Automated handling of heavy loads ON AIR!
October 10th 2007 Air film technology, using inflatable diaphragms that look like doughnuts to lift a load and create a virtually friction-free film of air to move it on, has been around since the early sixties and in regular industrial use since the early seventies.
You still need good floors and a compressed air supply, so what exactly IS new? Solving realised 15 years ago that ‘air film’ technology alone was not going to be sufficient to encourage the industrial market to buy the product. This realisation was based on the mistakes made by most other air film manufactures, who thought that the air bearing was so revolutionary that industry would rush to buy it.
Solving’s Mover technology has advanced the concept beyond all recognition! Health and safety is Solving’s priority and the majority of accessories now available are based on the need to ensure a safe operation.
These features include:
● Radio control: this enables the operator to choose the optimum position around the moving load to ensure the path is clear of obstacles and personnel. The radio control panel is light and easy to handle and, as an added safety benefit, ‘lookouts’ can be provided with radio-controlled deadman’s handles to stop the movement if necessary.
● Laser, wire or optical guidance: if movement regularly occurs along a given path or involves some very tight manoeuvres, automated guidance using lasers, wire-infloor or painted lines ensure an accurate route can be followed repeatedly.
● Powered drive and steering: although 300- tonne loads can be pushed by hand when they’re supported on air, the 300-tonne mass is still there! It has to be accelerated, steered and brought to a halt, so Solving’s integral electric drive systems provide total control and powered steering of the load in literally any direction. This means a load on Solving’s Mover can be rotated, moved forwards, backwards, sideways and steered left or right in any direction.
● Automatic air pressure and flow control: perhaps not immediately identifiable as a safety feature but because the operator does not need to make any adjustments to the system during a move he or she can concentrate on ensuring a safe passage.
With the features Solving has introduced to the Mover package air film technology is being applied across all industries for loads above 15 or 20 tonnes up to 500 tonnes or more.
Full turnkey packages are also available to include flooring and compressed air installations together with the usual delivery, installation and commissioning activities.
A country-wide service organisation is now in place with emergency call-out and service contracts available during and after the warranty period.
Solving has recently introduced batteryoperated wheeled devices for applications where air film technology is inappropriate and specifically for long distances and in areas where trailing hoses would be unacceptable.
Heavy-duty Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are also available for complex and frequent handling operations involving heavy items to be moved during manufacture or processing activities. These are custom-built to specific requirements based on the customer’s unique circumstances and use laser or wire-in-floor guidance technology as described earlier. Handling devices are frequently incorporated within the AGV to collect loads and deposit them as required. So Solving now has a complete solution for all heavy-load handling applications.. More articles from Solving Limited: | 
