SMART Lifting [Oct 2011]

November 11, 2011 6:44 am

Condition monitoring, remote monitoring service, wizard-assisted start-up – all standard features in the new SMARTON process crane – take safety and reliability to a new level. The objective for the SMARTON crane is to take the calculation of the service life of critical components to a new level. SMARTON can help you to prepare for the future by analysing the past
The new SMARTON process crane provides smart safety and maintenance features that up until now have not been available as standard features in this crane size range. User-friendliness and reliability were key words when the SMARTON crane was designed. Special attention has been paid to enabling correct timing of maintenance tasks.
The SMARTON crane records its usage data automatically, storing the runtimes, number of starts and cycles, average loads, machinery temperatures, and other important values on its graphical touch-screen service panel, which is located in the electric cubicle door on the crane bridge. The crane also computes estimates of its own condition, generating different safe working period values which the crane operator can check from the service panel. All alarms and indications of their locations are also displayed on the service panel.
Comparison of condition monitoring values with design parametersSophisticated lifetime calculation formulas have been defined for the most important components of the SMARTON crane, such as the hoist, the hoist brake, the hoist wire rope and the trolley steel structures. By comparing these designed working periods with the cranes actual usage monitoring data, it is possible to analyse the condition of the crane, and to make recommendations on the timing of the necessary maintenance and inspection measures.
Comparison of the real usage and condition monitoring values with the theoretical design parameters enables optimal planning of maintenance, general overhaul, and replacement intervals for the crane’s most critical components, such as the wire rope or the hoist brake. The ultimate goal is to fix the crane before it breaks and thus minimise downtime in the customer’s process. Another important issue is to reduce unnecessary maintenance and though that, cut down maintenance cost.
Remote monitoring reportsOne of the new standard features of the SMARTON is that the condition and usage monitoring data recorded by the crane is automatically transmitted to the Global Technical Support Team (GTS) via a remote connection. The condition monitoring data can also be stored on a USB flash memory drive and sent to the GTS Team by email, if necessary.
We analyse the data by comparing it to the cranes design parameters, and can generate reports for the customer at required intervals. The reports give information on how the crane has been used, whether it is working properly, and whether it is correctly dimensioned. On the basis of these remote monitoring reports and our maintenance recommendations, the customers can improve the total life span management of their cranes. The reports can be delivered to customers via our password protected Customer portal and consist if information regarding safety issues, crane usage and projected component lifetime forecasts. With the help of these reports customers are able to see the remaining design working period of their crane components enabling them to make fact based decisions on crane’s future maintenance needs.
Wizard-assisted start-upThe automatic wizard functions, which assist the user in the crane’s start up process, are a new and user friendly features incorporated in SMARTON’s graphical user interface. With these smart wizards, the setting up of start-up values on the service panel can be performed by the service man, without having to resort to the help of a programmable logic control (PLC) specialist. In case of a failure in crane’s PLC after start-up, no data is lost, as all settings are stored in the service panel. Once a new PLC has been installed, the original values can be retrieved with the back- up and restore functions. Another useful new standard feature in SMARTON is the possibility to also operate the crane via the service panel, should the normally used two radio transmitters fail. Customers’ benefitsTo summarise it, ‘Trueview Remote Monitoring Services’ provides many benefits to customers: it unlocks the power of information to customers and allows to see the concrete facts about crane operation and usage. It helps to improve safe crane operation, supports usage driven maintenance and hence saves on annual maintenance cost. It helps to avoid the risk of unplanned downtime with the right maintenance at the right time.