NEW PRODUCTS

ABB Ability Safety Plus for personnel and equipment safety

ABB is launching ABB Ability Safety Plus for hoists, a suite of mine hoist safety products that brings the highest level of personnel and equipment safety available to the mining industry. The products include Safety Plus Hoist Monitor (SPHM), Safety Plus Hoist Protector (SPHP) and Safety Plus Brake System (SPBS) including Safety Brake Hydraulics (SBH). Designed in accordance with the international ‘safety of machinery’ standard (IEC62061), the products have been independently certified by research institute RISE (Research Institute of Sweden) which works with companies, academia and the public sector in industrialization, quality assurance and certification. ABB Ability Safety Plus for hoists includes the new technician to fix it. The crane would be isolated and taken offline until the issue was identified and then repaired, creating costly downtime for busy facilities involved in manufacturing, materials handling, food and beverage, power generation, mining and a huge range of other industries that just cannot afford unnecessary downtime. Konecranes has always had a corporate culture of putting safety first and advocated for an intelligent preventative maintenance programme over a “fix it once something breaks” approach. Preventative maintenance isn’t just an investment in crane performance, it’s an investment in safety too. All companies want every employee and visitor to return home safely at the end of the day, and preventative maintenance is an ideal way to keep crane machinery operating at optimal levels of safety. ABB SIL 3 Safety Plus Brake System (SPBS), which is the mining industry’s first fully independently certified Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL 3) mine hoist brake system. SPBS will increase the safety of personnel riding mine hoists as well as the safety of the equipment, hoist and shaft infrastructure. The new SPHP provides enhanced protection for the mine hoist and mine shaft infrastructure equipment. ABB SIL 3 SPBS handles the application of the safety brakes during emergency stops and the prevention of brake lift. ABB SIL 3 SPHP monitors the speed and position of the hoists. It also monitors the instrumentation used by personnel accessing or using the hoist from different levels, for example, at gates and maintenance platforms, emergency stop

Major Assessments

Major Assessments are a vital part of an ongoing preventative maintenance programme and a requirement of AS2550.1 2011 Section 9, which is equivalent to the NZ Approved Code of Practice, where Konecranes has also been performing major assessments for years. They aim to identify maintenance needs and can identify items that require repair before they fail. As per their classification, crane machinery is generally designed for ten years of operation, and crane structures for 25 years. For companies looking to extend or change their crane’s usage, calculate remaining design life and maintain top levels of safety and Standards compliance, Konecranes can perform a Major Assessment. A Major Assessment is particularly useful if production needs are changing, and the crane’s usage is likely to change as a result. It can provide a detailed overview and show whether the crane can match the updated operational needs. The assessment looks at structures, mechanical components and electrical systems, and highlights possible maintenance, modernisation or upgrade needs. Steps involved in the process include: 1. A team of Konecranes specialists observes the production and operating environment of the crane 2. The overall condition of the crane structures and components is evaluated in detail with a focus on safety, productivity, reliability, usability and remaining design life 3. Operators and maintenance personnel are interviewed, and all pertinent documentation is reviewed 4. The team provides a detailed report and further consultation with advice on maintenance, modernisations and future investments

Crane optimisation technologies

In addition to Major Assessments, Konecranes buttons and remote lockout points. The ABB SIL 3 SPHP interfaces with the safety brake system to bring or keep the hoist to a safe state. It also interfaces with the drive and hoist control

Advances in preventative maintenance help avoid crane repairs

By Thomas Schnittger, Engineering Manager, Konecranes Australia and New Zealand

Gone are the days where a fault would present itself, and then you’d call in a

Preventative maintenance is key to optimising crane safety and performance, says Konecranes Engineering Manager, Thomas Schnittger, pictured.

system.

A Konecranes engineer performing a Major Assessment

now has a raft of advanced technology available to remotely monitor cranes and identify the early warning signs before they turn into performance issues.

Technologies like Konecranes’ TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring and Reporting can look more deeply into a crane in real-time to identify areas that need to be serviced, or find efficiency gains that were previously unseen from the outside.

As the world’s largest crane service organisation, with more than 600,000 pieces of lifting equipment under service contract worldwide, Konecranes has extensive experience ensuring cranes are operating at peak efficiency and productivity. Konecranes Consultation Services include Gear Case Inspections, RopeQ™ Magnetic Wire Rope Inspections, CraneQ™ Geometric Surveys, RailQ™ Runway Surveys and Operator Training.

Covid updates

Crane safety and compliance to Standards are two things that cannot be overlooked, even as Covid-19 changes the way businesses work across the globe. Konecranes will still be performing Major Assessments and other important preventative maintenance work, to keep cranes operating efficiently, safely and comply with Standards. Our teams have been trained in heightened hygiene practices, and will comply with all site procedures such as temperature checks, sanitising and wearing appropriate protective clothing.

HandScanner saves four seconds per scan

Datalogic’s new HandScanner is non-intrusive, hands-free wearable and enhances efficiency and accuracy.

The scanner’s low weight allows it to reduce the load lifted by a worker during every working shift by up to 1.5t.

Capable of scanning from 10cm to 150cm, HandScanner is suitable for a broad range of tasks in transport, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare industries. Weighing just 40g and measuring 50 x 45 x 16mm, this is the lightest and most compact hands-free scanner available to improve workplace efficiency. It saves four seconds per scan, with 33% less errors. The HandScanner complements Datalogic’s comprehensive range of advanced industrial scanning equipment designed to deliver efficiency, accuracy, reliability and ergonomic benefits to demanding industries. “Compared to ring scanners, the HandScanner is thinner and positioned on the back of the hand, therefore it is less intrusive and less exposed to hits than a ring scanner that stays on the fingers of a worker,” says Mr Stefano Pistis, Product Manager, Datalogic. “This durable, practical and ergonomic design results in up to a 20 per cent reduction in scanner damage,” adds Mr Pistis.

A fully charged HandScanner battery can last almost two working shifts, running up to 15 hours and 10,000 scans. With a 2-slot charging station the battery can be fully recharged in 2 hours. Equipped with a megapixel sensor, the HandScanner Expert Hydraulink technicians have installed hammer piping and other new features in a complex customisation of CAT machinery designed to further extend its functionality and versatility. The customisation was completed for a customer that wanted the option to add different attachments to their reliable and efficient CAT 320f excavator, which weighs about 22t and features a 120kW engine. But the job isn’t as simple as most repair and maintenance jobs, adds Hydraulink Sales and Service Technician (HSST) Craig Dorling, who worked on this custom installation with fellow HSST Rob Caygill. “Aftermarket installation work like this – where you need to make the customised hydraulics function and look like they were fitted OEM – requires a unique and highly technical skillset. “The Hydraulink team has some of the only technicians in the country with the right skills and experience to perform the job safely and to a top standard of quality,” said Mr Dorling, who is part of captures 1D/2D bar codes and is available in two models: a standard range – designed for close range scanning between 10 to 80cm for manufacturing, retail and healthcare applications; and a mid-range model with a scanning range of 30 to 15cm, which covers applications in transportation and logistics such as warehousing, plant floors, docks, and stock yards.

HandScanner’s non-intrusive and comfortable design result in up to a 20% reduction in scanner damage compared with ring scanners. The HandScanner is designed to work with static, semi-static, and dynamic workstations. With Bluetooth low energy connectivity, it can communicate with mobile and industrial computers, smartphone and tablets. It can also be easily paired with Datalogic’s hand-held and vehicle mounted computers to provide workers with a full data collection solution suitable for any application. a large network of Hydraulink dealers, distributors and service technicians that make up more than 400 service points across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The hammer piping (or auxiliary piping) Hydraulink retrofitted to the CAT 320f excavator allows for a greater range of attachments to be used with the reliable machine, including a chisel or hammer for breaking concrete and rock, as well as larger attachments like grabs or drills. “Standard attachments only use one-directional flow with their hydraulic piping. We installed bidirectional flow to allow the machine to use the larger attachments,” explained Mr Dorling, who is now working on a similar job for a CAT 329e excavator. In addition to hammer piping, Mr Dorling also installed a quick hitch and hose burst protection. The quick hitch allows for different attachments to be installed and uninstalled safely and more swiftly, and the hose burst protection – comprised of two

Applications

The HandScanner is a highly flexible and versatile solution for scanning applications. It can be paired with Datalogic’s mobile computers to provide workers with a full data collection solution suitable for any application. With LED indicators, acoustic and haptic feedbacks, the HandScanner can work in a broad range of environments. The hand trigger can be used with or without gloves and is available in different sizes, right or left hand, with an optimum fit due to the variable Velcro fastener.

Applications for the HandScanner include:

• Transport and logistics: picking, packing, palletting, receiving, sorting, shipping, track and trace, delivery, proof of delivery and pickup • Manufacturing: parts and assembly traceability, sequencing stations, inventory management, replenishment, sorting, finished goods verification • Retail front-end: click and collect, in-store inventory, price checking • Retail back office: receiving, inventory management • Warehouse: picking, shipping and receiving • Healthcare: pharmaceutical and laboratory warehouse picking and inventory, sample/blood

Hydraulink customisation extends versatility of workhorse CAT machinery

Customised hammer piping installed by Hydraulink allows this CAT 320f to be used with a wider range of attachments such as chisels, hammers, grabs or drills.

bag tracking valves – adds an additional level of safety to the machine during lifting tasks. If the machine is lifting, oil is going into the cylinders to make them lift upwards. But, without burst protection, if there is a hydraulic hose failure, this oil comes out, causing the machine to fall and come crashing down.