How do you maintain reliable communication on a moving overhead transport system inside a heavy-industry manufacturing plant – where powerful motors, steel structures and high EMI levels disrupt conventional communication technologies? For ZPSV in Czechia, the answer was RipEX.
https//www.racom.eu/eng/case/reliable-wireless-control-to-overhead-transport-systems
Challenge: High Interference Environment Makes Power Line Communication Unusable
ZPSV s.r.o., a major Czech manufacturer of concrete products for railway and civil engineering, has operated since 1955 and is known for producing the first reinforced concrete sleepers used across the world.
At the company’s plant in Uherský Ostroh, three large production halls are connected via an overhead transport system. Carts move materials between halls, controlled through continuous communication with a central system.
However, the gradual introduction of more powerful industrial motors significantly increased electromagnetic interference.
This caused:
- unreliable Power Line Communication
- delays and stoppages in cart movement
- risk of production inefficiencies and operational downtime
ZPSV needed a communication solution that could:
- operate reliably in a high-EMI environment
- support moving installations
- ensure deterministic, real-time control
- integrate easily with modern TCP/IP systems
Solution: RipEX with Base Driven Protocol and FEC Ensures Error-Free Operation
RipEX was selected for testing due to its proven robustness in noisy industrial environments.
The communication design used:
- 400 MHz RipEX radio modems
- TCP/IP communication
- Base Driven Protocol for deterministic control
- Forward Error Correction (FEC) for error-free transmission
- Flexible rod antennas, replacing dipoles that physically could not fit through the overhead passage
The final configuration consisted of:
- one fixed RipEX installed near the control room
- three RipEX units mounted directly on moving carts
Despite the COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, RACOM support engineers remotely assisted with configuration, tuning and testing.
Results: Reliable, Interference-Resistant Transport Management
After deployment, ZPSV achieved:
- stable real-time communication
- reliable cart movement across all production halls
- resistance to heavy electromagnetic interference
- simplified integration with existing control systems
- confidence to expand the network to the remaining hall
The customer was highly satisfied with the performance and has already ordered additional equipment for network expansion.
RipEX has proven itself as a robust communication backbone for challenging industrial transport applications.
