Electronic controlled autonomous conveyor systems save cables and a central control cabinet

RIAZZINO, 6595, SWITZERLAND, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When Dieter Specht, the founder of the Interroll group, started with two young engineers the Avancon SA in Switzerland they had the idea of a conveyor construction which would be modern, use new materials, as aluminum and polymers, and control the system with a simple and cost-effective controlling software.
“We found that customers, as the conveyor producers or integrators, used many different bus-software to control their conveyor systems. Therefore, it was difficult to use something which everybody would be ready to buy,” says Dieter Specht, “therefore we decided to use and implement AS-interface, because this was easy and more cost effective and with a gateway, this could be connected with every other software language and higher bus/IT infrastructure, which was used by the customers. - And so it works. Minimum 50 % of the cost for cable setting was saved.”

Consequently, followed the idea to split the conveyor line is into a single equal zone and let the zones communicate with each other. Therefore, they focused on that single zone and put everything inside the frame construction by just snap-in. This would simultaneously secure the whole system and would allow a modern sleek design.
Naturally, this was only possible when using all profiles and conveyor frames and stands of extruded aluminum, because its light weight and easier to handle and cheaper to ship, and it allows to implement rips with snap-in rills for most elements, for the cables and section connectors. Aluminum is in addition simpler to machine and mill wholes into it automatically by CAD/CAM.
Avancon focused on the zone (a zone is as long and wide as the largest good to be transported) The zone has everything it needs to operate. It has a BLDC motor of 48V and 40 Watt (it will be a flat “Axial Flux” motor in future), and a photo-sensor and a drive system with timing belts driven and the related sensors and controls for the motor and the control system, the sensors and for the rest.
They gave the system the name “ZPC “which means “Zone Powered Concept.”
The power comes from a new developed power supply, which was in cooperation with the German Puls-Group created and exclusive patented by Avancon SA. This Power supply is compatible with the AS-i control system, where through the yellow flat cable 30.5 volt is supplied for the control system and simultaneously through the same cable also the data flow and communication transferred. AS-Interface, short for “Actuator Sensor Interface”, is an internationally standardized communication standard (IEC 62026-2) that is used for wiring sensors and actuators at the lowest automation level.
The power of 48V DC powers the motors with 48 V and is fully AS-i compatible. The cables were squeezed inside the guiding rips of the extruded aluminum profile in an upside-down position. This made it possible to press these swords, which are underneath the control boxes, into the AS-interface cables at any point. They are firmly secured in the cables, which have always parallel wires. No other fixation was necessary except a security slider. - No screws and no tools are necessary.

Because a zone can be short, for short goods or it can be very long for long cartons/boxes. To avoid a spaghetti syndrome of cables, each control got its own box. This all is very economical and flexible and can be used for 1000 application.
Generally, the ZPC-conveyor control concept, which is based on AS-interface (Actuator-Sensor-Interface), a globally standardized fieldbus system according to IEC 62026-2 that connects sensors and actuators at the lowest field level to a higher-level controller – via a single two-wire cable that simultaneously transmits data and power.

Dieter Specht
Avancon SA
+41 796203793