly smoothly 

04 With plain bearings, the force is 

distributed over more points compared 

to roller bearings 

Pros and cons - linear plain bearings/ ball bearings for linear technology 

Polymer linear plain bearings 


+ high static load-bearing capacity + low-friction 

+ high speeds possible + low-wear 

+ wear-resistant (tribo-polymers) + low heat development 

+ impact-resistant + precise running 

+ lower surface pressure (allows the use - afflicted by vibration 

of "soft" shafts and non-hardened 

counter-rotation partners) 

+ large stroke lengths possible - afflicted by noise 

+ weight-reduced - constant lubrication required 

+ low-vibration - prone to impact 

+ low-noise - restricted speed 

+ maintenance-free - prone to corrosion 

+ lubrication-free - prone to soiling 

+ resistant to dirt and environment - prone to environmental influences 

(humidity, heat, chemicals) 

+ long service life - maintenance-prone 

- not precise enough yet 

- greater movement resistance 

- friction values can be minimised further 

= cost-efficient = cost-inefficient 

running – in the sense of production costs. 

Linear bearing technology has made significant 

progress. For a long time, ball linings 

were the ultimate for linear drives. However, 

low-friction high-performance plastics 

have set a new standard in terms of lubricant 

and maintenance freedom. Slide bushes 

are easier to use and more reliable in 

operation, which, in the final analysis, also 

makes them cheaper. For this reason, 

modern polymer plain bearings are the 

clear winners on points in the “glide versus 

roll” discussion. 

www.igus.com 

About 

Company name: igus 

Established: 1964 

Headquarters: Cologne, Germany 

Turnover: €427 m 

Employees: 2,400 worldwide 

Products: motion plastics, plastic components 

for moving applications: energy chain systems, 

cables, polymer bearings, linear bearings, lowcost-automation 


Product News 

Sinochron motors ensure increased 

effectiveness in intralogistics 

The Sinochron motors by ABM 

Greiffenberger take into account 

the increasing demands for 

effective intralogistics solutions. 

The highly dynamic motors operate 

while saving energy and have excellent 

control features. In the field of intralogistics, 

more than two thirds of drives are 

operated in the partial load range. This 

means that the torque provided by the motor is 

required only briefly to fully start the load. Subsequently, the 

drives usually run at only 20 to 30 % of the nominal load. This is 

precisely the feature that makes the Sinochron drive stand out. 

The crucial element is a permanent-magnet synchronous 

motor, which has almost no rotor losses. The high efficiency of 

the drive, especially in the partial load range, is also due to the 

use of high-quality magnets made of neodymium-iron-boron, 

which prevent rotor losses. Additional features of ABM 

development include high power density and a related smaller 

construction volume compared to asynchronous motors. 

The structurally simple and therefore robust construction, as 

well as the elimination of the mechanical speed sensor and 

wiring, make the Sinochron motor reliable even under harsh 

ambient conditions, such as in refrigerated warehouses. 

www.abm-antriebe.com 

Performance expansion 

at servo terminals 

With the servo terminal EL7211, the EtherCAT 

I/O-system now additionally offers a complete 

servo amplifier with up to 4.5 ARMS output current 

that is integrated in the 24-mm terminal housing. 

The EtherCAT 

terminal is 

available with an 

integrated 

resolver interface 

or with the 

single-cable 

solution OCT. 

Specifically in 

connection with 

the new servo 

motors AM811x, 

this leads to a 

highly compact, high-performance and cost-efficient 

servo system. The servo motor EtherCAT 

terminal EL7211, with integrated resolver interface, 

offers high drive output in a very compact build for 

Beckhoff motors of the AM31xx and AM81xx series. 

Placed in a 24-mm terminal housing, at up to 

4.5 ARMS and 50 V DC it provides a higher output 

than the tried and tested 12 mm wide servo 

terminal EL7201 at 2.8 ARMS. 

www.beckhoff.com 

Diagonally interlocked 

premium gears in IP65 

B&R Industrie-Elektronik (Austria) expand 

their premium gear construction series with 

two models with diagonal interlock: the 8GP70 

series with shaft output and the 8GF70 series 

with drive flange. Features of the new series 

include good constant operation properties 

and low noise at higher speeds, as well as a low 

twist tolerance that is available in a low-play 

option (

Lasts longer. 

Get more value out of your machines and equipment. 

Higher dynamic load ratings: the key advantage of Schaeffler rolling bearings 

and linear products that bear the X-life seal of quality. For product designs that 

deliver higher performance and machines that operate more cost-effectively, 

we invite you to choose from our extensive line of X-life products. 

X times longer service life 

X times greater load-carrying capacity 

X times more efficient use of space 

schaeffler.com/X-life

Product News 

Faulhaber expands its family 

of stepper motors 

With the new FDM0620 series, 

Faulhaber presents a stepper 

motor with minimal size: 

contained in a housing 

measuring just 9.7 mm in 

length and 6 mm in diameter 

are all components (including 

the connections). With this 

series, the company expands its 

family of stepper motors in the 

diameter range from 6 to 22 mm 

with another member. With a holding 

torque rating of 0.25 mNm and a dynamic torque of up to 

0.2 mNm, these stepper motors are predestined for 

applications in which high power is required in a small 

space – such as with portable devices. The open-loop 

operation enables fast implementation, the holding torque 

rating and the precise angular accuracy make this product 

the ideal solution for applications in optics, photonics and 

medical technology. The flex PCB system is suitable both for 

LIF plugs with grid dimensions of 0.5 and 1.0 mm as well as 

for wiring via lead wires. A wide selection of metric lead 

screws for linear movements as well as a planetary gearhead 

with various reduction ratios round out the configuration 

options of the FDM0620 series. 

www.faulhaber.com 

Reiff toothed belts and toothed pulleys: 

perfectly matched to each other 

The transmission accuracy, smooth running and service life of 

toothed belt drives are crucially determined by the precise 

interaction between belts and synchronous pulleys. Reiff does 

not only supply the optimal pulley for toothed belts from a 

single source; as a member of the Mulco association, the 

company is particularly 

involved in promoting 

innovation in the field 

of drive technology, 

and can therefore 

always provide 

cutting-edge solutions 

for its customers. 

For example, when low 

tolerances are needed 

for the run-out of the 

toothed belt, Reiff’s 

drive specialists select the appropriate solution from a variety of 

proven solutions. In this way, products, e.g. film sheets, can be 

accurately guided through to the next manufacturing step. 

www.reiff-tp.de/en 

Roller bearings for industrial gears 

NKE (Austria) presents roller bearings for industrial gears that 

meet the requirements of efficiency and reliability in different 

industries, such as general engineering. One strength of the 

manufacturer is single-row cylinder roller bearings that permit 

near-unlimited applications. 

The bearings are 

suitable for high radial 

loads and medium to 

high speeds. Purest roller 

bearing steel ensures a 

long service life. The high 

surface quality of the 

treads lowers the 

operating temperature 

and reduces wear. 

Installation of the 

cylinder roller bearings is particularly simple, since the inner 

and outer rings can be installed separately. In addition to 

cylinder roller bearings, the company for industrial gears 

produces pendulum roller bearings, conical roller bearings, 

angular contact ball bearings and grooved ball bearings. 

www.nke.at/en 

Compact wire-actuated encoder 

SG150 by Siko with a long range 

The new SG150 wire-actuated encoder 

by Siko provides a compact design for 

a measurement range up to 15 m, even 

with a single-layer winding. The simple 

installation and management of the 

wire-actuated encoder facilitates 

simple, flexible integration of the 

measurement system into existing 

systems. Various interfaces and output 

signals enable connection to a wide range 

of control systems. The wire-actuated encoder 

offers a wide variety of potential applications by making 

it possible to fit various encoders, irrespective of which 

signal output is required. In this case, users are able to fit 

the encoder themselves using simple equipment. The 

SG150 also has the necessary standard features for 

outdoor use: a working temperature range of -40 to +80 °C, 

a robust aluminum die cast housing and drainage outlets. 

With the “Wire-Flex” technology, it is possible to ensure 

that the wear on the wire is kept to a minimum, even if it 

pulls out at an angle. The conical shape of the wire outlet 

and the plastic coated steel wire ensure that any deposits 

on the wire can be removed easily. Internally the wire is 

wound in a single layer on the measuring drum, which 

ensures a high degree of linearity over the entire measurement 

range. 

www.siko-global.com 


Fluid Power technology magazine 

Measurement 

and Control: 

Intelligent assistance 

system to support the 

start-up procedure of 

electro hydraulic drives 

Machine Elements: 

Lines conquer new 

performance areas 

Image: W.E.St., Niederkrüchten, Germany

Lines conquer 

new performance areas 

ContiTech is currently developing an 

acoustic hose that muffles noise from 

vehicle air conditioning systems, making 

expensive technical solutions like mufflers 

and tuned masses superfluous. Because 

today’s consumption-oriented, regulated 

air conditioning systems with efficiencyboosting 

IHE, and systems using electrical 

compressors in hybrid and electric vehicles, 

are producing more background noise, 

which can considerably reduce driving 

comfort. This is where ContiTech’s highly 

elastic acoustic hose comes in. It practically 

swallows the noise occurring on the suction 

side. A prerequisite for this is the flexible 

design and the good damping properties of 

the elastomers used. 

With the second generation of the internal 

heat exchanger (IHE), ContiTech has also 

succeeded in further increasing the efficiency 

of vehicle air conditioning systems. The new 

IHE consists of an internal and external pipe, 

both made of aluminum. Enclosed between 

them is a spiral, which ensures that the coolant 

stream coming from the opposite direction 

in the IHE no longer moves in a straight 

line, but in a spiral inside the internal pipe. 

This design principle ensures better heat 

transfer than with the previous solution but 

without worsening pressure losses on the 


MAchine Elements 

engine peripherals – for turbocharger cooling 

and lubrication, engine cooling or 

exhaust gas recirculation. Previously where 

steel braided or Teflon hoses where applied, 

ContiTech now uses very lightweight rubber 

hoses that have been adapted to the 

increasing temperatures in the engine environment. 

The coolant hoses are designed 

for temperatures up to 190 °C, for short periods 

even up to 210 °C. The oil hoses manage 

with a continuous temperature exposure of 

up to 230 °C, even up to 250 °C for short 

periods. In addition, these particularly 

media-resistant hoses are more flexible than 

previous hoses, enabling various hose installations 

through pre-forming, if necessary. 

The polyamide tube-hose combination 

developed by ContiTech for low-pressure 

applications in the constantly growing PA 

product portfolio also follows the trend 

toward weight and cost savings. ContiTech 

profits here from the process competence 

that the Fluid Technology business unit has 

appropriated in the area of synthetic material 

production. 

Electrically conductive fuel lines 

ContiTech Fluid Technology develops and manufactures 

high-performance hose lines – from exhaust cleaning to fuel 

transport to air conditioning solutions. The latest generation 

of ContiTech lines helps manufacturers of modern vehicles 

meet today’s challenges, such as weight and fuel savings. They 

have made inroads into new performance areas and are thus 

ideally suited to meet the challenges of the future. 

suction side. This makes air conditioning 

systems another 10 % more efficient than 

systems with a conventional IHE. Efficiency 

can even be increased by up to 30 % if a plastic 

insert is added to the inner tubing as well. 

In addition to the significant increase in 

performance, the second-generation IHE 

has another advantage: It weighs much less 

than the previous design made of two pieces 

of extruded aluminum tubing joined 

together. This means it adheres to the concept 

of lightweight construction and helps 

automotive manufacturers save on fuel and 

reduce emissions. 

Flexible generation of 

light construction 

The new generation of lightweight oil and 

coolant hoses is primarily used in the 

Electrically conductive fuel hoses have 

been used in series production in the automotive 

field for some time now. And this 

application is now becoming increasingly 

interesting for industrial vehicles as well – 

not least due to the relevant regulations in 

the U.S.A. The conductive inner liner made 

of FPM (fluoroelastomer) prevents a static 

load at high flow speeds. This can also be 

prevented if a wider line diameter is chosen 

to reduce relative speed. But because construction 

space is getting ever narrower, this 

is hardly a possibility anymore. 

The ultra-flexible fuel lines from Conti- 

Tech are suitable for gasoline, diesel, and 

biodiesel. They withstand operating temperatures 

from -40 °C through 150 °C. The 

hose cover is resistant to radiant heat of up 

to 150 °C and, for short periods of time, even 

175 °C. 

Development skills for 

future challenges 

A topic for the future, which ContiTech is 

already paying attention to today, is waste 

heat recovery. This involves using the 

exhaust heat to heat an additional medium 


MAchine Elements 

01 02 

03 04 

01 The acoustic hose for 

vehicle air conditioning 

systems muffles noise, thus 

making expensive technical 

solutions like mufflers and 

tuned masses superfluous 

02 The new lightweight 

generation of oil and coolant 

hoses from ContiTech are 

mainly used in the engine 

peripherals 

03 The electrically conductive 

fuel hose from ContiTech 

prevents static load at high 

flow speeds 

04 The versatile oil line 

exhibits shape stability and 

flexibility at the same time 

and feeding the resulting gas into the engine 

to assist the motor and thereby optimize 

fuel consumption. ContiTech is already 

developing hose lines especially for this 

application. 

Dual fuel, the combined injection of gas 

and diesel fuels, is another topic for the 

future that ContiTech is currently working 

on. The newest generation of fuel hoses provides 

the ideal basis for further development 

in this direction. The new Conti 

Tech elastomer fuel lines have been adapted 

to the ever increasing pressures and 

temperatures in engine compartments. 

They are currently stable up to an operating 

pressure of 35 bar and temperatures of up to 

135 °C. An increase to these parameters is 

currently being tested at ContiTech. 

The emerging trend, primarily in Europe 

and North America, of using alternative 

fuels is supported by ContiTech with hose 

lines for gases like CNG and LNG. So when 

it comes to lines for all media flow types, 

manufacturers are optimally equipped with 

solutions from ContiTech for current and 

future challenges in the industry. 

Safe power transmission 

Special vehicle manufacturer Scheuerle 

also knows this and is relying on ContiTech 

connection technology in its new Non 

Cassette Carrier. The vehicle, designed for 

transporting enormous sheet metal packages 

without pallets, is unique in the world 

and can transport cargo loads of up to 250 

tons, i.e. as many as 10 jumbo jets. Conti 

Tech fluid technology ensures safe power 

transmission between the individual elements. 

The reliable hydraulic couplings allow 

vehicles to become super transporters 

and supply external components with oil. 

The Non-Cassette Carrier is driven by a 

MAN 338 kW six-cylinder engine. A large 

number of ContiTech hoses and lines are 

used here also: the company supplies the 

resonator for the compressed air line, which 

stops noise from developing, hoses for the 

hot and cold side of the turbocharger, the 

air intake for the turbocharger, and the 

crankcase ventilation and coolant lines. 

Phtographs: Scheuerle and ContiTech 

www.contitech.de 

About 

Company name: ContiTech 

Business: Fluid Technology 

Headquarters: Hanover, Germany 

Turnover: € 3.9 bn 

Employees: 31,400 

Products: components like hoses, belts, mounts 

and systems for the automotive industry and 

other important industries 


ubrizierungsebebe 2 I rubrizierungsebene 

WE KEEP YOU 

AHEAD OF THE 

COMPETITION 

Julian Massler (21) 

Bronze medal at the 

Junior European Championships 2011 

Sponsered by ARGO-HYTOS 

Fluid power technology 

for success 

Innovations and intelligent system solutions combined 

with flexibility and productivity – ARGO HYTOS sets new 

standards in all areas of fluid power technology. 

We support young talents in sailing on their road to 

success. This is also the way our customers experience us: 

As an active partner – for more than 65 years. 

ARGO-HYTOS GMBH · Industriestrasse 9 · 76703 Kraichtal · Germany · Tel. + 49 7250 76-0 · info.de@argo-hytos.com · www.argo-hytos.com

Product News 

Smart Hydraulics Ready for Networking 

Automation experts agree: in increasingly networked production 

environments up to Industry 4.0, locally smart axes are the future, 

as long as they can communicate with superordinate systems via 

open interfaces. Rexroth meets this essential requirement with its 

new Hydraulic Motion Control HMC. The 1-axle controller for 

hydraulic drives fits seamlessly into many different concepts with 

multi-Ethernet and multi encoder 

interfaces as well as PLC programming 

according to IEC 61131-3 and 

is future-proof. 

The HMC by Rexroth opens up new 

networking options. With the local 

intelligence and multi-Ethernet 

interface, users can integrate the 

physical benefits of hydraulics, 

such as high power density and simple wear-free overload 

protection, into modern, future-proof machine concepts easily. 


Peeling machine meets high demands 

in hose technology 

The manufacturers continually expand their programmes and 

offer new hose types to account for the market demands. All 

areas of the industry, construction and agriculture thus pose 

increasingly high demands to the hose manufacturers. The 

hose peeling machine USM 125 by Uniflex permits peeling hose 

types from /8“ (DN 16) up to 4“ (DN 76). The peeling of the 

outer and inner layers on this machine takes place in a work 

step with specifically developed peeling and clamping tools. 

The carriage placed in front of this is used as a clamping device 

and creates the prerequisites for precise positioning of the hose 

yard goods, so that the work step can be performed precisely. 

The tool holders permit quick changing for different rated 

widths and hose types. The specifically polished peeling knives 

ensure smooth and clean peeling surfaces. 

www.uniflex-hydraulics.com 

Connecting hydraulic lines 

process- and leakage-protected 

High process safety, short assembly times and low 

system costs: these are the results that users achieve 

with the pipe screw connection Voss Form SQR in 

serial production. The system includes a socket, a 

sealing ring of elastomers and a nut with an integrated 

clamping ring. In comparison with a purely metal 

version, the soft seal increases leakage safety of the 

pipe connection. The components also increase 

pressure resilience and effectively prevent breakage of 

the pipe at the forming point. The manufacturer has 

precisely aligned the individual elements with each 

other, so that assembly is user-friendly and processsafe, 

as ensured by the fully automatic forming device 

Voss Form 100. The integrated stop unit ensures 

precise positioning of the pipe – even when the 

pre-material is not deburred correctly. Operation 

takes place intuitively and 

permits simple tool changes 

as well as safe forming. 

www.voss-fluid.de 

Brake module against squeaking 

Azimuth brakes 

The brake module of Hawe Hydraulik SE ensures that Azimuth 

brakes in wind turbines work silently. The occasional squeaking that 

annoys the local residents thus is a thing of the past. 

The Azimuth drives work against a small residual brake pressure 

when the nacelle is turned into the wind. It takes the tooth backlash 

from the drive and is set so that the Azimuth brakes will squeak as 

little as possible. In practice, there will still be annoying sounds, 

since the brake disc ring is not produced with an even thickness. If 

the brake linings move over irregular areas when the nacelle turns, 

this produces a swaying pressure in the brake system in the present 

solutions, leading to noise at the brakes. Hawe Hydraulik has now 

optimised the hydraulic circuit so that the residual brake pressure 

can be tracked and kept consistent dynamically. 

The function module and the previously separately installed interim 

plate with pressure control valve are 

integrated into a shared housing for this. 

This makes the module more compact and 

removes one flange area, which in turn 

reduces the assembly effort and 

increases operational safety. The 

function module contains 

valves for opening and closing 

of the brake, setting the 

residual maintenance pressure 

for realignment of the nacelle with the wind 

and flushing of the brake circuit in maintenance work. It contains a 

leakage-free 2-directional pressure control valve for setting the 

maximum admissible brake pressure and to size the pressure 

accumulator of the hydraulic unit as well as possible. 

www.hawe.com 


Precision 

of the highest degree 

Reduced emissions, lighter, more environmentally friendly – as a specialist in all types of hose lines, 

we open up new prospects with our innovative prowess when it comes to vehicle construction and 

mechanical engineering. Together with you, we develop hoses, lines, and custom-fit connections that 

are pioneering in the field of material and process engineering. Clean solutions for strong machines – 

from the idea to production readiness. ContiTech Fluid Technology. 

ContiTech. Engineering Next Level 

Fluid Technology 

Phone +49 6039 990-0 

mail@fluid.contitech.de 

www.contitech.de 


Antriebstechnik 

Product News 

Hydraulic Valves Prevent Lowering of 

the Articulated Arm 

Hawe Hydraulik offers a reliable and low-leakage 

hydraulic solution for wood transport cranes. 

It prevents the crane from dropping 

during extended transport of trunks. 

The block of proportional path slider 

valves is supplemented with 

leakage-free locking valves for the 

crane’s control. They are made in a 

seat construction and can be 

electronically opened and closed by 

the driver from the cab. During 

gripping and loading, they are open 

and permit dynamic movements and 

short loading cycles even when pulling 

loads. They are closed during transport of the 

trunks to the next forest path to offer increased safety from 

undesired movements and prevent dropping of the lifting or 

articulated arm or extending of the telescope. Gentle, jerk-free 

acceleration and deceleration of the crane is possible thanks to 

a large selection of slider pistons for the proportional direction 

slider valves. The sliding piston that fits the cylinder situation 

best and maintains a precisely defined fine control range is 

used. This makes is easier for the driver to work with the wood 

transport crane. 

www.hawe.com 

Electrohydraulic control unit 

minimises system loss 

The basic components of the electrohydraulic 

control unit EHS (Electro Hydraulic Steering) 

of Concentric AB include a further development 

of the current DC electrical motor pump 

technology of the company. The new EHS 

product range, designed for servo steering 

applications in trucks, buses and off-road 

vehicles, supports the CAN-bus communication 

between motor and main control system 

of the vehicle to enable demand-oriented control 

of pressure and flow rate. This makes 

system losses lower than in conventional 

mechanical drive systems. The electrohydraulic 

control was developed in cooperation with 

a provider of electric motors. The result is a 

brushless permanent magnet direct 

current motor with integrated 

motor drive electronics. 

Elimination of brush wear 

contributes to continuous 

and interference-free 

operation of the unit. 

Optional features include 

IP69K protection and CAN bus control, either 

J1939 or CAN-open. 

www.concentricab.com 

Multi-layer mounting for pipes 

ACT clamps by Stauff attach pipes in areas where corrosion protection is needed. They can prevent gap corrosion at 

oil and gas pipes and thus extend the maintenance and exchange intervals. With the SIG safety boards and AF 

attachment screws of the manufacturer, several clamp bodies of the same size can be installed on top of each other 

as well. Several pipes running close to each other thus no longer need to be placed next to each other. The safety 

boards and attachment screws are made of the materials 1.4401 or 1.4571. In contrast to stainless steel components, 

they cannot be contaminated by metal or non-metal particles during production, processing and storage at Stauff. 

www.stauff.com 


30 

Maintenance-free bearings 

support one of the world’s longest 

suspension bridges 

I N T E R N AT I O N A L 

E D I T I O N 

6 

September 2013 

Click to read previous issues. 

Inspiration is just one click away. 

News about the following markets: 

48 MDA Technologies 4/2014 

16 geared 

Gravel plant reduces costs 

and maintenance by using 

motors 


18 26 Winter 

Standard components are 

used to drive scraper chain 

conveyors in Norway 

Air Springs: keeping 

things moving at the 2014 

Olympic Games 

in cooperation with Fluidtechnik

High pressure hydraulic hose for 

applications up to 500 bar 

Hansa-Flex has included a 

new high-pressure hydraulic 

hose (working pressure up to 

500 bar) in its range with the 

HD 800. The provider 

describes the HD 800 as a 

product innovation that 

surpasses the previous state 

of the art. Use of a new 

generation of inner tube and tube cover with improved abrasion 

resilience gives the HD 800 a multiple of the former service life 

in application. In practice, the HD 800 can be customised with 

its associated monoblock fittings (PA 800) or flanges specifically 

developed for this hose. Improved flexibility and reduced 

bending radii make placement particularly easy. The HD 800 is 

approved for a maximum working pressure of 500 bar. It can be 

used specifically where HD700 plus was used before. Further applications 

include high-pressure hydraulic systems on a mineral 

oil basis, demanding applications such as hydrostatic drives, 

direct running drives and high-pressure drives as well as mobile 

and stationary applications such as forestry, construction 

management, agriculture and municipal vehicles. 

www.hansa-flex.com 

Operating units with better legibility 

Bosch Rexroth transfers the current status of semi-conductor 

and display technologies to an entirely new portfolio of 

operating and visualisation units. The man-machine 

interfaces offer space for more information at better 

legibility. The displays with robust, AR-coated glass surfaces 

are designed for the rough ambient conditions of the 

production and maintain their visual properties even after 

several years of use. The simple and quick project planning 

takes place with a consistent software tool in all versions. 

An aluminium front 

encloses scratch-resistant 

thermally hardened 

glass displays. The HMIs 

meet protection type 

IP65. They are designed 

with a high shock and 

vibration resistance for 

use under rough 

production conditions. 

The AR-coated, projective-capacitive 

touch 

displays support single and multi-touch operation alike. 

Machine manufacturers can also include the gesture control 

they are used to from Smart Devices into their operating 

concepts. 


What’s so special about 

German EngineeRING? 

Precision O-Rings for the valve industry 

Shanghai 

27.10. – 30.10.2014 

hall E4, booth B 2-1 

German Engineering certainly enjoys a superb reputation worldwide, 

mainly for its acknowleged reliability. In all modesty, this is very likely due 

to our precision O-rings, too. For more than 100 years, COG has taken care 

that “German Engineering” is a story with a happy ending. 

Europe‘s largest O-ring stock 

more than 45,000 items in stock 

Elastomer mouldings/gaskets 

according to customer drawings too 

Custom rings 

specially developed and manufactured 

Reasonable prices even for small batches 

Various compounds incl. FFKM 

Clearance/approval for diverse materials: 

e.g. NORSOK, FDA, KTW, DVGW, 

NSF/ANSI 61, WRAS BS 6920 

The direct way 

to our stock: 

www.COG.de 

Tel. +49 (0)4101 5002-0 

Fax +49 (0)4101 5002-83 

C. Otto Gehrckens GmbH & Co. KG • Gehrstücken 9 • 25421 Pinneberg • Germany • www.cog.de • info@cog.de When it matters … 

MDA Technologies 3/2014 49 

Premium quality 

since 1867

Measurement and control 

Intelligent assistance system to support the 

start-up procedure of electro hydraulic drives 

Ulrich Walter 

The commissioning of hydraulic 

controlled axes is often a 

time-consuming and therefore 

cost-intensive activity, as particularly 

a system of this kind covers a 

number of technologies, and 

therefore it is not always clear who 

should be responsible for this 

technology. Although there is much 

talk of intelligent hydraulic axes, at 

the same time the complexity is 

increased so much that only an 

expert can understand it. 

Author: Ulrich Walter ist managing 

director of the W.E.St. Elektronik GmbH 

in 41372 Niederkrüchten 

1 Introduction 

For us, intelligence begins at that point 

where the user can be relieved of complex 

tasks. With the assistant presented here for 

analysing and parameterising the hydraulic 

axis, we take the step of providing the engineer, 

the mechanic/electrician or the hydraulics 

engineer with a tool which enables 

the main characteristic data to be determined 

and the parameters to be set in a 

r eliable manner. 

We are all familiar with assistance 

systems in modern cars which help the 

driver to cope with critical situations 

more easily. So what is a critical situation 

in a hydraulic system? 

The commissioning, of course (particularly 

when axes have not been calculated or simulated 

in advance). Possible faults, ranging 

from an incorrectly fitted check valve, pipework 

or cabling mistakes and incorrect 

design (unsuitable components for the application) 

due to the absence of information on 

the dynamic behaviour of the system, often 

only enable commissioning to be carried 

out in an experimental manner, which is 

then very time consuming. 

However, an intelligent electronic system 

can experiment more quickly, better 

and always using the same logical concept. 

The software module for automatic 

commissioning analyses the system behaviour 

and makes the appropriate decisions, 

which then lead to reliable system 

performance. This has less to do with the 

mathematical analysis of the system (this 

is only necessary when setting up the control 

parameters), but rather the logical 

steps involved in commissioning and 

working out what to do when something 

unexpected occurs. 

No additional sensors are required to 

implement all this within an acceptable 

cost frame; the system only evaluates information 

from the position sensor. The 

polarity, speeds and characteristic curves, 

the zero drift, any positive overlap and the


system dynamics are determined during 

the optimisation process. System parameters 

and control system gains are adjusted 

based on these data. 

At the same time, this assistant makes 

the information that has been determined 

available to the user. With a functioning 

system, this can be done without any problems, 

but if the assistant has to terminate 

the optimisation process prematurely, 

then the reason for the premature termination 

must be analysed as accurately as possible 

in order to rectify the fault. 

When implementing the commissioning 

assistant, it has been established that it is 

not the quality of the dynamic optimisation, 

but rather the profane points which the 

human being sees at a glance which are a 

measure of the intelligence; however these 

have to be laboriously instilled into a software 

package. 

In this paper, we will describe the development 

of this assistant and present 

practical results. 

2 The problem 

The user, the system designer or the application 

engineer has designed a hydraulic 

positioning drive (as is often the case based 

on empirical values, available components 

and good feeling). This activity is not trivial, 

as knowledge about the hydraulics, the 

measuring equipment, the electronics and 

the machine and the application are required. 

This is not part of the day-to-day business, 

particularly in small companies. 

The situation then arises during commissioning 

where the drive does not work satisfactorily 

and no one really knows „why“. It 

may be due to workmanship, design faults or 

only a problem of understanding in the use 

of the different components. As the system is 

a dynamic one, many points are difficult to 

evaluate and must be analysed dynamically. 

The assistant cannot solve design problems. 

But the assistant is able to give advises 

about solving the problem. 

2.1 Assumptions 

The conditions for the use of such tools are 

acceptable costs and a defined operational 

area. If the requirements are too high, such 

developments will never be completed or 

never be used. If the cost for the customer 

is too high, the tool will not be accepted. 

The intention is not to achieve a 100 % 

solution, but a realisable solution which is 

suitable for everyday use. The objective is - 

for the assistant - to be able to work as a 

modular software tool, even on inexpensive 

microcontrollers. 

2.1.1 On-line versus off-line 

optimisation? 

With online optimisation, the system 

searches continuously for the optimum 

settings. Theoretically, this would be an 

ideal system if the residual risks did not 

have to be taken into account. These risks 

and the advantages are specified as follows: 

n Variable masses lead to an optimum 

setting in each case. 

Advantage: With small masses, the axis 

can be moved with higher control dynamics 

and therefore more quickly. 

Disadvantage: The loop gain is variable 

and therefore the system behaviour is difficult 

to predict. 

n The dynamic behaviour of the hydraulic 

drive changes depending on the working 

point. Tracking errors, control gain and 

acceleration times are variable. 

Advantage: Theoretically optimum settings 

depending on the working point. 

Disadvantage: A dynamically variable 

setup which cannot be simple investigated 

if problems occur. 

n Interference signals must be detected, as 

otherwise the optimisation process returns 

incorrect results. 

n Reproducible behaviour of the drive with 

dynamically varying control parameterisation 

can only be ensured in conjunction 

with/in a complete motion control system. 

n A high power of the microcontroller for 

the online optimisation must be available. 

It is very difficult to design a complete 

online optimisation system in such a way 

that it is capable of working in conjunction 

with other sub-systems without any problems. 

However, individual items, such as 

the speed gain for example, can be adapted 

online (see MR controller/5/). 

The approach to the solution presented 

here is intended primarily to assist 

commissioning and to detect and solve (if 

possible) the problems which can occur 

during commissioning. The commissioning 

assistant is designed as an off-line 

solution. 

2.1.2 The basic requirements 

Unfortunately, there is an inversely proportional 

relationship between the required 

information, which is provided to the assistant, 

and the costs. Our approach assumes 

that there should be no additional costs for 

sensors and measuring equipment. This 

results in the following requirements: 

n No further sensors are used. 

n A stable control behaviour is to be achieved 

and not the best possible dynamic 

setting. 

n Optimisation is carried out in a defined 

working range which is limited by the position 

1 and position 2. 

n Optimisation is carried out in open-loop 

state. 

n If the optimisation has to be terminated 

prematurely, information which is as accurate 

as possible is to be generated for the 

user. 

n The user should only has to parameterise 

the sensor, define the stroke, and set the 

required speed demand (if available) as a 

reference. 

2.1.3 What are the limits? 

It is very difficult to assess the limits, as 

investigations have only been carried out 

on example systems and by means of HIL. 

However, two generally critical points have 

been worked out. 

n Very slow systems do not usually provide 

an adequate speed signal resolution to 

enable the behaviour to be evaluated 

correctly. These systems are also often very 

uncritical and meet the requirements 

without challenging parameterisation. 

n Extremely fast systems (e.g. stroke times 

for 100 % stroke of 50 to 200 ms) often do not 

leave the acceleration/deceleration phase. 

The method presented is also unsuitable for 

these systems. 

2.2 What can be optimised 

automatically? 

Ideally, the points which are difficult to 

measure are optimised automatically. A 

control loop with reverse polarity is difficult 

to detect, for example, if the drive is 

already at the end of its stroke. The drive 

remains in this position and does not 

move. If fault finding is started at a wrong 

point (after all, there are a large number of 

possibilities), this can waste a lot of time 

before the correct approach is found. An 



Termination criterion 

Drive does not run 

Wrong direction 

Runs in one direction only 

Always runs in the same direction 

At mechanical stop 

assistant would „simply“ generate a few 

test signals and could at least localise the 

fault or, if the polarity is incorrect, solve the 

problem automatically, within a few 

seconds or so. 

Optimisation objectives: 

n Detection of polarity and general readiness 

for operation 

n Zero point adjustment or, optionally, 

compensation of positive overlap 

n Measurement of maximum speed in both 

directions of movement and setting of the 

output limitation and the speeds. 

n Determination of dynamic characteristics 

and calculation of loop gain, acceleration 

and braking distance. 

Expected results: 

n Stably operating hydraulic axis 

n Adequate positioning accuracy 

01 Drift compensation 

Fault description 

Check readiness for operation 

Change polarity 

Hydraulic circuit or wiring problem 

Hydraulic circuit problem 

Cause may be the various points mentioned above 

Table 1: The different cancellation criteria give the user information for troubleshooting 

2.3 General readiness for operation 

The characteristic that the drive is able to 

run in both directions must be determined 

as the first step. This sounds really simple, 

but presents an analytical challenge for a 

system which can only use position as a 

feedback: 

1. The drive does not run at all. 

2. The drive runs in the wrong direction. 

3. The drive only runs in one direction. 

4. The drive always runs in the same direc 

tion regardless of the input signal. 

5. The drive is against a mechanical stop. 

Faced with these possible faults, it must 

now be decided which faults can be automatically 

rectified in the control system and 

for which faults the user requires what 

information. 

Item 1 means a fundamental restriction 

in operation which can only be solved by 

the user (a poppet valve prevents movement 

or the hydraulic system is not 

switched on, etc.). 

Items 3 and 4 indicate general faults in 

design, in the implementation, or in the 

pipework/cabling. 

Items 2 and 5 can be rectified automatically. 

A polarity error can be clearly identified 

by the wrong sign for the speed. The 

fact that the drive is against a mechanical 

stop can be detected by changing the direction 

plus checking that both directions of 

operation are possible. 

Only when the drive has been moved to 

Position 1 and Position 2 the system is generally 

ready for operation and the polarity 

correct for further optimisation. 

The different termination criteria for the 

individual items provide fault finding information 

for the user (Table 01). 

2.4 Zero point adjustment 

A significant zeroing error, which then 

leads to unwanted drift, can occur, particularly 

in the case of zero-overlap valves. 

This drift has an adverse effect on all later 

measurements. As general readiness for 

operation has been established by item 

2.3, this measurement can be carried out 

without any problems. The drive is moved 

to a centre position and the drift measured 

after a defined waiting time. A correction 

signal is then generated which 

compensates for this drift (Figure 01). 

The principle of operation is the same as 

an integrator for keeping the axis in position, 

except that relatively large time constants 

can be used. 

Criteria for premature termination are: 

1. Relatively large actuation signals 

(> 5 %) are required to set the zero point. 

This means that there is a component fault, 

problems in the electrical system (potential 

shifts) or a circuit fault. 

2. The correction signal has no effect and 

the drift does not change. For example, a 

valve with positive overlap with A/B to T 

could have been used. As well as general 

problems with positioning, it is impossible 

to set a zero with these valves. 

With zero-overlap valves, the positioning 

accuracy is more dependent on an accurate 

zero setting than on the loop gain. 

As the zero point can change by the temperature 

of the valve/oil, a specific function 

to the drift compensation is provided in our 

modules. The drift compensation should 

not be confused with the fine positioning. 

Both are realised via switchable integrators. 



But the condition, when what is active, 

differs significantly (see: functions for precision 

positioning /4/). 

2.5 Measurement of maximum speed 

This item is the most important in preparation 

for dynamic optimisation, as the hydraulic 

gain is measured here. Ideally, the required 

speed setpoint is applied to enable the 

measurement to evaluate the determined 

speed (Figure 02). 

Why is this item so important? 

n Without the speed, i.e. without knowing 

the hydraulic gain, it is impossible to make 

any adjustments to the controller. 

n Faults in the design of the drive/valve 

directly affect the hydraulic gain. 

n Extremely fast or slow drives, for which 

optimisation cannot be used, can be detected 

here. 

The speed measurement is a relatively 

simple matter for the assistant; it increases 

the activation signal in defined steps and 

measures the stroke time over a reference 

stroke. If the output steps are no longer 

proportional to the speed, then the maximum 

speed has been reached (see Figure 

2, the maximum speed is reached at 60 % 

input signal). In doing so, it is necessary to 

differentiate between the following cases: 

1. The required set speed is not achieved 

even with 100 % actuation. The user is informed 

of this, but this does not lead to a 

premature termination of the further 

optimisation. 

2. The required maximum speed is 

achieved in the range from 50 to 100 % of 

the actuation signal. This is the normal 

range given by the nominal flow rate of the 

control valves. 

3. The required speed is reached at 

< 50 % (e.g. as low as 25 %). This is an indication 

of an oversized control valve. 

Oversizing automatically leads to inferior 

control behaviour, limited accuracy and 

more difficult dynamic optimisation. The 

assistant will automatically terminate the 

optimisation prematurely with an appropriate 

message below the limit of 35 %. With 

oversized drives, the speed is usually 

limited by the pump. Depending on the 

supply system (the supply pressure can 

collapse completely), unwanted and uncontrolled 

movements can occur. In this 

case, it is then particularly important to set 

the position limits for the measuring cycles 

correctly. If these limits are exceeded, then 

the optimisation is terminated prematurely 

(Table 02). 


No increase in speed for actuation 

signals of


03 Measuring of the overlap 

04 Analysis of the step responds 

Both methods are to be used. The first 

method is suitable for basic compensation, 

but very high accuracy is not to be expected. 

The second method significantly increases 

the accuracy. However, this method can only 

be used after dynamic optimisation. And 

there is a fundamental limitation if the valve 

hysteresis is very large. With the first method, 

the hysteresis can also be determined and 

compensated. Unfortunately, this is not very 

easy in practice, as the hysteresis is not a constant 

quantity and can change with time by 

changing of the internal friction (Figure 03). 

2.7 Determination of dynamic 

characteristics 

When the speeds, polarity and valve zero 

point have been set, measurement of the 

05 Fuzzy logic for setting up of the control parameter 

dynamic characteristics can be started. The 

objective of guaranteeing satisfactorily stable 

drive behaviour must not be compared with 

the requirement for optimum drive dynamics. 

As it can be assumed that most drives 

are neither calculated nor simulated, the 

parameterisation of the loop gain and the 

approximation to the correct values is a trial 

and error task. To make this easier, the assistant 

must determine a few key dynamic figures, 

evaluate the system damping and then 

determine the loop gain based on general 

design guidelines. All further parameters can 

be set to suitable values using rules of thumb. 

Some simplifications are necessary. 

1. The bathtub curve for the natural 

frequency of the cylinder is ignored. As the 

measurements are typically taken in the 

central region of the cylinder at which the 

natural frequency is low, only a small 

correction factor has to be taken into 

account for safety reasons. 

2. The dynamic behaviour is evaluated 

for a step from 50 % of the maximum speed 

to 0 %. It is assumed that the cylinder is one 

with low friction, a servo cylinder. With 

hydraulic drives, it is typical for the damping 

at low speeds to be significantly worse 

than at high speeds. The step to zero is 

therefore the step to be critically evaluated. 

It is assumed that there is no significant 

static friction (Figure 04). 

3. The calculations are performed for a 

simple P controller. In principle, they can be 

extended to a PT1 controller. A state controller, 

which cannot be parameterised on this 

basis, is not considered. 

The measurements are carried out 

5 times for each direction of movement in 

order to form a mean value. If the measurements 

should vary significantly, then a 

warning to the effect that the optimisation 

has been carried out on a system which 

does not operate stably and the least critical 

values have been set. 

The speeds and the strokes are used and 

evaluated for assessment purposes. If there 

is no correlation, the dynamic measurement 

cannot be used and the optimisation 

must be terminated. 

When the characteristics are known, the 

loop gain can be determined based on a 

simple evaluation. The main criteria for the 

dynamic evaluation are the time response 

and the overshoots, which allow conclusions 

relating to the drive damping to be drawn. 

The simplification is now applied here. As 

the drive theoretically has no damping at 

zero speed (damped by friction only), conclusions 

relating to the ratio between the natural 

frequencies of the cylinder and the valve can 

be drawn from the overshoot value ν sw 

. 



About 

Company name: W.e.st. Elektronik GmbH 

Headquarters: Niederkrüchten, Germany 

Products: Analogue and digital power amplifiers, 

positioning modules, pressure controlling, synchronization 

modules, control systems, fieldbus 

connections, services 

Since this evaluation - due to high tolerances 

and elusive influences – cannot be 

mathematically calculated exactly, the fuzzy 

logic is an ideal function for evaluation 

(Figure 05). The loop gain can be determined 

based on a few rules. 

Additional data, such as acceleration time 

and braking distance for position- dependent 

braking, can be derived directly from the 

loop gain V 0 

. Even if the calculations include 

an adequate safety margin, the controlled 

system may still be unstable. An oscillation 

detector, which is capable of automatically 

setting the parameters to uncritical values, is 

activated in order to avoid this (Table 03). 

3 The implementation 

The optimisation has been implemented on 

two different positioning modules (with analogue 

position encoder and SSI position 

encoder with a signal resolution of 1 µm). 

Various tests have been carried out on a 

simulation basis (HIL) and on real cylinder 

drives with different valves. 

To start with, the biggest surprise was that 

the drive always ran stable. The control gain 

was typically set to approx. 60 to 75 % of a 

manually optimised axis. The positioning 

accuracy was always of the order of a few 

hundredths of a millimetre. 

To start with, the biggest surprise was 

that the drive always ran stable. The control 

gain was typically set to approx. 60 to 

75 % of a manually optimised axis. The 

positioning accuracy was always of the 

order of a few hundredths of a millimetre 

(Figure 06). 

4 Summary 

The automatic parameterisation assistant 

has been tested on various systems with 

different valves. On our reference system, 

stable behaviour and positioning accuracy 

06 Measuring of speed and step responds 


Measured times and strokes 

are too short for evaluation 

Measured times and strokes 

are too long for evaluation 

The measured times and 

strokes indicate a conflict. 

Deviations between individual 

measurements too large. 

Fault description 

of ± 0.02 mm were achieved with each test 

valve. The optimisation process took 

approx. two minutes. From today‘s perspective, 

we know that not all systems can 

be optimised without problems. However, 

the assistant constitutes a tool which enables 

the user to draw usable conclusions - 

even when the optimisation has been 

terminated prematurely - which then 

makes his work easier. 

The idea, which was born as a result of 

many years of assisting in commissioning, 

of implementing accumulated experience 

in one tool indicates the future direction of 

modern electronics for hydraulic applications. 

Everything is becoming more 

complex and functionality will also conti- 

Insufficient good data. In this case, optimisation must be carried out 

manually. 

Very low speeds and therefore a very low hydraulic gain have been 

measured. In this case, optimisation must be carried out manually. 

The times and strokes cannot be correlated. 

Table 3: Cancellation criteria regarding stability of the drive 

The system is not sufficiently stable for automatic parameterisation. 

nue to increase. It is therefore even more 

important for so-called „simple tasks“ to be 

dealt with automatically. 

Photographs: W.E.St. Elektronik GmbH, 

41372 Niederkrüchten 

References 

[1] Murrenhoff, H. Servohydraulik – Geregelte 

Hydraulische Antriebe. Lecture Notes, RWTH Aachen 

University, Shaker, Aachen, Germany, 2012. 

[2] W.E.St. Elektronik GmbH: Product information: 

POS-123 

[3] W.E.St. Elektronik GmbH: MR control concept 

for the linearization of positioning drives 

[4] W.E.St. Elektronik GmbH: Functions for high 

accuracy in positioning 

www.w-e-st.de 


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