As light as thin film webs seem to be, the machines from Kampf Schneid- und Wickeltechnik on which they are processed weigh several tons. The company uses individually designed material flow solutions from Abus Kransysteme to lift and transport the machines and system modules between the various assembly stations at the plant in Wiehl and to load the finished machines.

In the four assembly halls with a total area of around 6,400 m², eleven double-girder overhead traveling cranes with frequency-controlled drives perform heavy-duty work. They are characterized by a high-quality design and modern technology - including frequency converter drives, radio remote controls and integrated load displays. Kampf also opted for Abus and its crane intralogistics due to the many years of good cooperation, the high availability of existing cranes and the reliability of the local maintenance and spare parts service. The project was supervised on site by Abus partner Tertel Fördertechnik from Gummersbach.

Modular design for individual requirements

When it comes to producing or processing web-shaped materials such as films, finished papers, packaging materials or aluminum, Kampf Schneid- und Wickeltechnik slitting, winding and special machines have been characterized by their high versatility and reliability for almost 100 years. The portfolio currently comprises almost 30 different machine types, which can be adapted to the respective application requirements thanks to their modular design. At the main site in Wiehl-Mühlen, Germany, over 400 employees use modern crane technology to develop and assemble components, units and assemblies into slitting and winding machines and winders of the highest quality for the international market. Today, the company, which is part of the Jagenberg Group, is a global player with an export share of around 80 percent and a worldwide network of service and representative offices.

As part of the implementation of a modern site concept, a prestigious office building and a new training workshop have been built in Wiehl-Mühlen in recent years. In addition, the assembly area has been doubled with four new halls covering a total of 6,400 m² in order to meet the constantly growing demand for Kampf machines in the best possible way. This requires ergonomic and flexible working at the assembly stations as well as an efficient flow of materials between the various assembly areas. Other challenges include precise and damage-free handling, for example of rollers weighing up to four tons or traverses, as well as the flexible delivery of both smaller machines and large systems. From its many years of cooperation with Kampf, Tertel Fördertechnik knows the processes and requirements in assembly and loading, so that the company was able to recommend the optimum material flow solutions from Abus Kransysteme, also taking into account the structural conditions.

Loads up to 64 tons

The further the assembly of the machines progresses, the larger and heavier they become. A fully assembled slitting and winding machine can easily reach the dimensions and weight of a detached house, as the responsible architect from the consulting engineering firm Lang und Stranzenbach from Wiehl explains. Due to the enormous load capacities, a total of eleven double-girder overhead traveling cranes with a load capacity of between 32 and 64 t and spans of 17.2 mm to 20.8 m were installed in the final assembly areas of the four halls and in the dispatch loading area for area-wide transport. They are designed as welded box girders and are therefore characterized by a high load capacity with a relatively low dead weight. Each double-girder overhead traveling crane is equipped with two double-rail trolleys as wire rope hoists. This means that even large machines with widely spaced load attachment points can be transported safely.

Both the crane and trolley drives are equipped with AbuLiner frequency inverters for optimum starting and speed behavior of the electric motors. With their freely selectable speeds, which can be set using a two-stage button, they enable precise transport of smaller units and machine assemblies weighing several tons directly to the required assembly position in the low speed range. All cranes are equipped with an AbuRemote Button radio remote control, which allows the travel and hoist drives to be operated from any location using a hand-held transmitter, so that the crane operator can stay where the load does not pose a risk of accident and has the best overview when moving the large and heavy machines. The transmitter display enables menu-guided setting of the radio control and provides access to special functions such as lighting or tare. The attached load is visualized both on a crane display and on the display of the radio remote control.

Optical edge distancing reduces the load on the halls

Three of the assembly halls are each equipped with three double-girder overhead traveling cranes, while two cranes are used in the fourth hall. A key argument for Kampf in favor of the Abus double-girder overhead travelling cranes was the option of equipping them with an optoelectronic crane distancing system. This makes it possible to limit the movement of two cranes together between two hall pillars to a defined distance from each other via the control system. This optimally distributes the static load-bearing capacity within the pillar field, meaning that the structural design of the halls did not have to be designed for higher maximum loads.

All of the Abus crane technology installed at Kampf has been working without a hitch since it was commissioned. On the one hand, this positive operating practice confirms the experience gained by Kampf during the course of the project when visiting reference installations, and on the other hand it underlines the quality of the advice provided during the planning and execution of the double-girder overhead traveling cranes. In addition, Kampf has concluded a maintenance agreement that keeps both the existing and the most recently installed crane technology up to date with the latest developments in operating and control technology and further improves the investment and future security of the systems.

By expanding its assembly capacities, Kampf Schneid- und Wickeltechnik has equipped itself to meet the challenges of the market. The installed crane technology enables efficient assembly processes, makes the material flow between the individual workstations more flexible and offers versatile loading options when shipping the finished machines. By opting for crane technology from Abus, Kampf also benefits from the advantages of comprehensive service and standardized spare parts management.

Burkhard Lemmer, Abus Kransysteme, Gummersbach / am