By | 09 Jul 2011
Special solution built with SHE 200 worm-gear screw jacks features closed-circuit oil cooling for galvanizing plants
Lifting heavy loads under the harshest of conditions has always been one of the specialties for the jacking systems from Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeuge GmbH, with headquarters in the Southern German town of Kissing. With a clever special jacking system based on its versatile SHE worm-gear screw jacks, the company is now reducing downtimes for the steel industry’s galvanizing lines. The crucial feature: A special sensor monitors the temperature of the gearbox oil, and an active cooling circuit keeps it at the ideal level. Simultaneously, a contactless sensor constantly monitors the temperature at the screw and does not turn off the system unless there is a risk of overheating. In this way, system operators can ensure that their systems remain functional, but also help to minimize operational interruptions.
Industrial manufacturing of galvanized steel sheet – a material that is employed in the packaging and automobile industries, for example – is accomplished with continuous galvanizing lines (CGLs). Here, a steel strip is pulled continuously through a galvanizing bath and then rolled up. At the heart of these plants are zinc pot furnaces, in which the metal is melted and kept in a liquid state. Most CGLs have two such pots available, each of which contains a different zinc alloy. These pots are then employed according to the specific needs. To make this possible, the required pot is moved on a rail system (which is located one story beneath the production line) from its parked position to the jacking system. From there, this system lifts the pot into the production line. Lifting these pots, which weigh about 500 t, by a height of two meters requires a lifting system that is powerful and, above all, robust. Moreover, the steel industry is increasingly calling for shorter down times. This is because the shorter the screw jack’s cycles are, the greater the production line’s speed and flexibility can be.
With a special system, Pfaff-silberblau is now meeting the stringent demands facing an international steelmaker. At the heart of the jacking system are four size “SHE 200” worm-gear screw jacks von Pfaff-silberblau, which are driven by a central motor via bevel gearboxes and connecting shafts. The outstanding feature offered by these Southern German specialists for drive technology is the constant monitoring of the temperatures for both the oil used to lubricate the gearbox and for the spindles themselves. To make this possible, a special sensor continuously acquires temperature data for the lubricant. If a preset limit is reached, an active cooling circuit goes into action to ensure that the system remains at the plant-specific temperature level. The temperature of the worm-gear screw, which absorbs a large portion of the heat that arises, is constantly monitored via a contactless temperature sensor. If this sensor measures an impermissibly high value, the system automatically turns off to prevent overheating.
For users, this means that the jacking system can be used right up until the point that a certain temperature limit is reached, at which time the system automatically powers down. Conventional systems, on the other hand, require a cool-down period of up to eight hours after each work cycle – which results in expensive downtimes that can be avoided by employing the special Pfaff-silberblau solution.
The cooling circuit for the new Pfaff-silberblau jacking system consists of a pump unit, supply and return lines, as well as an oil/air cooler fitted with a cooling fan. Furthermore, a level sensor checks the oil level in the screw jack and the control unit only authorizes use of the jacking system if the level is high enough.
In order to reduce the amount of manual maintenance required and simultaneously optimize spindle lubrication, the jacking system is equipped with a central lubricant pump. This pump adds lubricant at the relevant areas of the spindle and nut system while taking the current direction of travel into consideration during the lifting and lowering of loads.
Pfaff-silberblau is providing information on the versatility of its SHE worm-gear screw jacks and the other products from its corporate portfolio at Motek 2010 in Stuttgart, Germany (booth 5428, hall 5). The company’s subsidiary ALLTEC Antriebstechnik GmbH with headquarters in Heilbronn, Germany, is also represented at the booth with its latest flagship products, the TELESTO and PHOENIX lifting columns and the TARVOS linear actuators.
Further information about Pfaff-silberblau is available at www.pfaff-silberblau.com
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Learn everything you need to know about the screw jacks available from Columbus McKinnon including the two types of screw jack systems, the main types of screw jacks (machine and ball) and, available features (stainless steel, anti-backlash, ,heavy-duty and more).
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