VAHLE launches the world's first intelligent pantograph on the market
Paul Vahle GmbH & Co. KG has developed the Smart Collector, an intelligent current collector. The innovative product collects analysis data on the condition of the conductor rails and their components during operation. This is unique on the market in this form. Based on the values determined, the plug-and-play solution makes it possible to detect signs of wear or emerging faults at an early stage and reduce unplanned downtimes to a minimum.
"Flexible systems and high plant availability are the be-all and end-all for modern production processes. Precise knowledge of the condition of the systems is an important prerequisite for this," says Jessica Genz, Product Manager at Paul Vahle GmbH & Co. Because breakdowns and malfunctions cost a lot of time and therefore money. "To ensure continuous monitoring and detect faults at an early stage, we have now developed the world's first intelligent conductor rail monitoring system," says Genz.
The Smart Collector has a special sensor system that detects the movements of the individual current collectors. In combination with a positioning system, movement parameters and any track anomalies are assigned with positional accuracy and can therefore be rectified in a targeted manner. "In addition to the alignment to the rail and the contact pressure, the Smart Collector uses the lifting and deflection movements to calculate a wear forecast for the individual carbon brushes," explains the product manager. The Smart Collector can be integrated into both new and existing systems and can of course be combined with existing technology.
The data is processed and analyzed by the control unit and transmitted to an ISO 27001-certified data center. This also enables the use of a remote helpdesk. "This allows us to detect anomalies at an early stage, determine the optimum maintenance time and avoid routine inspections. This not only increases the service life of the systems, but also reduces costs in the long term," says Genz. Required spare parts can then be ordered "just in time" via the VAHLE Customer Hub and no longer need to be kept in large quantities.
"We are very proud to present the world's first intelligent current collector system on the market and thus make our customers' processes even more efficient and reliable," says Achim Dries, Managing Director of Paul Vahle GmbH & Co.
Three pilot systems at well-known industrial companies are currently being equipped with the Smart Collector.
Further information about the Smart Collector can be found at: https://smartCollector.vahle.de
