Posted by David Sear
Belgium is well-known for many of the good things in life: excellent cuisine, exquisite diamonds, sumptuous chocolates… and now the country can also boast about its superior networking solutions for infrastructure projects.
So much becomes quite clear when talking to Kees Geldhof, who as Sales Engineer for AUMA in Belgium knows all about the benefits Profibus can bring.
Asked for an example, Mr Geldhof immediately refers to a new drinking water facility, being built at the sea-side resort of Knokke-Heist.
Located on the North Sea, Knokke-Heist is famous for its long sandy beaches and extensive promenades.
But of course, visitors and residents alike can only swim in the brine, and not drink it, which is why investments are being made in a new-build drinking water facility.
For this plant, AUMA is supplying about thirty actuators, with outputs ranging from thirty to a hundred and twenty Newtonmetres.
Comments Mr Geldhof: “All these actuators are Aumatic models, with a Profibus interface. The advantages of Profibus include the central control, ease of management and ready access to feedback from the actuator, including data about the position of the valve, the required operating torque, any faults, etc.”
On a larger scale, AUMA has also recently supplied Profibus actuators for the refurbishment of canal locks in Evergem. In Belgium, it should be noted, canals are not just for leisure but continue to fulfill a substantial role in the country’s transportation needs.
Mr Geldhof: “The canals can accommodate some very large barges indeed, and the locks are quite massive. The twenty-four actuators we supplied are on a similar scale, with outputs of around two thousand Newtonmetres.”
Another key advantage is the fact that networks like Profibus make the cabling much, much simpler, he concludes. “Not only can multiple units be hooked up to a single cable, but just one pair of wires is all that is required to carry all the control and feedback signals.”
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