What is so special about smart, or intelligent, rol e-chain® for cranes?

To load and unload the cutting-edge – keyword Triple E-class – container ships, larger STS cranes must be built or existing cranes retrofitted. Container crane availability and dependability requirements are also increasing. For future operations, in addition to using rol e-chains, there is much to recommend self-monitoring systems fitted with sensors . They ensure the greatest possible availability for the energy supply – and for the crane.

This type of rol e-chains is equipped with smart monitoring sensors that, for example, record wear or the pulling or pushing movements continuously and/or detect irregularities. They can be used to trigger alarms or maintenance recommendations, which are communicated with a radio module. This solution’s performance is even greater, as the video below demonstrates: the i.Cee module is used to compare energy chain condition data with experience from current applications and refine them. On this basis, the user can plan maintenance predictively and based on the actual energy chain state. The service life prediction thus corresponds to a high degree to reality, i.e. the condition of the individual energy chain. There is another advantage: maintenance personnel can access energy chain service life data at any time, regardless of location. This greatly reduces the likelihood of unplanned downtime. igus believes that this technology will become a part of the future container crane energy chain application.