Safe driving in the autonomous sector

The special heavy-duty double wheel LSD-GBS 82K from Blickle, with housing parts made of cast and forged steel, has a high load capacity and impresses in driverless transport systems (FTS).

In search of suitable rollers for his new driverless transport system (FTS), a drive technology specialist relied on the expertise of the wheel and roller specialist Blickle. Their engineers developed a custom heavy-duty double roller with a special braking system. The component reliably handles high loads and enables safe and energy-efficient operation.

During the development of a new autonomous, self-organizing driverless transport system (FTS), specific requirements were placed on the rollers. These should be equipped with a braking solution that can be controlled electromagnetically. The payload of the transport system is 1,000 kilograms. Therefore, a load capacity of 500 kilograms per roller was required. The FTS moves at a speed of one meter per second and can lift containers up to 80 millimeters. A positioning accuracy of +/- two millimeters must be maintained. This requires smooth operation of the wheels. Additionally, there was another design challenge to solve: the distance from the platform to the ground is only 30 centimeters – the height of the roller was therefore limited.

Customized Solution

Given the clearly defined requirements, the engineers at Blickle quickly realized that a standard version was not an option. The experts ultimately chose to use a special heavy-duty double roller of the type LSD-GBS-82K. They developed a customized variant with a low height and high load capacity. The roller consists of a compact housing made from robust cast and forged components. The floor-friendly, elastic polyurethane running surface Blickle Besthane® Soft offers maximum driving comfort and, furthermore, a very low rolling resistance.

Since a common braking mechanism could not be integrated into the roller, the Blickle specialists developed a new solution. This consists of an electromagnetic drum brake using the dead-man principle. It allows high holding forces of over 1,700 Newtons per roller. The control operates within the low-voltage range of 24 volts. The brake is normally closed without power and is electromagnetically released before operation. During the operation of the driverless transport systems, it functions as an emergency brake with a holding torque of more than 40 Newton meters. This ensures high operational safety, as the entire system comes to an immediate stop in case of a power failure.

Tested with Flying Colors

On the company's own test site, the drive specialist thoroughly tested the Blickle development. The heavy-duty roller successfully passed various brake, running, and driving tests. This marked the start of a successful collaboration between Blickle and the drive technology specialist.