Electric monorail as a cost-effective alternative

A newly developed electric monorail system with a focus on lightness and compactness is particularly suitable for paint and electroplating plant operators and contract coaters looking for a highly efficient, cost-effective and at the same time smart overhead conveyor technology.

The completely newly developed Skyrail electric monorail system (EMS) from SEH Engineering GmbH is predestined for material flow and process linking in medium-sized and smaller companies. This makes the innovation particularly suitable for contract and in-house coaters who are looking for an intelligent and flexible solution to transport, sort, buffer and distribute coating materials with highly varying dimensions and geometries of up to 1,000 kg without overhead. In combination with an SEH Power & Free conveyor, which transports the trolley trains through the critical zones of the process technology, the innovation can be expanded into a continuous, smart conveyor system for electroplating, wet painting and powder coating.

The innovation from SEH Engineering differs significantly from the classic C1-EHB used primarily in the automotive industry. Its technology, designed for lightness and compactness, can also be integrated into existing hall environments with little effort; because Skyrail gets by with minimal steel construction. The Skyrail vehicles themselves weigh only 50 kg, but - depending on the design - they can transport workpieces weighing up to 500 kg (double vehicle) or up to 1,000 kg (quadruple vehicle).

In addition to a high travel speed (up to 150 meters per minute), essential for fast process linking, the new EHB system offers outstanding gradeability up to 30 degrees without additional components and full reversibility in vertical sections. The rails, which are mounted directly on the hall steel structure with twelve hollow chambers including clamp connections, span up to six meters. In times of high or even climbing steel prices, this aspect brings an invaluable advantage, because it significantly reduces the cost of steel construction and installation work. According to Carsten Schmidt, Managing Director of Conveyor Systems at SEH Engineering in Ostrhauderfehn, costs can be reduced by up to 40 percent compared to a C1 EMS.

Thanks to this concept, SEH Engineering's innovation is advancing to become a cost-effective alternative to Power & Free, cardan and plug-in chain conveyors in numerous industries and application areas. At the same time, the "symbiotic" interaction of SEH Power-& Free with Skyrail-EHB offers several advantages: Chain technology transports the trolley hoists of the Power & Free system safely through critical areas such as the paint booth, powder ovens/lacquer dryers, etc.; on the other hand, the Skyrail vehicles take over the Power & Free trolley hoists "piggyback", as it were, on the long conveying routes from the incoming goods to the painting process or from the painting process to the assembly lines or to shipping.

In this way, paint and electroplating plant operators as well as contract coaters, who have to cope with continuously rising quality targets and throughputs, now also benefit from the advantages of highly efficient and at the same time "smart" overhead conveyor technology. By opting for a Skyrail EMS, they are making an investment that is absolutely future-proof: modular design and consistent implementation of the principle of common parts facilitate the scaling of Skyrail systems. If required, they can be easily extended and their routing modified if requirements change over time - for example, due to a changeover to new products or work processes. (OM-10/22)