MOVIGEAR® drive systems are particularly suited for the food and beverage industry, with its dual demands of high hygiene levels and energy saving, combined with the need to limit any downtime. SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa recently supplied a total of 65 MOVIGEAR® units to a major abattoir, representing one of the largest projects of its kind it has supplied to date.

The units for the abattoir project are being assembled locally at the SEW-EURODRIVE Cape Town manufacturing facility, which means fast and reliable delivery, in addition to quick service back-up and repairs if need be. The partial delivery allows for the project to flow smoothly, without the MOVIGEAR® units having to be in storage too long.

“The main requirement was that we adhere to the strict delivery timetable on the project, while the main technical challenge was to select the correct unit that could be integrated with the customer’s current choice of PLC,” SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa Sales Engineer Sean Tibbott elaborates. This is of particular importance, as the MOVIGEAR® units comprise different communications topologies, namely DBC, DSC, DAC, or SNI, which allows for effortless integration with existing PLC programs.

“The main contributing factor in SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa securing this project was that we had the correct product that suited the customer’s specific requirements,” Regional Sales Manager Clive O’Reilly explains. Customer benefits of the MOVIGEAR® units are ease of installation, combined with ease of communication between the various units.

The MOVIGEAR® units reduce installation and start-up efforts and costs, as well as minimising energy and operational costs. In addition, the design complies with all of the necessary requirements in terms of hygiene-sensitive areas in the food and beverage industry.

The MOVIGEAR® unit is highly integrated, comprising three different sections, namely an electronic inverter, which is connected to the servo motor and, in turn, connected to the gearbox section. “It is essentially a mechatronic drive system,” Tibbott highlights.

The integration allows for minimal electrical and mechanical losses through direct contact or connection between the drive components. This low-noise drive system makes for reduced noise levels, meaning it is ideal for areas where workers are present.

The MOVIGEAR® units are available in three different torque variants, namely 200 Nm, 400 Nm, and an extended torque version (representing a 16% increase over the largest torque output).

Standard features include IP65 and IP69K rating, which makes them ideal for the demanding requirements of the food and beverage industry. “Another key differentiator is that more than 20 different ratios are available, allowing for maximum flexibility in selecting application speeds,” Tibbott points out.