Cranes More Advanced

There is a new wave of innovations in cranes across various verticals as manufacturers focus on increasing the productivity and efficiency of their cranes with more value engineering, and, most importantly, minimize their cost of operations.

NBM Media takes a look at the offerings of various manufacturers.

"Liebherr, which plans to strengthen its brand name in all-terrain cranes, has made a major innovation by adding a single engine, which will support both the movement of the prime mover and support the functioning of the boom says Subhajit Chandra-Divisional Head, Liebherr Cranes India, "Working on a power take-off concept, the single engine will distribute power at both ends, which will lead to at least 20 percent less fuel consumption and 30-35 percent less running costs. This is because the single power pack will require lesser maintenance."

The company's recent advancement, the 'VarioBase' outrigger system, is a unique system that enables automatic calculation of the quantum of load to be lifted, even if the outrigger is not completely extended due to paucity of space and can calculate loads even if the extension is minimum. The Eco Mode concept and longer boom to work at shorter radius, especially while working at industrial maintenance projects, is another major development from Liebherr for its all-terrain cranes.

Chandra informs, "For catering to the higher hub heights of the new-gen windmills of 150-165 meters, we are adding a new SX boom to our LR 1750, 750-ton crawler cranes. This will be supplemented by our 'Vario Tray' concept. "

SANY crane range includes truck, All Terrain, Rough terrain and crawler versions with the lifting capacity ranging from 25t to 1600t, built with remarkable load-lifting capacity, delivering superior lifting performance for construction, ports, nuclear power and wind farm projects. Using a highly-efficient hydraulic system and intelligent control units, SANY hoist cranes enables to get maximum job-site productivity in multiple work environments.

All these products of Sany Heavy Industry have received worldwide recognition with advanced technology, lean manufacturing, high reliability and excellent service. Sany is incorporating advanced global specifications in its all types of cranes, which are now packed with enhanced safety features, Benz engines, and transmission from ZF, etc. Booms are also being configured to make them longer for facilitating maintenance work in cement and steel plants. Boom made up of high strength steel structure and optimized U-shaped cross section reduces weight significantly with higher safety rates. Jib mounting angles are 0°, 15°, and 30° which ensures fast and convenient change-over between different operating conditions so as to improving working efficiency of the machine.

Self-developed controller SYMC specially designed for engineering machinery is configured. CAN-bus full-digital network control technology with a complete set of sensors features stable control signal, simple harness, high reliability. The load moment limiter equipped with the comprehensive intelligent protection system to ensure more safe and reliable operation. With advanced self-control system and energy saving hydraulic system SANY Cranes proves to be the best choice for their customers.

"Introduction of IoT is also a major advancement for our global range of all-terrain cranes. It enables crane owner or operator to capture real time data. We plan to introduce IoT in our all-terrain cranes in India soon," says Deepak Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Sany Group (South Asia and India).

He informs that Sany is also upgrading its 650-ton SCC 6500 crawler crane with a new 153-m main boom and a 12-m jib. With this stronger boom and modified counterweight, the crane will be capable of lifting to 146-147m hub height. "Since there is good demand for lighter truck cranes, we are upgrading our STC250, 25T truck cranes produced at our Pune facility." Sany Heavy Industry offers 45,60, 80 and 160 ton truck cranes for the Indian market.

According to Pinaki Niyogy, Vice President - CTO, TIL Limited, TIL's RT cranes offer stronger load charts in both block duty as well as pick-and-carry duty. The cranes have a 4-wheel drive and a 4-wheel steer for better maneuverability, even in the most challenging jobsites. "Although there is no emission norm for non-road mobile cranes currently in India, our engines are emission-compliant (BSIII CEV) in all our rough terrain cranes and in the cranes that are not designed to ply on roads. These cranes are very rugged and maintenance-friendly, with a few electronics such as the Load Moment Indicator (LMI) System, which ensures safety while operating the cranes. Our new-gen 50T, 60T and 80T truck cranes have a boom length of more than 41m, and they are powered by our fuel-efficient, emission-compliant engines. All these machines comply with the latest Motor Vehicles Rules and are certified by ARAI as fit for registration in any state of India. Our truck cranes are designed for Indian road conditions where the maximum speed limit for heavy cranes is only 50 kmph."

"The Electronic Load Moment Indicator (LMI) prevents overloading of the cranes, provided the machines are set up as per our recommended configurations. With the LMI's in-built data logger system, the customer can periodically check the lifting records, which helps them to see if any overloading is being done intentionally by the operator or customer. Because of the absence of complex electronics, it is very easy to maintain these machines," he adds.

TIL's Rough Terrain crane RT 880 is very popular in the Indian market in the heavy-duty rough terrain crane segment. This crane is capable of 80T block duty at 3m radius and 30T pick-and-carry duty at 3m radius. Owing to such high pick-and-carry duty, the machine is extremely useful for various job site applications, where there is a requirement for continuous movement of heavy loads.

Such advancements augur well for the industry as the improved cranes will increase productivity while lowering operating costs and building profitability, especially so in the current scenario where users are having to deal with tight margins. Manufacturers are also expected to provide timely product support.

Lifting & Specialized Transport — January - March 2019