Anyone entering the world of drive technology and automation will know SEW-Eurodrive. Products from the Baden-Württemberg, Germany-based family business drive almost everything that moves, from airport baggage-handling systems and e-commerce parcel sorters to conveyor technology in networked production environments.
This global operation is supported by around 22,700 employees across 92 assembly plants and 18 manufacturing plants in 57 countries. The company continually invests in its facilities, most recently at Graben-Neudorf near its headquarters in Bruchsal, where a smart factory for shaft and gear-part production opened at the end of 2024.
A key element of the expansion is a fully automated production buffer warehouse, or logistics module, in the North Hall. For its implementation, SEW- Eurodrive turned to SIVAplan for intralogistics expertise and Leuze for sensor technology.
The fully automated, single-aisle high-bay warehouse acts as a production buffer between gear and shaft production and 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 scale of the installation is impressive. Constructed from 70 tonnes of steel, its two 9-m high racks extend for more than 76 m and provide 2300 storage locations using double-deep storage. Two fully automated stacker cranes operate between the racks on a common traversing axis.
“The stacker cranes transport the special hardening racks with products from production to the furnace system,” says Christian Langsdorf, head of sales at SIVAplan. “After hardening, the racks containing the shafts and gear parts are returned to storage and retrieved as required for further processing.”
The total conveying distance is 152 m, with each rack and its contents weighing up to 510 kg.
As the general contractor, SIVAplan implemented the logistics module and higher-level control system in collaboration with PROCAM Steuerungstechnik. The control system coordinates the subordinate machines, systems and vehicles while also communicating with SEW- Eurodrive’s SAP ERP system.
Leuze sensor technology is central to the automated process. Mobile robots transport finished components to the warehouse, guided by the master controller. At each of the four material transfer stations, two RSL 400 safety laser scanners protect access to the system.
“The RSL 400s generate a vertical protective field and grant access once the mobile robot has successfully registered,” explains Frank Wüster, sales manager at Leuze. “The mobile robot can then use this access to deliver the goods. Access remains secured on the side of the vehicle.”
Once the robot has passed through the protective field, the area automatically returns to its safe state. The RSL 400’s integrated PROFIsafe/PROFINET interface also simplifies integration with the safety control system.
Following transfer, each loaded rack passes through a contour checking station. Leuze HT25C diffuse sensors detect the racks and control the conveyor technology, while CML 720i measuring light curtains capture their outer contours. Additional sensors monitor rack presence and control the light curtains, with the inspection results transmitted via PROFINET.
A particularly practical feature is the ability of the diffuse sensors to ignore high-visibility clothing.
“This prevents incorrect detections caused by people wearing high-vis vests who are standing in front of or walking past the transfer station,” states Wüster.
Industrial IP cameras provide additional images of the racks from above and the side.
Although the system is highly automated, each material transfer station incorporates a manual workstation where employees can unload and inspect racks. MLC 530-SPG safety light curtains protect operators during these activities.
The system uses Leuze’s patented Smart Process Gating (SPG), eliminating the need for additional muting sensors immediately upstream or downstream. Instead, a PLC switching signal combined with interruption of the protective field by the transported goods activates the gating function.
The Type 4 MLC 530-SPG light curtains meet the highest safety requirements of EN IEC 61496, achieving Performance Level e and SIL 3.
Manual inspection is particularly important because the racks themselves are exposed to extreme conditions.
Says Schütz: “The racks are loaded into the furnaces along with the workpieces to be hardened. They are therefore subjected to extreme thermal conditions, which can deform them in the long term. That’s why the racks are automatically discharged to this station to be remeasured after a certain number of furnace cycles.”
Once inspected, the racks are returned to storage by the stacker cranes. Precise positioning is essential, particularly because both cranes operate on the same rail and pedestrian walkways must also be safeguarded.
Leuze FBPS 600i safety barcode positioning systems provide safe position detection and safeguarded velocity monitoring in combination with SEW-Eurodrive’s latest-generation MOVI-C inverters. Each stacker crane has two FBPS 600i systems, one for the lifting axis and one for the travel axis.
The system continuously monitors crane position and velocity and can switch safety envelopes to restrict crane movement if a pedestrian enters an aisle.
Only one sensor is required for safe position detection, simplifying installation. With a reading distance of 50 to 170 mm from the barcode tape, the FBPS 600i reads multiple codes during each scan, processing them redundantly before delivering millimetre-precise information to the SEW inverter.
“The scanning beam is intentionally positioned at an angle,” explains Oliver Gortner, key account manager intralogistics at Leuze. “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.”
The system’s short error response time of just 10 ms also supports short braking distances and higher travel speeds.
Finally, once a crane reaches the correct storage location, a Leuze IPS 200i camera-based sensor performs fine positioning. Mounted on each stacker crane, it detects a reflector on the shelf support and provides absolute position values to the SEW controller. This capability allows the rack to be transferred precisely into its designated compartment without the need for multiple diffuse sensors.
The result is a highly integrated logistics system that fits seamlessly into SEW-Eurodrive’s production operation. From safeguarding material transfers and inspecting racks to positioning the stacker cranes with millimetre precision, Leuze sensor technology supports virtually every critical stage.
For SEW-Eurodrive, the automated high-bay warehouse provides more than a production buffer. It helps absorb peak loads, decouples key manufacturing processes and provides the flexibility to accommodate future expansion. For SIVAplan and Leuze, meanwhile, the project demonstrates how sophisticated intralogistics and sensor technology can combine to deliver safe, reliable and autonomous production processes.
More information www.leuze.com
