At Holcim (Schweiz) AG’s cement plant in Siggenthal, Switzerland, clinker – an intermediate product of cement production – is extracted from limestone in a rotary kiln at high temperatures. The clinker is then temporarily stored in a hall together with gypsum and limestone. An automated overhead crane removes the materials and transports them, sorted by type, to the cement grinding plant. The exact positioning of the crane bridge and trolley poses a particular challenge. High levels of dust and dirt make laser positioning impossible and cause mechanical position encoders to wear out quickly.
In the search for a more reliable position determination solution, the radarbased positioning system from Symeo emerged as the winner. It detects the position of the crane bridge and trolley with centimeter precision and is fail-safe – even under extreme conditions such as dust, dirt and vibrations. Each pair of LPR®-1DHP sensors uses the patented 61 GHz LPR® radar technology to determine the position of the crane and trolley in real time. The system is maintenance-free and transmits the position data via a fieldbus interface to the database-driven robotics software from automatiX, which processes it on an industrial PC.
Holcim (Schweiz) AG has been using the robust radar positioning system at its cement plant since December 2015 – with resounding success. Mechanical failures of the position sensors and costly maintenance work are now a thing of the past. The result: reliable, efficient and safe robotics operation in the clinker hall.
Holcim (Schweiz) AG – a leading systems and solutions provider for cement, gravel and concrete – has been working with automatiX GmbH, a specialist in crane automation, for several years. The robotics software from automatiX has already been in use for some time in the clinker hall at the Siggenthal cement plant for fully automatic crane control. It enables precise and efficient mapping of the complex management processes of the bulk material stockpile on an industrial PC. Precise and reliable positioning of the crane bridge and trolley is essential for smooth, unmanned robotics operation. The biggest challenge: clinker production produces high levels of dust and dirt in the hall. Laser positioning was out of the question due to the high sensitivity to dust and dirt, and mechanical systems proved to be inefficient because of high maintenance costs.
The solution: two pairs of robust Symeo radio sensors enable maintenance-free, reliable and precise radar positioning of the crane bridge and trolley. For crane bridge detection, one sensor was installed directly on the crane and the second on an existing metal pillar. The contactless distance measurement of the radar sensors ensures exact positioning. On the trolley, one sensor is located on the trolley itself, the other at the end of the crane bridge. As with the crane bridge, the propagation time of a radio signal is measured at 61 GHz in order to determine the distance between the measuring antennas in real time. The Symeo system thus offers a precise, dust- and dirt-resistant positioning solution that is completely maintenance-free. Jonas Knecht, Head of Electrical Maintenance at Holcim (Schweiz) AG, confirms: ‘The radar-based solution from Symeo has ensured high system availability since 2015. It is absolutely reliable and maintenance-free, even under the demanding environmental conditions in our facility.’“
The measurement data is easily integrated into the database via the fieldbus interface and is available to the automatiX robotics software for further analysis. The ‘Offenes Lager’ (Open Warehouse) software, specially developed for robot operation, also uses the position data for inventory accounting and logging tasks. An industrial PC that communicates with the crane control unit (PLC) via a network controls the solution. This gives automatiX’s fully automated crane system more computing capacity to calculate travel commands efficiently. Together, the robotics software from automatiX and the positioning system from Symeo enable robust, efficient and safe automation in the clinker hall.
Facts & Figures
Das 1997 gegründete Unternehmen bietet integrierte Kranrobotik. Die automatiXSoftware „Offenes Lager“ kombiniert IT-Komponenten wie Datenbank und Netzwerk mit klassischer Steuerungstechnik. Unter Zunahme moderner Sensorik (Laser, Ultraschall, Radar) werden die jeweiligen Füllstände kontinuierlich erfasst. Der Software ist es so möglich, selbstständig optimierte Fahraufträge zu ermitteln, zu priorisieren und auszuführen. | www.automatix.de
Holcim (Schweiz) AG is one of Switzerland’s leading providers of innovative and sustainable construction solutions in the fields of building construction, civil engineering and infrastructure. The company produces concrete, gravel and cement at 55 locations throughout Switzerland and recycles demolition materials into resource-saving products. Sustainability is at the heart of the company’s business activities: as a pioneer in the development of sustainable solutions, Holcim (Schweiz) AG has set itself the goal of producing climate-neutral and fully recyclable building materials by 2050. To achieve this vision, Holcim is focusing on the circular economy and reducing CO2 along the entire value chain. Holcim (Schweiz) AG is a subsidiary of the globally active Holcim Ltd and employs around 1500 people in three cement plants, 16 gravel plants, 36 concrete plants and several recycling centers. | www.holcim.ch