LEITNER DirectDrive: Celebrating Over 20 Years Of Trend Setting Drive Technology
It was already recognized at an early stage at LEITNER that the future of the ropeway system lies in DirectDrive. That’s why the gearless DirectDrive system by LEITNER, including a frequency inverter, has been setting standards worldwide for more than 20 years. In comparison to other drives and DirectDrives, the customers particularly appreciate the low maintenance effort, high reliability of the system and the incredibly high user friendliness and ease of maintenance. So, it is also not surprising that the LEITNER DirectDrive is now the reliable heart of more than 200 ropeway systems in more than 25 countries.
The implementation, which takes place entirely in house by LEITNER – from the development right up to production – is the guarantee for highest product quality and a constant innovative lead. LEITNER’s many years of experience ensure a maximum of product and advisory expertise, as well as performance for any requirement. “From the developer directly onto the ski slope” – this distinctive quality advantage has already been convincing customers all over the world for more than 20 years. Thanks to the consistent in-house implementation, the original by LEITNER is always at the state-of-the-art, with the company’s research activities constantly flowing into the DirectDrive.
Advantage through innovation in efficiency and reliability
With the LEITNER DirectDrive, the highest technological standards meet the maximum operation and maintenance convenience. The strengths in practice are particularly shown by the ease of repair. Generally, repairs can be completed within a few hours, without impairing the running operation. For example, the coils can be replaced particularly quickly and easily due to the very low weight. The station also does not need to be opened for work activities on the system, which makes days lost a thing of the past
The DirectDrive also achieves top marks when it comes to efficiency and adaptability. The perfected LEITNER technology achieves efficiency of up to 94 percent from the partial to peak load range and is therefore clearly in pole position on the market. The redundancy of the DirectDrive design also contributes to the maximum performance. With the design in the form of multiple segments, it is particularly high and thereby increases operational reliability enormously. For example, even with an oversized motor, the required output can be provided to operate the system, even with a possible malfunction of a segment.
The installation at the Serfaus funicular shows how flexible the LEITNER DirectDrive is. The first DirectDrive with an installed vertical drive sheave celebrated its premiere there. An alternative that is useful for aerial tramways, funiculars or material conveyor belts. The LEITNER DirectDrive is implementable for all types of ropeways, like no other of its kind.
A perfected technology that is also good for our environment
At the heart of LEITNER DirectDrive, is the sheave that is connected directly to the synchronous motor. This is comprised of three moving parts, the rotor and two bearings. The required motor oil quantities for a conventional planetary gear are completely eliminated. As the LEITNER DirectDrive operates with fewer parts and lower rotational speed, wear and malfunction risk are reduced significantly. In addition to the higher reliability, it is also convincing with significantly reduced noise development. The efficient drive system is complemented by the LeitDrive frequency inverter, whose perfect coordination with the motor guarantees the high overall efficiency in all load ranges. The use of waste heat from the fluid cooling system ensures additional synergy effects for heating or hot water generation. This means that the LEITNER drive system also plays in the premier league in terms of sustainability and conservation of resources.
