Duffel, 28 August 2024 – Actemium, VINCI Energies’ brand specialising in tailor-made solutions and services for industry, recently replaced two outdated drive motors at Aluminium Duffel, a leading producer of aluminium rolled products for diverse industries including the automotive sector. The new motors operate with higher efficiency, consume less energy, are more resistant to wear and tear and feature natural cooling. To minimise disruption to the production process, the engines were replaced in as little as six days, which was possible thanks to close cooperation with reliable subcontractors.

Aluminium Duffel processes aluminium into usable sheets for the automotive industry. The two drive motors of the large 148″ roller were in urgent need of replacement. These mechanically connected DC motors each have a power of 180 kilowatts and were not only susceptible to breakdowns, but were also located in an environment sensitive to wear, where they came into contact with a lot of oil and dust. Moreover, they were cooled by a water-based cooling system, where continuous pumping and cooling of water resulted in significant energy consumption.

Energy-efficient solution

Actemium offered an energy-efficient solution: two Siemens Simotics 1PC5 AC motors, each with an output of 176kW at 783 RPM, equipped with IC410 cooling, IP65 degree of protection, special coating C4 and weighing 1.7 tonnes. The new engines not only provide higher efficiency but also consume less energy. They are mounted in a closed housing, making them more resistant to wear and providing natural cooling. As an added benefit, the associated drives were replaced by a Siemens Sinamics S120 chassis-2 drives configuration with a 630kW Active Front End (ALM) power supply, allowing part of the motor energy to be recovered during braking.

Aluminium Duffel chose Actemium for the proposed concept and following positive collaborations in the past. “Actemium understood our challenges perfectly and presented an innovative solution that is not only more efficient, but also contributes to a more sustainable production,” states Kris De Schryver, Project Engineer at Aluminium Duffel.

Collaboration

The project was developed by a support team of five Actemium employees, who worked on site with known subcontractors for both the mechanical and electrical parts of the project. They worked in two shifts on the engines, electrical boards and cabling with a total of 15 people. This approach was essential in order to complete the project in only six days, ensuring that ongoing production was not disrupted.

“Time pressure was the main challenge,” Claude Anrys, Project Engineer at Actemium, reflects. “However, thanks to thoughtful planning and a well-coordinated team, we managed to replace the motors on time. Moreover, the project required the installation of new cabling over a distance of one hundred metres, spread over two floors. We successfully accomplished that task too.”

Actemium’s technical expertise and customer-oriented approach resulted in a more modern and efficient motor-drives configuration. This realisation came about thanks to the dedication to quality and innovation of all partners involved.