Retrofit of a film winder
HEITEC AG was commissioned by Loparex Germany to modernise one of its existing film winders with the designation "Winder E27". A retrofit was necessary to ensure the operation of the system with increased availability, current safety standards and a guaranteed supply of spare parts for the future. This was based on the consideration that a retrofit can be more sensible for existing systems than replacing them with new ones, as it results in less downtime and lower costs. By replacing obsolete components and adding new, up-to-date technological developments, existing systems are brought back up to date. This reduces the risk of production downtime and employees can continue to work with the familiar technology, making extensive training unnecessary. A retrofit also has a positive effect on product quality.
Analysis
Together with the customer, the system and the production processes were analysed and the requirements defined. The HEITEC team drew up a specification sheet in order to be able to carry out the re-engineering of the system on the software and hardware side. This set out the current status and the desired status of the system and the planning steps required for this. One of the main focal points was the drive technology. At the customer's request, this was to be replaced by drives from another supplier in order to standardise the spare parts inventory. However, this product change also resulted in mechanical adjustments. For example, special adapters were required, which were designed and manufactured by the customer in collaboration with HEITEC.
In the course of this, all other electrotechnical components that were to be replaced for the modernisation were also recorded. In addition, the safety technology had to be brought up to the current state of the art in order to be able to operate the system as safely as possible.
Realisation
Once the system had been analysed on site, the hardware engineering was carried out at HEITEC in Erlangen. This included dimensioning the new control cabinets and planning the required electrical components, as well as creating the new circuit documents in E-Plan P8. Furthermore, the motors were designed with suitable gearboxes and the associated frequency inverters. For the software development, the HEITEC engineers were to orientate themselves on the processes of a similar system. The latest technology objects for the drive technology of the control system used were utilised for implementation. Pre-commissioning at the customer's site minimised the conversion time for the system. For this purpose, the new control cabinets with the associated field devices, such as the motors, were installed and commissioned in the immediate vicinity of the system. In the event of a defect in the existing system and a resulting loss of production, the system could have been converted quickly.
The actual conversion of the plant took place before and during the Christmas period in close co-operation with the customer. As a result, the plant was able to resume production at its usual level of quality at the start of the year.
Customer benefits
In close cooperation with Loparex Germany, HEITEC modernised a film winder system that had become outdated in terms of control technology.
Thanks to an intelligent, creative retrofit solution, the risk of failure was minimised:
- minimised the risk of failure,
- plant safety was brought up to the current state of the art,
- Reduced faults and significantly increased system availability.
Customer feedback
Loparex Germany once again relied on HEITEC's expertise based on its experience from previous projects. The trust placed in us for the modernisation of our film winder was confirmed once again in this case. The additional challenges of the technology change were also overcome by the competent and focussed commitment of the HEITEC employees.
