Auto Manufacturing Technologies

Car body production requires the highest level of precision, both in the manufacture of car body parts as well as in the joining of parts at the relevant welding stations. The extensive arrangement and number of signals to be processed from individual stations were a challenge to the automation of the car body production line.

To ensure the optimum production process, all the motor drives of the conveying system, as well as all the sensors of the welding stations, have to be monitored and controlled centrally. The conveying system also had to be tuned to the complex control algorithms of the quality control on the welding stations. In total, over 1,200 motor drives had to be protected.

Reliability and protection was mission critical for the hospital’s plans. Sergei Kedrov, Electrical Development Engineer for the Centre turned to Eaton for two reasons. The unsurpassed capabilities of Eaton’s distribution, backup and switchgear equipment. And Kedrov knew first-hand the high quality work Eaton delivered on earlier projects.

Because Eaton offers one of the world’s largest portfolios of power management solutions, the Centre was able to benefit from candid and impartial advice on technical approaches to address their needs. Kedrov noted, “Eaton’s proposals have always been the best fit for the requirement, rather than the cheapest or easiest for them to sell.”

The power system was built using a complete multi-level hierarchy extending from Power Xpert FMX medium voltage switchgear systems, based on environmentally friendly SF6-free technology. Backup power protection for the medical and IT equipment is achieved by a pair of Power Xpert 9395 uninterruptible power systems (UPS), while emergency lighting is supported by Eaton’s CEAG centralized battery and comprehensive monitoring system. A pair of large-scale generators provides overall backup power for the hospital, while reliability is enhanced by redundancy throughout the system.

Elrato, a leading Estonian panel builder and long-time Eaton partner, built low voltage distribution units for the Centre. By using the SmartWire-DT intelligent wiring solution, Elrato simplified the control panel wiring, reducing time and cost. The design also allows the Centre’s staff to monitor breaker status for alarms, errors and overload warnings in real time—enabling faster system diagnosis. A second SmartWire-DT system was installed in all ventilation and climate control boards to help immediately identify any trips or malfunctions.