Konecranes CXT cranes: now smarter, cost effective

May 14, 2013 12:20 pm

With newly designed smart features, Konecranes cranes can work 60 per cent faster as compared to any standard crane
New CXT cranes by Konecranes just get smarter. The new CXT cranes are designed and manufactured to meet the common material handling requirement in industries, i.e. safety and reliability. The CXT smart crane, an advanced version of CXT crane, has intelligent assisting features that help anyone make a good crane operator. It speeds up load handling and offers unprecedented safety characteristics. The intelligent brain of the crane controls the crane’s reliable operation; it can also learn to perform new tasks from the operator.
Standard CXT cranes can be implemented with a single girder or double girder construction, a fixed single-girder system (monorail) or with under-running construction. CXT trolley models for single girder cranes are available for low headroom up to 12.5 tonnes and for normal headroom up to 40 tonnes. Double girder trolleys up to 80 tonnes available with fixed installation and machinery hoist. Several trolleys are available for the same bridge. The most common configurations are two or even three trolleys on the same crane. Trolley types can vary.
A crane with a brainThe work cycle is substantially shorter with the smart features developed by Konecranes. An experienced operator can operate any crane fast, and almost anybody can operate an intelligent crane fast and precisely. The advanced functionalities like sway control, positioning and protected area functions, enable fast and safe load transfer even when the operator is not a seasoned professional.
Konecranes is a forerunner in the design and manufacture of intelligent cranes. The company can offer functionalities that facilitate the use of a crane and add to safety as well as intelligent solutions tailored to specific customer needs. As one of the world leading crane manufacturers, Konecranes has the knowledge and the resources to build the best cranes in the market.
Smart FeaturesSmart features, which make it 60 per cent faster as compared to any standard crane, are designed to do three things. These are:• Keep people and products safe• Help get the most out of the crane• Save time and money through higher productivity and longer crane.• Sway control: This feature prevents the load from swaying. Keeps the load stable and on its intended path, reducing the average work cycle time dramatically.• Shock load prevention: It ensures smooth load pick-up. The hoist drive monitors the load. If the load is picked up too roughly, the hoisting speed is automatically reduced until the load is in the air. This reduces load shocks to the crane’s steel structure and mechanical parts and to the building.• Working limits: Due to this feature, operator can define the working area by doing the settings from the radio controller. Load movement can be temporarily restricted to one direction, for example.• Protected areas: These are no-go areas which operator cannot adjust. Up to 16 protected areas can be defined, allowing valuable machinery, busy working areas or other areas to be protected from possible operator error.• Microspeed: This feature slows the speed of normal crane movements and increases their precision. This feature helps give the operator more load control in narrow and tight places where safety is paramount for the operator and for the load.• Positioning: It means that the operator can position a load to a predefined spot easily. With this assisting automation feature, the whole work cycle can be handled with only two buttons. Over 100 positions can be defined from the radio controller by the operator.• Synchro: This is a feature that synchronises the movements when the crane has two or more hoists. This feature makes it easier and safer to handle long loads because all hoists can be operated from the same radio controller.• ASR and ESR: Both allow the hoist to run at a higher than nominal rated hoisting speed with light loads. This smart feature significantly reduces load cycle and waiting times.• Inching: It is another way to approach the destination with great accuracy. Predefined distances can be given to the crane, e.g. 25 cm for hoisting movement. When this feature is switched on, the hoisting movement travels only that predefined distance.
Communicating with cranesTRUVIEW is a remote data monitoring and reporting service that gives the client a view of crane’s operating condition through continuous data collection. This means improved safety and higher efficiency as crane maintenance can be planned according to the crane’s actual use and condition.
Through remote connection TRUVIEW collects actual usage data from the crane and prepares a report that focuses on safety, maintenance optimisation and hoist lifecycle assessment.
TRUVIEW enhances safetyEmergency stops, overloads and other operator induced safety issues of hoists are captured and reported. This enables the client to address the problem and take corrective actions before any real incidents occur.
Right crane maintenance at the right timeTRUVIEW remote service for cranes provides information that tells in advance when maintenance is needed and parts need to be changed. Repairs can be performed during inspection visits which may save you a service call.
Assessing the lifecycle of hoistRemote connection to crane allows the client to see how hoist is actually used. A client sees the remaining design lifetime of the hoist and its components and can also evaluate how differences in production have changed designed lifetime of hoist. This enables to plan and budget hoist modernisation and maintenance needs in advance.