Improve Safety and Productivity Through Crane Automation

CRANE 1 can help your organization to better protect personnel and improve facility throughput with Intelli-Protect™ technology installed on your cranes to create “no-fly zone”. What exactly is a crane “no-fly” zone and how does it work?

No-fly zones refer to protected areas where normal crane operation needs to be limited or entirely restricted.   The restricted area could be personnel offices or work areas with expensive machinery or equipment where it is desirable to totally restrict the ability of the hoist hook or load to enter.
IMPROVED FACILITY SAFETY
To limit the risk of collisions, Intelli-Protect offers two protection boundaries to limit or stop crane operation. When crossing an initial slow down boundary, the crane speed is limited. When crossing a stop boundary, the crane stops to prevent entrance into the no-fly zone. The crane can back out of a zone and resume operation at normal speeds and control directions outside of the no-fly zone.
CONFIGURE TO EXACT REQUIREMENTS
A Personal Electronic Device (PED), such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, allows for full configuration of Intelli-Protect Systems. Systems can also be enabled or disabled as changing process, plant, and crane conditions require. After commissioning, the PED can monitor no-fly zones, inputs, outputs, and troubleshoot faults or alarms. The Wi-Fi signal can be turned off after setup to prevent programming changes.
OPTIMIZED PRODUCTIVITY
PLC experience is not required for installation and commissioning of Intelli-Protect, so your facility can get up and running quickly. Using the Wi-Fi connection to the web interface eliminates the need to go up on the crane to set up or view diagnostic information. The user interface is designed to enable configurations from the plant floor. Intelli-Protect provides an overview that displays plant floor layout, active zones, and crane movement, as well as control system status information.
PREDICTABLE, REPEATABLE OPERATION
Once two-sided, three-sided, four-sided, or configurable no-fly zones are designated, cranes reliably and consistently traverse production areas, minimizing downtime.
FLEXIBILITY FOR YOUR APPLICATION NEEDS
Robust design allows for fixed location or fully configurable operation in both indoor and outdoor applications. The Intelli-Protect System can be easily bundled with Magnetek® brand motion control products for additional safety and diagnostic information.
CRANE 1, working with our partner Magnetek® can install an Intelli-Protect System on your crane that will allow us to restrict the crane or hoist operation not enter designated locations.  In those areas, the crane can be programmed to slow down or stop.
The system uses the Intelli-Protect PLC in coordination with matched motion control products such as variable frequency drives, radio remote controls, limit switches, and sensors. These systems can be quite versatile — ranging from simple configurations to very complex and can be added to existing crane controls or on new installations. Implementing an Intelli-Protect System dramatically limits the risk of collisions, increases safety for equipment and personnel, and improves facility throughput.
Contact your local CRANE 1 office for an application evaluation or proposal on an Intelli-Protect installation or other automation solutions that will help to increase the safety, productivity, and uptime of your facility. Intelli-Protect is ideal for the aerospace, automotive, steel, manufacturing, and pulp/paper industries.