July/August 2019

51 www.drivesncontrols.com July/August 2019 DRIVES n Direct-drive lift carries skiers smoothly up the Austrian Alps A n Austrian winter sports resort has doubled the capacity of a chairlift system and cut maintenance by using direct-drive 90-pole synchronous servomotors that eliminate the need for a mechanical transmission system between motors and pulleys. The Sonttagskogelbahn 2 chairlift at the Snow Space resort, near Innsbruck, can transport up to 3,600 skiers every hour in 38 eight-person gondolas. The two direct-drive motors (supplied by the Austrian chairlift specialist, Doppelmayer) are arranged concentrically and vertically above each other, connected by a central shaft. They are powered by two Siemens Sinamics S120 redundant frequency converters with active line modules. Control is provided by a failsafe Siemens Simatic S7-1500F controller combined with Simatic ET 200S distributed I/O. The drives’two power supplies and S120 Chassis-2 motor modules can be connected to each other to provide double redundancy, not only for the modular drives, but also for the controls.“If a part fails, the operators are still able to run the system empty to ensure the safety of people in the lift,”explains Karl Prammer, CEO of the system integrator, Frey Austria, which designed and supplied the system. This is thought be the first time that a direct-drive system of this type has been used for chairlifts. Encoder feedback results in precise speed control, and thus a smoother ride for passengers. The recently developed Chassis-2 motor modules weigh just 160kg, compared to 450kg for earlier versions. They are also said to reduce noise levels from the motors. The chairlift installation was engineered using Siemens’ TIA Portal engineering framework. n Two redundant 90-pole synchronous servomotors power the chairlift directly without needing a gearbox ... we‘ve got it covered From conventional to programmable safety relays and complete automation systems through to sensors, operator and monitoring systems, when it comes to Machinery Safety and Automation, Pilz has the solution. echnology Corby NN18 8T omation T Pilz Aut J 01536 460766 sales@pilz.co.uk www.pilz.co.uk For further information about the complete Pilz product range: Visit www.pilz.co.uk , email sales@pilz.co.uk or simply give us a call! Flexible ‹ Scalable ‹ Innovative ‹ Simple & Intuitive ‹ Visual a Safe autom tion solutions without compromise on productivity – talk to a Pilz expert today!