24.04.2008

New tower crane aid

SMIE, the tower crane anti-collision company, has introduced a new crane operator display unit in order to help with the more sophisticated cranes now on the market and increased concerns over tower crane safety.

The new device, the DLZ342 has been designed primarily to keep the operator of stand alone cranes constantly informed of critical crane conditions, the DLZ342 also allows for setting of specific zoning and records crane operations.
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The DLZ 342 in cab display

The display includes:
- Load Weight
- Load Moment
- Slewing angle
- Trolley radius
- Hook height
- Rail travelling
- Wind speed
- Date and time
- Reeving configuration

Where appropriate, colour coding and sound alarm helps warn the operator when approaching a critical condition. The display unit is designed for easy reading regardless of lighting conditions,

Advanced Data Logging

Within the compact unit, a memory chip records the total number of working hours; total accumulated load lifted; analysis of lifting cycles; details of the last ten lifting cycles and the last 2,000 recorded events.

Transferring data from the display unit to a computer is carried out with a simple USB flash key. The stored data can then be analysed on a normal computer in the form of spreadsheets and graphics, using a Microsoft Excel compatible file format. This information ensures that the crane operations can be monitored and, in the event of any incident, the working history can be analysed..

Work Zone Management

A critical consideration for tower crane operators has always been over-flying restrictions or awareness of potential collision risks. The DLZ342 features an integrated work zone limitation management system, enabling the operator to store working area parameters. Once stored, the operator is able to concentrate on load handling, as the DLZ342 will not allow crane manoeuvres outside of the pre-set zones.