Transporters for Flexible Transferring and Positioning

Energy Industry

Summary

Wheelift designed and built three transporters for a manufacturer whose new product required a 45% increase in payload handling.

Challenge.

Provide transporters to transfer and accurately position diverse loads—up to 11’ wide x 66’ long and 160 tons.

Solution.

Wheelift engineered and built three wireless transporters that can operate independently, paired, or all together as a single transporter.

Features.

  • Flat deck at 18” for product access from any direction
  • 57-ton individual capacity, 171 combined capacity
  • 4% slope capability
  • 5” vertical travel for self-loading and surface compliance
  • Wheelift gas turbine

    The 20MW gas turbine.

  • Wheelift wireless remote

    Wheelift transporters are operated from a single wireless remote.

  • Wheelift headless transporter

    Wheelift transporters have a low profile for manufacturing flexibility.

  • Wheelift transporters work in tandem to carry exceptionally large loads

    Wheelift transporters work in tandem to carry exceptionally large loads

  • Wheelift transporters are operated by wireless remotes

    Wheelift transporters are operated by wireless remotes

About the Product.

With a new product came the need for greater flexibility, which this manufacturer of power generation equipment lacked in its current handling methods. Wheelift transformed their process with three 57-ton capacity transporters, which can be used individually, in tandem, or as triplets for varying load capacities.

Each transporter has four on-center rotation axle assemblies. With their three-point fluid equalizing suspension, the axles are divided into load sharing groups to assure that every wheel carries only its specific share of the load—regardless of variations, slopes, and irregularities in the floor surfaces.

For the heaviest loads, all three transporters are positioned under the product frames, and a communication link is established. The resulting positioning values are transmitted into one of the transporters’ computers. One unit becomes the “master” and the adjacent two units become the “followers,” allowing the three transporters to function as a single Wheelift transporter. The joined transporters are operated via a single hand-held wireless joystick pendant.

The facility saw the following benefits:

  • Increased production, higher payload capacities, and labor reductions
  • Increased plant use due to eliminating maneuverability dead zones
  • Better use of equipment due to increased process flexibility

The manufacturer recently doubled its fleet size to six transporters to serve two different facilities.

If your manufacturing process needs more flexibility and more capacity, contact us.