Siemens and Supertrak Conveyance recently announced a new strategic collaboration to reduce cycle times for machine builders and manufacturing customers. The companies have joined forces to offer an intelligent conveyor system. That can be installed as a transport technology on production machines. It is also integrated into the TIA portal. The carriers are driven by linear motors and move flexibly between stations during the production process.

Packaging machine manufacturers reduce engineering effort and increase performance

The "Supertrak Horizon3" closed-loop magnetic transport system enables manufacturers to create high-performance, cost-effective and space-saving machine designs. By combining the mechatronic system with Siemens' Simatic controller and the motion control capabilities of the TIA Portal, all components work together seamlessly. This enables machine builders to achieve optimal conveyor solutions.

“By leveraging Siemens’ strengths in automation and digitalization alongside Supertrak Conveyance’s expertise in smart conveyance, we’ll help solve the manufacturing challenges our customers face on a daily basis,” said Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation at Siemens. “Together we’re enabling manufacturers to build and deploy high-performing and innovative automation and transport systems that increase throughput and reduce operational costs.”

“Smart conveyance enables a more effective process design that helps machine builders and manufacturers achieve higher performance in a smaller footprint,” shared Ben Hope, Director of Product Commercialization at Supertrak Conveyance. “Combine that with full integration in the TIA Portal, users can now utilize our technology together with Siemens’ motion-control tools.”

Siemens Xcelerator reduces engineering complexity for machine builders

The combination of Siemens Xcelerator hardware and software with the conveyor system results in a fully integrated, demand-driven conveyor solution. The closed-loop linear transport system offers a variety of layout options. It's designed for smaller payloads and products and can carry up to three kilograms per shuttle. The carrier pitch is reduced to a minimum of 50 millimetres, allowing objects to be handled at high speed. It works in a much closer area to achieve the high throughput levels required by packaging customers.

The Supertrak Conveyance platform is connected to the Siemens TIA portal and integrating it into the "Simatic S7-1500T" controller. Users can easily implement synchronised motion tasks with additional motion control axes using real-time communication. Each shuttle can be controlled independently using technology objects in TIA Portal. Technology objects allow different motion sequences, such as grouping multiple shuttles or clamping a product between two shuttles for a filling process.

Conveyor system with Siemens automation increases productivity 

In addition, a 3D simulation and animation of the system's production process and shuttle workflow provides machine builders with valuable insight into the ideal system layout, the number of shuttles required, and throughput figures. By using the new system with Siemens automation, machine builders and manufacturers can increase productivity and product quality to remain competitive, while simplifying and reducing engineering efforts.