| Giving aircraft a lift |
Demag cranes and components in the aviation industry
Cranes have a "monopoly" on handling when large parts such as side panels, fuselage sections or entire bodies have to be moved in aircraft production facilities, as other solutions do not offer the versatility to handle large and heavy parts. Cranes are also used in combination with teleplatform systems for the maintenance of aircraft, for example.
Furthermore, airport systems also require area-serving overhead transport and handling solutions. The aviation industry places further special demands on crane manufacturers. Highly sensitive parts also have to be moved gently, which is only possible by means of safe and careful handling.
Solutions are frequently provided by suspension cranes with two or multiple suspensions, which can be interlocked either direct or by means of transfer sections to enable the travelling hoists to transfer to the other crane. This results in a considerable amount of time saved, since the operator does not have to set the load down and transport it to another bay using other materials handling equipment. The crane girder overhangs inherent in the design enable suspension cranes to achieve minimum approach dimensions within the limits of the building and, therefore, better utilisation of the available space. Furthermore, the girders of cranes with multiple suspensions are not so high as those of overhead travelling cranes that only run on two crane runway rails. This enables the customer to erect a lower building and save on energy costs.
Gentle pivot motion
Airbus Deutschland GmbH manufactures fuselage sections for the new A380 wide body aircraft at its Nordenham plant. In addition to four double-girder suspension cranes from Demag Cranes & Components, the manufacturer also operates double-girder overhead travelling cranes from the same supplier to gently turn the parts. Since the fuselage sections are up to 10.8 meters long, 6.7 meters wide and 2.3 meters high and weigh a maximum of 1.6 tons, they have to be suspended from four points when being handled. The cranes can simultaneously co-ordinate movements of the load in different directions with the help of a rotating crab. This enables them to pivot the fuselage sections from a vertical to a horizontal position and back again, and deposit and pick them up again. By using frequency inverters, which facilitate high positioning accuracy as well as infinitely variable long and cross travel speeds, Demag prevents excessive load sway and vibrations that could damage the fuselage sections. Synchronous operation is also integrated into the control system, without which twisting would result in corresponding damage. Demag also integrated a safety brake into the rope hoists that would hold the valuable load in the event of a gearbox failure.
The Nordenham plant, which Demag has been supplying with cranes for 15 years, has now ordered an additional suspension crane with a triple suspension arrangement to serve a laser welding facility. The crane is fitted with a rotating crab and has a load capacity of four times 2.5 tons.
The second major customer for Demag from the Airbus Group is the Hamburg plant, which almost exclusively uses cranes from Wetter. Here, Airbus has established a further production line for the manufacture of fuselage sections for the smaller A318, 319, 320 and 321 aircraft. Demag is supplying two suspension cranes with a rotating crab which can transfer from one crane to another by means of a transfer section. In a fitting and fuselage section assembly bay, the Hamburg plant utilises a crane installation with a load capacity of four times 8 tons to assemble sections for the fuselage of the A380 that are supplied from Nordenham to Hamburg by sea. Final assembly of the wide body aircraft is completed at the French Airbus plant in Toulouse.
Crabs with destination positioning
Airbus Deutschland has also invested in cranes for the future A400M transport aircraft. Accordingly, Demag supplied four suspension cranes to the Stade plant, which are used to transport bonding jigs for the vertical stabilizer of the A400M and other large parts. Two cranes in each bay can interlock direct with the two neighbouring cranes in the other bay. Two cranes on one crane runway transport a load in tandem. Furthermore, the pair of travelling hoists operating in tandem can also transfer to the previously interlocked cranes. A further special feature of this application are the automatic load hooks on the cranes. They make it possible to pick up load handling frames at a height of 7 to 8 meters without manual intervention. A radio remote control system is used to securely close the hook.
Demag is also supplying two double-girder overhead travelling cranes with rotating crabs to transport sections for the fuselage of the A400M. Both overhead travelling cranes operate next to each other on two runways. Although the building is divided into two 40 meter wide production lines by a row of columns, the cranes are still be able to transport loads from one bay to the other via a transfer section. As a highlight, Demag has fitted the rotating crab with a positioning system that enables 99 pre-taught destinations to be selected by radio. Only Demag offers these travelling hoist systems. Particularly in terms of the rope drum brake, which has become an indispensable safety feature for such applications, Demag has a major lead in this sector.
Teleplatforms for maintenance and overhauls
Teleplatform systems used together with suspension cranes that reduce maintenance costs thanks to their speed, versatility and ground clearance are tried and tested solutions for aircraft maintenance and overhauls. Many airlines, such as Lufthansa, also use this Demag system in the paint stripping and painting sector. Since the teleplatform units also transfer from one suspension crane to another, the versatile working platforms can be used to reach virtually any part of the aircraft. This advantage helps to maintain the tight schedules required for both maintenance and for painting work.
The teleplatform units are controlled by means of an integrated control panel as well as by a cable or wireless link. Many airlines already use teleplatform systems. Demag is also highly successful with these systems in South-East Asia, for example.
Growth in radio controls
Radio remote controls are now the first choice for controlling cranes and their hoists. The reasons for this are mainly due to improved ergonomics and, therefore, higher productivity, but also the good value for money they represent. Furthermore, the owner also benefits from significantly higher flexibility when using radio remote controls compared to controls connected by cable, since the operator can move at a greater distance to the load. In addition, radio controls can be used intuitively by practically anyone, almost without having to be instructed in their use. They also offer greater safety, both with reference to greater flexibility in terms of the load as well with reference to the process.
A further benefit of state-of-the-art control systems, such as the Demag DRC-10 CAN, is their low weight. In addition, the proportional pushbuttons of the DRC-10 CAN system, which features bi-directional communication, facilitate infinitely variable and, therefore, precise and sensitive motions. State-of-the-art wireless control systems are also resistant to electro-magnetic interference and cause no such interference themselves.
An additional feature of bi-directional communication is frequency hopping, which the system uses to change the channel for reliable signal transfer if the required frequency in not available or defective. The software of the DRC-10 CAN radio remote control system also features range monitoring. For use in the aviation sector, frequency ranges are also available which prevent mutual interference of the various radio services, such as airport radar.
Growth rates in the aviation industry
Since Demag is also active in the new emerging markets, which primarily include India, the rest of Asia and Russia, the company has been enjoying growth rates in the aviation industry for some time. High flexibility and mobility and, therefore, airports are essential for the development of these markets.
However, the aviation industry does not just order cranes from Demag. Further products include the KBK crane construction kit and travel units with wheel blocks and geared motors. The KBK system is used by British Aerospace to transport stiffeners for the wings of the Airbus in a climate-controlled measuring facility, for example. Demag also supplied travel units to the Airbus plant in Toulouse, where they move the wall elements of a round sound-protection wall.
A further important issue for the aviation industry is the refurbishment and modernisation of existing crane installations. For example, Demag received several sub-orders from Airbus Deutschland, the central feature of which was the conversion of two cranes. Their rotating crabs are also to be modernised. As the main reason for this work, Airbus quotes its wish to achieve shorter cycle times in order to reduce the transport times in production to a minimum. The aim is to convert the facility from DC drives to frequency inverter-fed control with correspondingly optimised travel speeds.
Demag Cranes & Components is a leader for crane solutions in the aviation industry. This is demonstrated by the comprehensive list of reference installations. This success is based on many years of experience in this sector and the fact that Demag supplies everything from one source. The aviation industry appreciates the prompt service provided by Demag, particularly as aircraft earn their money in the air and not on the ground. For this reason, customers in the industry increasingly conclude maintenance agreements with Demag, including 24-hour service, on-call standby and full service. These agreements ensure very high levels of availability. The importance of service is expected to increase even further in future, as more aircraft are being built today and more crane installations will also be needed to maintain them. In this context, Demag's closely-knit service network and the resulting close proximity to the individual plants will be of great importance. Furthermore, Demag is able to guarantee and keep short delivery deadlines. The company has demonstrated this many times during its more than twenty years of co-operation with Airbus.
