Reel & Roll Handling


compares the current state of the oil with the samples taken in 2016 and against the OEM design limits,” says Zamzow. “This way, we also use trend analysis to provide the best possible picture of any change within the condition of the gearbox.” The result for Palm: Seven of the eight cranes were found to be “healthy”, as in the gear oil contained few to no foreign elements or waste substances indicating contamination or wear. However, the gear oil of the automated number 5 crane, used in the roll warehouse, was found to have a noticeable increase in its wear partial count, triggering the lab to issue a “Caution” notification on the analysis report. Zamzow states: “Iron particles in the oil can be an indication of increased wear and a deeper look may be required for this particular hoist.”


CRANE RELIABILITY STUDY HAS THE SOLUTION If the reason for the wear is not clearly identified and removed, the gear may be permanently damaged. “If the gear is jammed while there is a roll on the hook, it becomes very difficult to recover it and repair the crane,” explains Zamzow. In order to determine whether there is already damage, the Konecranes experts used the Crane Reliability Study (CRS). The


With the Konecranes oil analysis, wear traces, such as rust or metal particles in the gear oil, can be identified and unplanned downtime can be prevented.


modular analysis allows them to check safety-relevant components, such as the hoisting gear as well as the steel structure, the motors, and the electrical equipment of the crane. In addition, the maintenance experts pose questions to crane drivers and technicians. The analysis result flows into a detailed report for crane owners – with concrete recommendations for action. In the case of Palm, Konecranes used a high- definition video endoscope to investigate the hoisting gear. “Just like in medicine, we use the endoscope to reach inaccessible places without having to dismantle the entire gear,” says Zamzow. “For the CRS, we use a special, oil-resistant model that was developed for industrial use and can be fitted with different lenses.” Following the endoscopic investigation,


the Konecranes service experts are certain: The hoisting gear must be replaced. In addition, the cable drum, the cable drum support, the slip-ring unit, the cylinder coupling, and the motor coupling must be renewed. “Thanks to discovering the wear early on, there was no risk to safety and we were able to replace the old gear with a new one without affecting production,” explains Nico Zamzow. “The benefits of Oil analysis as a


predictive maintenance tool for identifying problems early on is proven to minimise the risk to production and safety. We, in the United Kingdom, now offer this as a standard solution to


Konecranes experts analyse the gear oil of eight of the eleven double-girder bridge cranes that are used in the large paper machinery hall and in the fully automated roll warehouse


support our existing customers,” says Mark Goringe, Konecranes Industrial Service - area director, Mid West Europe.


TRANSPORT WILL REMAIN SAFE The Palm paper factory will continue to use services such as maintenance and servicing from Konecranes. Jürgen Friedmann, head of Mechanics at the Palm paper factory, is happy with what has been achieved: “Konecranes experts have had a very flexible approach to our demands for the availability and productivity of our cranes. Thanks to the oil analysis and the endoscopic investigation, our cranes will now run without issues in the years to come.” Konecranes is one of the world’s leading brands in Lifting Businesses and supplies production enterprises and process manufacturing, shipyards and harbors with innovative lifting technology solutions. Besides productivity-increasing lifting solutions, Konecranes also offers customised services across the whole spectrum of lifting machinery. Konecranes has 16,200 employees at 600 locations in 50 countries.


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