INTEGRATED CONDUCTOR RAIL
PACKAGES FOR AS/RS
By Rod Griffith, Director of Marketing, Conductix-Wampfler
Whether for pallets, small parts, or special
applications with high or low inventory
turnover, it is hard to imagine a dynamic,
highly available “low cost per pick” fully
automated warehouse without an automated
storage/ retrieval system (AS/RS). The best
way to power and control AS/RS equipment
is to use reliable and efficient conductor rails
to supply electric energy as well as to pass
control signals. These systems can also be
set up for efficient and ecological energy
recovery. Most recently, the best conductor
bar suppliers for an AS/RS package their
rails as integrated metal housing. One type
of integrated package is called “ProShell,”
made by Conductix-Wampfler. This type of
support profile can integrate several conduc-
tor rails into a consolidated package while
taking into account other needs of planners
and installers.
Despite extensive advanced planning, struc-
tural modifications always crop up during
an AS/RS installation. These present the
installer with unexpected challenges that
require quick solutions, while at the same
time maintaining the existing schedule and
budget. For example, a typical installation
situation would be an unexpected offset in
the specified positions of the rack uprights.
“In this case, the installer has an advantage if
the connection of conductor rail to an
AS/RS is not dependant on the exact posi-
tion of the uprights, but could occur at any
anchor point along the profile, even near
connectors,” explains Andy Haugh, Market
Development Manager for Intralogistics.
It is real-life problems such as these that
encouraged the move to place separate
conductor rails into a rigid shell package.
Packaged systems like “ProShell” make the
mechanical integration of conductor-rail
systems, whether into a new or existing
installation, much less complex, while at the
same time ensuring the correct electrical de-
sign. Having this flexibility makes the work
of both installers and planners considerably
easier. The system allows for connections
at virtually any point along the profile so
offsetting the connection to the shelf or floor
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The Satellite Review
upright presents no problems. “The max-
imum nominal suspension interval of 3.2
meters also reduces the number of mounting
brackets or floor-mounted uprights needed,”
emphasized Haugh. A useful addition to the
system is a series of floor-mounted support
brackets that permit fast height adjustments.
The brackets have a single-hole grid pattern
or elongated hole profiles as needed.
At the heart of the concept is the installa-
tion of the conductor rails into a sheet-steel
support profile. The metal profile not only
protects the conductor rails but also permits
longer suspension intervals and the abili-
ty to install the profile directly to the rack
uprights using universal system brackets.
By adding support profiles with clamping
brackets to the Proshell profile, the user can
add optical positioning strips and bar codes
to the integrated conductor rail system.
“Products like “ProShell” provide a complete
system that gives the customer the highest
degree of flexibility with consistent mechan-
ical interfaces. It does so in a very compact
design that takes into account the trend for
four-pole or five-pole systems with new
control concepts,” says Haugh.
By using different conductor rails and differ-
ent conductor materials, such as steel, copper
or aluminum, it is possible to cover a wide
range of electrical specifications (10 Amps
to 400 Amps) with the same system, while
maintaining the same installation space and
mechanical interfaces. System engineers can
select the number of poles and cross-sections
required. Larger conductor-rail cross-sec-
tions with low resistance values and thus low
voltage drops are important when supplying
long storage lanes with only one infeed at
rated currents of up to 400 A.
A stainless-steel supporting band clamped to
the support shell can accommodate barcode
labels. These can be set in the same relative
positions from aisle to aisle with a high
degree of repeatability.
portance in terms of energy efficiency. More
and more suppliers are offering solutions for
covering energy from the AS/RS in regen-
erative mode. Regenerating power reduces
operating costs and also meets future inter-
national energy efficiency standards. Energy
recovery through the conductor rail system
reduces overall CO2 emissions.
Large cross-section conductor rails can fit
into the same standard support profile. Alu-
minum conductor rails are used to reduce
overall energy consumption as compared to
equal-cost copper profiles. The voltage drop
is less due to the higher cross-section.
Support profiles can be designed with
rolled longitudinal edges and without fixed
or upturned edges, which meets various
worldwide specifications for occupational
safety (e.g., BG and SUVA). Another advan-
tage occurs when the support profiles are
optimized to a four-meter length suitable for
most common carriers. One person can eas-
ily and safely handle the four-meter profiles.
Despite low material thickness and weight,
the special design of the metal profile makes
it stronger in comparison to conventional
U-profile solutions.
“What helps the installer also helps the
planner,” adds Simon Dülffer, Global Market
Manager for Intralogistics at Conduc-
tix-Wampfler. “The system can be reduced to
a simple diagram showing only the system
length, position of the power feeds, and the
fixed suspension interval.”
Pictured Above: Typical Conductor Rail
Support Profile: Conductix-Wampfler’s
“ProShell” system with bar code position
labels.
Higher ratings and larger cross sections in
conductor rail systems are also gaining im-
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