Full speed without load sway

Wolffkran is the first manufacturer in the crane industry to launch an electronic assistance system that prevents load sway, allowing for the millimeter-precise positioning of the load. The patent-pending technology increases safety and efficiency on the construction site and sets the stage for the autonomous cranes of tomorrow.

While it typically requires a lot of experience on the part of the crane operator to prevent the load from swinging when moving it across the construction site, this can be done very easily with Wolffkran's newly developed WOLFF High-Speed-Positioning-System (HiSPS). "Normally, the operator controls the crane from which the load is suspended. This inevitably causes the load to swing due to the crane's movement," explains Viktor Mosolf, Team Leader Digitalization at Wolffkran. "With our HiSPS assistance system, the crane operator no longer primarily moves the crane but instead controls the load with support of the system, which virtually eliminates the sway."

Small components, big effect

The convenient crane control is achieved by two battery-powered sensors attached to the trolley and the hook block. Coupled with a control unit in the switch cabinet, they detect the rope's movements and automatically adjust the motion and speed of the crane accordingly. The assistance system can be switched on and off as required and operates for up to two weeks on one set of batteries. Even loads already swinging can be brought to a standstill within seconds, which – for instance – makes work easier in strong gusts of wind.

Increased safety and efficiency

The risk of accidents and damage caused by swinging loads is thus significantly reduced. Furthermore, the anti-collision system is optimized since not only the crane but also the load in the working range limitation is automatically stopped," explains Viktor Mosolf. "Safety distances from other buildings and cranes can be reduced, which makes setting up the construction site more flexible, particularly in densely constructed inner cities."

The WOLFF High-Speed Positioning System also provides more efficiency on the construction site because the crane can be operated from the ground by remote control more readily than before. This saves the crane operator time-consuming climbing up and down from the crane and frees up time for other work on the ground while waiting for the next lift.

Premiere at bauma: A WOLFF crane in action

The WOLFF High-Speed-Positioning-System (HiSPS) is available for the first time on the crane models of the new WOLFF FX 21 Clear family. Within the next two years, all Clear cranes from the current production will be delivered with the preinstalled system as standard so that it can be used as an option at any time. Existing cranes can also be retrofitted accordingly. In a second phase, the system is also intended to be available for the WOLFF luffers.

Wolffkran will present the new assistance system on the WOLFF FX 7021 Clear at bauma 2022. "This is the first time that we will be doing a live demonstration with a crane at our booth," says Thomas Heidrich, CTO at Wolffkran, "and certainly not the last time. Digital assistance systems are one of the biggest trends in the construction industry, and the high-speed positioning system takes us a major step closer to a digital, autonomous crane."