This control technology challenge exists primarily in lifting systems for material handling, such as those used in the automotive industry.

"The SD3 has been used in hoists from a renowned manufacturer for several years and has proven itself very well there," explains Ralph Sawallisch, Key Account Manager Drive Electronics at Sieb & Meyer . "With the new function, we are responding specifically to a requirement that has arisen in a special application." Specifically, this involves a scenario in production in which a trolley rolls horizontally on a rail system. It transports a suspended load of variable weight - for example, a gearbox that is to be mounted on an engine block. The system automatically recognizes when the two components meet, i.e. when the load encounters resistance. The trolley must now come to a standstill as gently as possible, but at the same time exert slight pressure so that the worker can screw the gearbox onto the engine block. Once this is done, the load is released from the system and the resistance is suddenly no longer present. The car now has a significantly lower mass, but should still accelerate back to the set speed as smoothly as possible. "The requirement is that the entire process runs automatically," says Ralph Sawallisch. "The new function makes this possible by allowing the transitions to be implemented cleanly in terms of control technology."

All-in-one solution

The further development opens up new possibilities in an application in which the SD3 already proves its multifunctionality: As an all-in-one solution, it fulfills the functions of a PLC, a servo amplifier and a digital and analog I/O interface. This is the only way to continuously monitor and control the lifting loads and the up and down movements of the lifting systems. This is made possible by the open-source nature of SD3, which allows exceptional freedom for the system manufacturer to create specially tailored functions. The Linux-based environment offers potential that cannot be realized on many other platforms. From a hardware perspective, option modules enable further customizations and upgrades.