Coordinated Lifting System

This specialty lift equipment is used to lift some of the worlds largest mechanical equipment. The previous design utilized a very large control station only capable of controlling two legs at one time. More complicated lifts required multiple control stations which operated independently and added unnecessary costs. Alignment of the lifting cylinders was accomplished manually using spotters and the operator. Coordinated travel of the towers along the rails required a large, cumbersome interlock system of steel supports and chains.

GSNA solved these problems with a total machine control system integrating sensors, electro-proportional hydraulic valves, and a master controller talking to multiple input/output modules. An application-specific, closed-loop software program monitors the load to ensure that the machine is lifting within its safe capacity and height limitations. Synchronized closed-loop control of the lift function allows the operator to precisely move four towers with 16 cylinders with a single fingertip joystick. The coordinated propel function ensures up to four towers travel at the same rate and spatial relationship to each other. Spotters are no longer needed with the integration of a hand-held pendant control station or radio remote control technology into the master controller, which allows the operator to walk freely around the entire machine and still maintain full control.