Mat e rial flo w

Low-voltage motorised rollers
ensure energy efficiency in Royal Mail
new distribution centerT

he Royal Mail international distribution
center near Heathrow, London, isamong the most technologically advanced
mail sorting centers in the world. The
company has invested 436 million euros inthis distribution center covering an area as
big as six football pitches. All mail items(letters and parcels) that are sent to andfrom the UK will now pass through the sitewhich replaces eight old mail distribution
centers in the UK. The new facility has been
designed to ensure a handling capacity ofup to ten million mail items per day, for24-hour operation. Core of the distribution
center is a 12-km long conveyor system,operated by energy-efficient Power Moller
type drum motors by the Japanesecompany Itoh Denki.

No energy consumption instand-by mode
The large daily volume of mail items can only
be mastered with a high degree ofautomation and integrated control
technology. For this purpose, incoming mailProject overview
Tasksn Control of up to ten million mail items (letters and parcels) per dayn 24-hour operationn Low energy consumptionn High degree of automation and integrated control

Detailsof thesystemsolutionn In terms of conveying technology, 10,000 24-V DC Power Moller typebrushless rollers are usedn Adjustable conveyor speeds and transport configurationn Smooth and quiet operation of charge carriers on ball-bearing rollers
n Energy-efficient low-voltage motor rollers, no power consumption when in standby moden Easy integration into PLC
n A CB016 control board provides for individually adjustable, soft start and stop as well as

dynamically adjustable speed control; it features an integrated dynamic brake andprovides error analysis.

34   f+h Intralogistics 7/2013

Source: Itoh Denki

With a view to optimizing thedelivery times of mail items (lettersand parcels), Royal Mail has launched an extensive investment
program. The focus of the project
was to combine several distribution
centers in one location. The result is
a distribution center featuring amaterial flow technology which
stands out, among other things, for
extremely high energy efficiency

items are first scanned and, after determing
their dimensions, made unambiguously
identifiable through coding, for any furtherprocesses in the distribution center.
Subsequently, letters and parcels arrive in
the appropriate sorting area whereautomatic address detection takes place via
a scanner.
Then, letters and flat items areautomatically placed in trays, after being
sorted according to their delivery addresses.
An approximately 4-km long roller track,integrating the energy-saving drum

About Itoh Denki
Founded in Japan in 1946, Itoh Denki
placed the 24-V DC motor roller on themarket in 1989. The consequent
further development and improvementof this technology eventually led to thePower Moller drum motor series.
From the Japanese parent company,
namely the ISO 9001-certified factory inKasai, the company supplies subsidiaries in America, Asia and Europe inaddition to its home market. Researchand development as well as manufacturing technology for the production of
drum motors and their controllers aresolely carried out in-house.

Photos: Itoh Denki/Fotolia

M a t er i al flow

01 The 50-mm diameter drum motor

02 The control board allows for themotors by Itoh Denki, acts as a connecting
element between the single target stations.
The 24-V DC Power Moller type rollers arebrushless (Image 01). With a 50 mm pipe
diameter, high torques are possible using thistechnology. Each drive roller is operated by aneasy-to-use CB016 board (Image 02), whose
commutation voltage can control both theroller operation and various other steering
options through an external PLC. Anotherfeature of this modular, compact solution,
when compared to external drives, is its low
noise level. The belt conveyor integrated in
the material flow layout consists of a variety ofzones. Each of these zones is driven by a single
drum motor. Each roller can be individuallycontrolled for each zone and is enabled only
when needed. Compared to a drive systemrunning with a geared motor in continuous
operation, drive belts and pneumatics

systems or couplings, these features create thepre-requisites for high energy savings.
Calculations have demonstrated that the useof Power Moller rollers allows reducing therequired energy by up to 60% comparable
conveyor section as against a pneumatic gear
drive solution. In addition to energy
expenses, maintenance and repair charges
are included in the list of the total operating
costs of a plant. Also in relation to these
items, Itoh Denki drum motors can help
users to improve their cost balances. For
drive solutions with belts and couplings, inmany cases these components require
replacement after only two years sincecommissioning, whereas the manufacturer’s
drum motors have a product service life of
approximately 20,000 operating hours.

housing the drive technology

individual configuration of the drive rollers,e.g. in terms of conveying speeds

www.itoh-denki.com