Safe heavy transport in the clean room

The mechanical and plant engineering company ystral, founded in Stuttgart in 1959, designs and builds mixing, dispersing and powder wetting machines for fluidized bed processes. The family-owned company, now based in Ballrechten-Dottingen near Freiburg, employs 287 people and generates an annual turnover of around 52 million euros. Its customer base includes companies from the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries as well as from the home and personal care sectors.

For use under clean room conditions in the pharmaceutical industry, ystral built a mobile process system consisting of a powder wetting and dispersing machine and a process container with a built-in jet mixer. Previously, the pharmaceutical customer had moved similar systems manually. However, safe and ergonomic transportation was no longer possible due to the heavy weight. In addition, ystral had clear requirements: The mobile unit of the system, including the drive system, should not be higher than two meters and should be safe to manoeuvre in confined spaces. Any possible sloshing of liquids in the container must not impair driving comfort. The clean room regulations also had to be complied with. In its search for a suitable project partner, ystral came across Blickle on the Internet.

"We discussed the topic in detail at several meetings. The ErgoMove 4000 quickly came up for discussion," explains Daniel Hirschler, Sales Manager at Blickle. With this electric drive system, loads of up to four tons can be transported with minimal effort. "We have modified our standard system to meet ystral's requirements," Daniel Hirschler continues. The Blickle design engineers recommended placing the drive axle in the middle of the trolley to enable safe maneuvering in confined spaces with a minimal turning circle. In addition, a special solution for the ErgoMove 4000 with a reduced overall height was implemented, which also allows doors to be passed through. Blickle also developed a remote control attached to the mobile unit to ensure safe operation of the mobile unit. This allows the operator to position himself flexibly on the unit and detect obstacles on the track in good time from any position. Many materials on the drive system are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel or a zinc-nickel coating. This meets the high requirements for applications in clean rooms. Special control of the drive motors ensures smooth starting and braking. This significantly reduces the sloshing of liquids during travel.

The customized ErgoMove 4000 has significantly improved handling at ystral and increased flexibility. The process plant can be moved by just one employee without any physical strain. Christoph Geng, Project Manager at ystral, adds: "Switching the drive modes is particularly helpful. With synchronous control of the drive motors, the process plant can be moved easily over longer distances. With the single wheel control mode, we can turn the system on the spot and maneuver with pinpoint accuracy."

• Small turning circle due to central drive axle
• Suitable for the clean room thanks to individual adaptations
• Remote control for safe driving operation