Leroy-Somer, part of Emerson Industrial Automation, was called in to gradually replace drive systems in the Champagne region's manufacturing process. The series began with a demanding application for a high-speed conveyor with different pitches. The Centre Vinicole - Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte (CV-CNF), located in Chouilly in the Marne region, is the leading union of Champagne producers. It brings together 80 cooperatives representing over 5,000 winegrowers. It is one of the most automated and robotized houses in its category. With a workforce of 235, half of which is assigned to production, the company produces 23 million bottles a year, making it one of the leading Champagne producers.
" We needed to gradually replace a series of drive systems. We considered the original supplier, as well as other big names in the sector. All of them were able to supply equipment that would undoubtedly meet our expectations, but we were more interested in establishing a partnership with a company capable of providing the level of service we needed. That's why we chose Leroy-Somer. "explains Frédéric Lopez, automation manager at Centre Vinicole - Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte.
The first application involved the replacement of a conveyor drive system. Located at the beginning of the line, it requires very precise positioning of the empty bottles prior to cleaning and filling. Bottles are loaded onto the conveyor via 1200×1200 pallets, then extracted in rows of 4 to 12, depending on their size, onto a perpendicular conveyor. " This line has a throughput of 4,000 to 6,000 bottles/hour, and must perform its function with maximum availability. Leroy-Somer was immediately involved, both in designing the solution that suited us and in programming the drives. "says Frédéric Lopez.
The initial drive system consisted of a PLC, an axis card, an inverter and a motor. The new solution does away with the axis card. It consists of a Unidrive M700 drive, connected to the same PLC, combined with a Dynabloc Pjn1102 servo gearbox with reduced backlash. The latter offers high overload capacity, very high torsional rigidity and high precision: angular backlash varies from 12 to 1 min, depending on options. An MCi200 card has been integrated into the drive for simple servo-controlled positioning. The M700 model in the Unidrive M range is particularly well suited to this type of application, with a cycle time of 250 microseconds, Real-Time Ethernet mode and an extensive toolbox for managing motion sequences. Programming, which was very simple to carry out, was carried out in a structured language using Codesys. The system uses the drive's internal position loop. In the final configuration, 15 different recipes were implemented to adapt to different bottle formats. Each recipe is associated with a long step with a specific movement profile (position, speed, acceleration and deceleration), a short step with a second movement profile (positioning, speed, acceleration and deceleration) and the number of short steps to be performed. The current recipe is selected via 4 logic inputs. The cycle is started automatically. The long step is performed, then the short steps (associated with the chosen recipe) are linked together as long as the channel is free (information given by a sensor managed directly by the M700 drive). Information on the end of the long movement and the end of the cycle is assigned to the drive's logic outputs and used directly by the customer's system. On-site programming and training were provided by Leroy-Somer's support teams.
" We have taken complete control of the application, so we can make our own adaptations. Because of its technology, expertise and service, Leroy-Somer meets our expectations in every respect, and we continue to deploy their solutions throughout our site. "concludes Frédéric Lopez.
Premium Service Center: a new concept in service
Installation and commissioning were carried out by Poulain Bobinage, Leroy-Somer's premium service center near the Centre Vinicole - Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. Its manager, Dominique Pardailhe, explains the process: " As a company with this service label, we applied the Group's method during installation and commissioning, in compliance with the established specifications. ". Based on its accumulated experience, Leroy-Somer has defined several hundred control points to be carried out during installation and commissioning of motors and drives. These checkpoints range from the simplest (connections, lubrication, etc.) to the most advanced (checking anti-harmonic filters or recording responses for drives). Properly installed, the risk of failure is virtually nil, and energy consumption is optimized. It's worth noting that lubrication, alignment and shimming generate gains of 1 to 5 %, while correct sizing saves 1 to 3 %. " The Centre Vinicole - Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte was looking for a technical partner it could rely on. That's what we provide, along with a high level of responsiveness to any request. "says Dominique Pardailhe.
Learn more: www.emerson.com