Anyone entering the world of drive technology and drive automation will know about SEW-EURODRIVE. Products by the family business drive almost everything that moves.
This is from baggage-handling systems in airports to parcel sorters in e-commerce logistics centers to conveyor technology in networked production environments. Around 22,700 employees across 92 assembly plants and 18 manufacturing plants in 57 countries make this possible.
SEW-EURODRIVE continuously invests in its locations. For example, in Graben-Neudorf, Germany near its company headquarters in Bruchsal, the company opened a smart factory for the production of shafts and gear parts at the end of 2024. A fully automated production buffer warehouse in its North Hall forms an important part of the expansion. SEW-EURODRIVE relied on SIVAplan’s intralogistics expertise and Leuze’s sensor expertise.
Systematic buffer
The logistics module, a fully automated, single-aisle high-bay warehouse, serves as a production buffer between gear and shaft production as well as with the hardening shop.
“The automated warehouse decouples the soft machining, hardening and hard machining processes,” explains Michael Schütz, head of the hardening shop at SEW-EURODRIVE. “In the hardening shop, the gear parts and shafts are made more resistant, wear-resistant and durable in special furnaces.”
The warehouse’s dimensions, made from 70 tons of steel, are impressive. Two nine-meter-high racks stretch over a length of more than 76 meters, each five meters wide. Their double deep storage design allows two frames to sit one behind the other on each side of the shelving.
The module offers a total of 2,300 storage locations. Between the two racks, two fully automated stacker cranes operate on one traversing axis.
“The stacker cranes transport the special hardening racks with products from production to the furnace system. After hardening, the racks containing the shafts and gear parts are also returned to storage via the stacker cranes and retrieved as needed for further processing,” says Christian Langsdorf, Head of Sales at SIVAplan.
The total conveying distance is 152 meters. The stacker cranes do the heavy lifting. A single rack, including the materials it holds, can weigh up to 510 kilograms.
A clear run for mobile robots
SIVAplan implemented the logistics module, including the higher-level control system, for immediate use. The Troisdorf-based company was also responsible for implementing the higher-level control system as the general contractor in collaboration with PROCAM Steuerungstechnik GmbH. The control system communicates with and coordinates all subordinate machines, systems, and vehicles. It also handles all processes with the higher-level ERP system (SAP).
SIVAplan has thus delivered numerous key components that play a crucial role in ensuring efficient and autonomous production operations. An important warehouse component is the sensor technology from Leuze.
“SIVAplan’s solutions and Leuze’s sensor expertise complement each other perfectly,” says Christian Langsdorf. “We have been working together in a spirit of trust for many years and are confident in the reliability and quality of Leuze’s sensor technology. That is why we continue to rely on this partnership for our new projects as well.”
Leuze products play a key role in numerous process steps, helping operators load and unload racks safely and efficiently.
SEW-EURODRIVE relied on Leuze sensor expertise and SIVAplan’s intralogistics expertise for its fully automated production buffer warehouse in Graben-Neudorf, Germany.
“The RSL 400s generate a vertical protective field and grant access once the mobile robot has successfully registered. The mobile robot can then use this access to deliver the goods. Access remains secured on the side of the vehicle,” emphasizes Frank Wüster, Sales Manager at Leuze.
They then pick up the materials from the production area. After a short drive to the warehouse, they transfer the load via four storage and retrieval bays. As soon as the mobile robot passes through the open protective field, the system resets the area to its original, closed state.
In-process contour check
After the AGV transfers the loaded rack, the conveyor system moves it to a contour checking station. Leuze type HT25C diffuse sensors detect the racks and control the conveyor technology.
During the contour check, type CML 720i measuring light curtains detect the object’s outer contours as it passes. The inspection results are output via the integrated PROFINET interface.
Additional Leuze sensors monitor the presence of the racks and control the light curtains. The diffuse sensors offer an additional advantage, detecting objects ahead in the direction of the delivery area while ignoring high vis vests.
Industrial IP cameras from Leuze are also part of the sensor system at this station, capturing additional images of the racks. They sit at the side and above the contour inspection station.
Mobile robots at four material transfer stations deliver the gears and shafts produced on the production line.
The logistics module temporarily stores these before special furnaces harden them.
Safe loading and unloading
Each material transfer station integrates a manual workstation, allowing SEW EURODRIVE employees to unload and inspect racks manually. MLC 530 SPG safety light curtains allow employees to load and unload the racks safely at all times. Personnel protection is not the only noteworthy aspect.
The sensorless muting via the patented Smart Process Gating (SPG) is also a highlight, as it enables a particularly compact and space-saving system design. The PLC switching signal and the transported goods interrupting the protective field trigger the gating function.
Reliable routing via barcode
After measuring the goods destined for the hardening shop, one of the stacker cranes picks up the rack. Leuze FBPS 600i safety barcode positioning systems position the stacker cranes, while the latest generation MOVI C inverters from SEW EURODRIVE work with these systems to provide safeguarded velocity monitoring.
The FBPS 600i enable safe position detection. The system continuously monitors the stacker cranes’ position and velocity based on their status. This is particularly important because the two stacker cranes operate on the same rail. The system also requires accurate position detection to safeguard two pedestrian walkways in the high bay warehouse reliably. To do this, the system switches the travel range’s safety envelopes. If people cross the aisle, the system holds the stacker cranes within defined segments and monitors them to ensure a safe crossing.
A seamless solution from start to finish. Leuze sensor technology enables SIVAplan’s automated production buffer warehouse (logistics module) at SEW-EURODRIVE.
The 600i safety bar code positioning system only requires one sensor for safe position detection. This greatly simplifies integration and makes the system much easier to set up. Two FBPS 600i are installed on each stacker crane. One for positioning the lifting axis and the other for the travel axis.
Reading distances of 50 to 170 millimetres from the barcode tape give the FBPS 600i safety barcode positioning systems flexibility in operation. Each scan reads multiple codes, which the system processes redundantly internally. The SEW inverter’s safe connection unit then processes them again with millimetre precision via the dual SSI interface.
“The scanning beam is intentionally positioned at an angle. The device’s movement along this angled path ensures each code is scanned at different points. This prevents reading errors caused by local dirt or damage,” says Oliver Gortner, Key Account Manager Intralogistics at Leuze.
Camera-based precision compartment placement
Leuze sensors also support the stacker cranes and the rack storage areas. Once a stacker crane has reached the designated storage location using barcode positioning, it proceeds to compartment fine positioning. The loaded rack must be positioned precisely within the designated storage compartment.
For this purpose, a camera-based Leuze IPS 200i sensor with integrated PROFINET interface is mounted on each stacker crane. The small, compact sensor is suitable for positioning tasks with distances ranging from 100 to 600 millimeters. It focuses on a reflector attached to the shelf support. If the marker is within the IPS 200i’s working range, this sends absolute values to the SEW controller. This allows the stacker crane to precisely transfer the rack. This efficient solution eliminates the need for multiple diffuse sensors.
