Alliance for power distribution and intelligent drive technology

The requirements in mechanical engineering are increasing. Complex drive solutions must be flexible, reliable and increasingly compact. A shortage of skilled workers and cost pressure also require a new level of efficiency in the engineering, installation and commissioning of machines and systems. This is where Lenze and Rittal are now joining forces as technology partners. "Lenze is a pace-setter in automation and, with its triad of electromechanics, electronics and software, has an eye on customers' processes far beyond the components. This suits Rittal and makes the company an excellent technology partner in the RiLineX ecosystem," says Ulrich Engenhardt, Chief Business Units Officer at Rittal. "With the RiLineX system platform, Rittal is setting new standards for power distribution in enclosures. By using Lenze inverters, we are extending this benefit to drive technology and thus creating more compact solutions for our customers," adds Dr. Marc Wucherer, CEO Lenze.

Double the space and time saved

A practical example of user synergies is the i550 cabinet frequency inverter from Lenze. The compact inverter offers an exceptionally wide temperature range from -30 to +60°C and open interfaces to all common control systems, with scalable functionality for conveyor drives, travel drives, winding drives, lifting drives, extruders, packaging machines or industrial air conditioning technology. "The Lenze i550 cabinet is the world's most compact frequency inverter in its class. This significant advantage is further enhanced with RiLineX," explains Christian Eberhard, Senior Vice President Sales EMEA Central at Lenze, "It is even more space-saving and easier to install on the platform."

How does this work? The usual installation location on the mounting plate is freed up for other components, as the inverter and fuse protection can be mounted on a single adapter on the RiLineX board using "Click&Work" - with maximum packing density. This is because the slimline frequency inverter can be mounted seamlessly on the fully stackable board. Cabling and corresponding errors are also a thing of the past. The result for customers: After a 30 percent time advantage in engineering and up to 75 percent in the assembly of RiLineX, the inverter installation also continues at high speed and with a significant space advantage in the cabinet. The frequency inverter's data connection via WLAN also speeds up commissioning later on.

"In the RiPower configuration software, we suggest components from our Technology Partner ecosystem first for good reason. We offer customers easy access to tested components such as Lenze inverters, which are particularly suitable for future-proof machine and plant engineering and provide comprehensive data for engineering with Eplan," explains Raphael Görner, Head of Energy & Power Solutions at Rittal.

Data quality for faster processes

High data quality is a prerequisite for efficient processes right from the engineering and configuration stages. Both partners pursue similar approaches here. Rittal RiPower relies on close integration with the Eplan software. As an Eplan Technology Partner, Lenze also uses such high-quality data for its customers. For example, the Eplan Data Portal with over four million item data is also the data source for Lenze's EASY Product Finder (EPF), an online tool that simplifies the search, configuration, request for quotation and ordering of Lenze products for customers. In addition to the configured product, the system generates a complete set of Eplan data including wiring lists, control cabinet layouts and manufacturing documentation from Eplan Pro Panel. Lenze customers can download all manufacturing data in Eplan format at the touch of a button. This data is also used in EASY System Designer, Lenze's web-based engineering tool for drive design and complete planning of machine solutions - for shorter development times and higher quality with less manpower thanks to simple system design.