crane technology

Industry 4.0 in crane technology

Extend product runtimes efficiently with smart condition monitoring solutions

Heavy loads, long periods of use, and a wide variety of weather conditions – cranes in port facilities must perform at their best. The fields of application include, amongst others: ship-to-shore cranes, bulk cargo handling cranes, RTGs, RMGs, Goliath cranes, spreaders and reach stackers. Where there is deadline pressure and safety must be guaranteed, intelligent concepts in the form of predictive maintenance make the most sense. Whether a new project for Industry 4.0 or efficiency-driven retrofitting - our smart plastics solutions are available as universal modular systems and can be individually adapted to any system.

Advantages of our smart plastics solutions:

▲ Tech up
  • Extension of the maximum service life
  • Simple integration into Industry 4.0 / IIoT concepts
  • Enables safe remote control and automatic operation
▼ Cost down
  • Reduce maintenance costs through early warnings
  • Eliminate unplanned downtimes and expensive production losses
  • Space-saving design - lower installation height & no cable loop station
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Different areas of application in the harbor

always the right solution at hand with smart plastics from igus®

STS cranes

Ship-to-shore cranes (STS)

Energy chains with integrated rollers reduce the friction of movement and thus reduce wear. In the latest development stage of the igus rol e-chains, use of maintenance-free, tribo-polymer plain bearings considerably lengthens the service life. Also, the new P4HD can be equipped with smart monitoring sensors. The sensor is integrated into a standard side part of the chain, which does not lead to any restrictions in the usable inner width. Our energy chain systems can be installed on all types of Ship-to-Shore cranes, whether it is a double trolley, shuttle boom or gooseneck design.
RTG

Gantry cranes (RTG / RMG)

For a long time now, igus has been driving the changes in the cable guidance systems of RTGs. Today the energy chain system is a well established cable guidance system for trolley travel, in use on numerous RTGs around the world. The heavy-duty series 4040(R)HD chain, as a gliding or roller chain version, is the preferred choice. Also the igus chainflex cables, with TPE outer jackets, have proved to be long lasting in this demanding environment. And if you want to be on the safe side, you can use the new i.Sense CF.D for the continuous condition monitoring of cable specifications. 
ASC

Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC)

Since the crane operator's workplace is moving away from the crane to the office and being responsible for several cranes at the same time - due to crane automation - the ever more modern automatic stacking cranes not only require a reliable cable guidance system, but also the possibility of being able to report the current operating status from anywhere and at any time. This is ideally achieved with the new i.Cee dashboard which can be integrated online in the Internet or on site in the local network. This means that the current operating data can be accessed either via a display on the crane, via a cloud solution or an IoT dashboard, via the REST API interface or even directly via SMS or e-mail.

Smart plastics features

Condition monitoring (i.Sense)

Condition monitoring is the fastest, simplest way to combine many igus® products to form a self-monitoring smart plastics product. Sensors are mounted to measure values (such as temperature, forces and sound waves/vibrations) within predefined limits. Values outside the limits result in an alert or notification. This information provides the basis for taking subsequent steps, such as maintenance or shutting down the system. Values outside defined limits can directly trigger a system shut-down to prevent costly damages and repairs. At igus®, we use the term "i.Sense" (i feel) to refer to condition monitoring.
 

Predictive maintenance (i.Cee)

Predictive maintenance uses sensors, software, and the elements of condition monitoring to create a system that allows dynamic service life calculation and determines the best times for the maintenance of igus® products. This makes predictive maintenance the next step in achieving a comprehensive concept for smart energy supply and bearing technology. This predictive maintenance system is called "i.Cee" (i see ahead) and is available in a wide variety of designs. The goal is always to maximize system and user safety and product service life.
 

You determine the access of data transfers


i.Cee:local

Your data never leaves your corporate network, since the i.Cee software communicates only within the networks you want it to. The options range from an e-chain® within a single machine to a machine park and your own output interface.


i.Cee:cloud

This online solution has two options. In the first, your data is transferred directly to the cloud, where it is made available in a protected area that can be accessed with a browser dashboard. In the second, the data go to an intermediate location on the i. Cee.net: a so-called data concentrator allowing you to stop or adjust data exchange in the cloud.



i.Cee LIVE Dashboard Demo!

The i.Cee Dashboard visualizes all information and movement data of our smart trade show machine online and in real-time at the igus® virtual-real trade show stand in Cologne.
 
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Application examples with smart plastics

smart examples with e-chain®, chainflex® cables and bearings.

smart plastics dashboard
Push/pull force in the online dashboard
i.Cee dashboard
e-chain speed via the dashboard

Smart e-chain® and cables

Smart Plastics e-chain® and cables

Use smart plastics to stay abreast of how your chain is doing.

Our intelligent e-chain® systems are already reliably in use in hundreds of thousands of applications worldwide - from beverage machines and CNC machines to steel mills. 
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Smart bearing technology

Smart plain bearings

Don't let a defective plain bearing ruin your day.

Smart plain bearings are great for sensitive or hard-to-reach spots on a machine, since they allow the bearing's condition to be assessed at any time.
 
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Smart Applications

Smart applications

Customer application examples with smart plastics

Whether a new project for Industry 4.0 or efficiency-driven retrofitting - our smart plastics solutions are available as universal modular systems and can be individually adapted to any system.
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Download the smart plastics brochure

Smart Plastics Brochure
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Contact a smart e-chain® expert

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