OVERHEAD CRANE CONTROLS | TECHNOLOGY REPORT
constant communication with each other,” says Andreas Bahls, technical sales, Tele Radio Group. The system assures all cranes work in tandem. Should one unit drop out, or reach the end of a runway, it is stopped instantly via a limit switch. The system also functions instantly to slow the crane down. “A new trend is to equip standard
cranes that traditionally used a single receiver to control the hoist/trolley/ bridge motions with two receivers,” he explains. “One receiver controls the hoist/ trolley, the other controls the bridge, eliminating the festoon. “It may be extended based on
customer demands. A crane with two hoists/trolleys would be equipped with three receivers, one for hoist/trolley number one; a second for hoist/trolley number two; and a third for the bridge.” The company uses proprietary
software to provide intelligent settings “for functionality that may otherwise only be achieved using programmable logic controllers or other external devices,” explains Bahls. The company’s wireless control
system removes the operator, who can then control the crane from both a safe distance and an optimal vantage point. “In addition, remote controls have become very ergonomic, making long hours of operation much easier that being tethered” to a crane, he continues. And, Tele Radio has made reducing,
increasing, or setting safety zones part of the standard operating range integrated into a wireless system.
P The Warrior transmitter product line from Cervis includes the ANY-STEP push button transmitters as well as small medium and large mill-duty console boxes for multi-step and step-less applications.
It’s product lines evolve based on market/customer demand, Bahls says. One customer recently requested a complicated configuration for its three crane bays. Each bay was outfitted with nine cranes. “The customer requested one transmitter per bay with the ability to select and control any of the nine cranes,” recalls Bahls. The solution was achieved with nine
receivers, one per standard, three-motion, two-speed single-hoist crane in each bay, and one of Tele Radio’s 12-button transmitters. The operator could release the stop switch of the transmitter, at which point the LEDs next to buttons one through nine would light up. This allowed the operator to select
the receiver/crane to be controlled by pressing the corresponding button. He could then press start buttons 11 and 12 to log in to the selected receiver. The LED next to buttons one through nine corresponding to the selected crane would light up, indicating what crane was selected. Buttons one through six now controlled the hoist/trolley/bridge and button 11, the horn. “Load control in multiple crane applications is a challenge that can result in lost inventory and more importantly catastrophic accidents at the job site,” says Kevin Hadley, president, American
wireless control manufacturer Cervis, Warrendale, PA. Synchronized tandem crane controls
are critical to successful operation of multiple cranes at the same time by the same operator. The system offered by Cervis requires the operator to select the cranes to be used in tandem as well as the communications control, and to confirm radio frequency integrity. “From a safety standpoint, if one of
the cranes should have an RF signal interrupted, its mainline contactor would open and begin a stopping operation,” explains Hadley. “At that time, the second crane being controlled in tandem would also respond to a stop condition. “This function is completed without the need for secondary systems that may require licensed radio frequencies, he said. “It is an embedded feature of Cervis tandem systems.” He says customers have shown particular interest, as well, in the Enable feature on Cervis controls. It requires the operator to be hands-on at all times to enable motion control by depressing a guard lever. “It is activated by magnetic vane technology, so there’s no contact switch to wear out,” says Hadley. The company’s Any Step switch is a handheld control that incorporates two-, three-, and multiple-step push buttons. The push buttons offer a contactless
R The Intelli-Lift system from Columbus McKinnon offers off-center pick control, ensuring the load is vertically below the hook when the operator lifts it.
36 | May 2022 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
dual and redundant control for the two- step switch, which monitors two inputs for direct sensing. The three-step switches offer redundant control, and the Any Step package can provide varying speeds digitally or in an analogue format. “With the release of the Any Step solution, our HHMS model is a one-of-a- kind handheld capable of many variable features combined in one transmitter,” says Randy Butter, vice president of sales for Cervis. “This product will have practically no limitation when it comes to market focus.” ●
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