Solutions for the factory of the future

"Integrated Industry - Discover Solutions" is the motto of this year's Hanover fair. Anyone interested in a live experience will find just what they are looking for at the Lenze booth in Hall 14, Booth H20 from 25 to 29 April. This year the Motion Centric Automation specialist is focusing on practical Industry 4.0 solutions that translate into flexible, operator-friendly, energy-efficient machines. Visitors can see how modern interaction possibilities substantially reduce commissioning times, smart energy recovery concepts that also make economic sense, how modularisation makes machine builders more flexible and how machine data can be securely transmitted to and from the cloud and enable predictive maintenance. Also celebrating its début at the Hanover fair is the new i500 frequency inverter series, which sets new standards in terms of size, application customisation and ease of commissioning. Another new bonus is the extended range of the g500 gearbox series with torque outputs running up to 20,000 Nm.

The subject of Big Data and its secure handling is on everyone's lips at the moment. A key requirement is a secure data link between the factory and the cloud, followed by protection of data from misuse. At the Hanover fair Lenze presents just such a security solution for the first time. It offers secure connection establishment from the machine to the cloud and vice-versa and also data analysis, the information from which is then supplied to the user.

Modular concepts for greater machine flexibility

Producing customised products on the same terms as industrial mass production calls for highly flexible, intelligent and networked machines that are nevertheless easy to handle. Machine builders are faced with the challenge of launching their flexible machines on the market as soon as possible, a task best accomplished by breaking down the machine's complex motion sequences into functional units. Standardised modules can be easily re-used, test times and error rates are reduced, and more time is left over for devising the machine properties that matter most to the customer. Lenze is a pioneer in the field of machine modularisation. At the Hanover fair visitors can discover the impressive Lenze portfolio of modular software and hardware and modern interfaces for flexible machine concepts.

Smart concepts for more energy efficiency

The new Lenze regenerative module now makes energy recovery economically attractive, practical and above all, simple. It is coming onto the market in two power versions with 12/24 and 26/48 KW. Its special feature is the separation of feeder and recovery paths, which means that the two lines can be individually designed for exact sizing to system requirements. The regenerative power can be scaled in the easiest of ways over the parallel connection of several modules. Thanks to its high efficiency and elimination of external filters, the regenerative unit soon pays for itself and impresses with its compact design. Existing machines can also be retrofitted without problem. Typical implementation areas are, for instance hoisting gear, in which a relatively high amount of energy is accumulated as the load is lowered or on test benches, where the test piece energy has to be regularly discharged as part of the machine cycle.

Efficient product finder

Finding the right product quickly and easily is guaranteed by the EASY Product Finder. The new Lenze tool defines the basic design of a drive with astonishing speed and efficiency. Enter just a few clicks and parameters and the right product for the application is identified. Customers benefit from the time saving and the fact that they do not require extensive knowledge of Lenze products to use the tool. This procedure is particularly helpful at the beginning of an engineering process to quickly gain an overview of potential drive concepts. Other usability bonuses include searching over keywords, products or type codes, filters for different search criteria or the product comparison function.