Starting position

In a plant for the production of seepage pipes, the drilling process was operated entirely pneumatically.
Five compressed air cylinders took over the movement sequences — acceleration, clamping and drilling.

Machine problems before retrofitting

1. High energy consumption due to compressed air systems
2. Limited controllability of movements
3. No proper synchronization with the extrusion speed
4. Severe shocks and vibrations
5. Increased wear and recurring machine failures
6. The plant was unable to exploit its potential — neither in terms of productivity nor efficiency.

Target

The aim of the retrofit was a clear increase in the plant's performance:

• Synchronization with the extruder line
• Significantly lower energy consumption
• Higher process stability and repeatability
• Reduction of wear and maintenance costs

Funding by AktuatorWatt

This project was supported by the funding program ActuatorWatt The EBP Switzerland AG financially supported.

The funding was possible because the replacement of pneumatics with electric actuators has been shown to result in significant energy savings. It is precisely such efficiency measures that are being implemented as part of ActuatorWatt targeted support to implement economically viable retrofit projects more quickly.

Solution

The existing pneumatics were completely replaced by electric drive technology.
The electric cylinders used enable precise, dynamic movement control and can be precisely adjusted to the process speed.
The connection to the controller was simplified via IO-Link. Parameters such as position, speed and force can be controlled and adjusted directly from the PLC. At the same time, IO-Link creates transparency about the status of the drives and simplifies commissioning and diagnostics during operation.
Format changes can therefore be carried out directly via the HMI and implemented within minutes — without mechanical intervention or manual readjustment.

Project partners

Nyffeler Engineering GmbH — Planning and mechanical conversion
Eltromatic AG — Software customization and integration
Cyltronic AG — electric cylinder with integrated control and IO-Link interface

Upshot

The retrofit led to a clearly measurable improvement:

• Up to 90% less energy consumption
• Around 15% higher productivity
• Clean synchronization with the extrusion line
• Significantly smoother machine operation
• Reduced wear and lower maintenance costs
• Higher plant availability

Conclusion

The switch from pneumatics to electric actuators has raised the system to a new level both technically and economically.
In addition to energy efficiency and precision, the decisive advantage is particularly evident in process stability and availability. The additional integration via IO-Link reduces engineering costs and creates the basis for a simple, scalable machine architecture.