September 2019

40 n ENERGY EFFICIENCY September 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com Creating the efficient factory G erman researchers have come up with a factory that uses 40% than conventional production facilities. In a five-year project run by the Technical University of Darmstadt, scientists and production experts optimised energy efficiency using the multi- stage production of a Bosch Rexroth component as an example. Rexroth participated as an industry and research partner in the project, called ETA-Factory, which was completed last year. As part of the project, the researchers optimised the energy performance of equipment used to machine, harden and clean hydraulic components. A key to the significant efficiency increase achieved was a concept for transferring and re-using energy among the machines, and within the factory building. Bosch Rexroth is now applying the research results in its plants. The findings have also been incorporated in an energy efficiency guide, and integrated into energy efficiency consultancy service called GoGreen that Rexroth is offering to other industrial companies. As part of the project, energy was monitored and controlled across all forms of energy, down to the field component level. Switching of machines and their auxiliary loads to energy-saving modes was found to reduce energy consumption significantly. Machine operators can control the energy modes manually from a PLC or automatically from a control station. Following the completion of the ETA- Factory project last year, two follow-up projects focusing on energy flexibility were launched. The increasing dependence on renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, whose output can fluctuate widely, poses challenges for maintaining efficient and stable power supplies. The goal in the new research projects has been to look at ways of upgrading industrial processes to ensure energy flexibility. The first project, called SynErgie, has focused on adapting industrial processes Researchers and industrial companies in Germany have been taking part in a series of projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of tomorrow’s factories. In one project, they assembled a factory that uses 40% less energy than today’s conventional plants.

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