Detailed analysis of the entire travel path

Almost every crane literally depends on a conductor rail system and is absolutely dependent on it. However, the conductor rail is generally not given the attention it deserves during inspection and maintenance," emphasizes Markus Sobott, Global Market Manager at Conductix-Wampfler. The reason: the very difficult, safe accessibility of the energized conductor rails during operation. "However, inspection exclusively from the ground or from a lifting platform is not a satisfactory alternative," says Sobott. Last but not least, the expert knowledge of qualified personnel is required to be able to draw the right conclusions from the analysis.

"However, the conductor rail is generally not given the attention it deserves during inspection and maintenance."

Markus Sobott Global Market Manager at Conductix-Wampfler

The all-round service package

Conductix-Wampfler has now developed a service concept for inspecting conductor rails that takes into account the importance of the energy supply and can be carried out without any problems during ongoing operation. "During an inspection, our trained service personnel first inspect the system from the ground or from the maintenance level and look for possible weak points and highly stressed areas," explains Stefan Rübenacker, Manager International Service. The subsequent, more detailed examination of the current collectors and a short, exemplary conductor rail section narrows down the areas to be examined in detail. The Conductix-Wampfler service team then mounts special camera equipment on the crane or trolley using various adapters. The aim: to analyze the conductor rail system during a camera run. "This allows us to record a video of the entire travel path during operation," says Rübenacker, describing this step. The service employee can follow the recording live on a tablet computer or smartphone during the journey and actively search for anomalies. In the next step, product and application specialists analyze the recorded video footage together and identify anomalies and possible weak points in the system.

Intra says: Procedure is in!

"It's a man's man's man's world", James Brown once sang. But I don't think he was thinking of conductor rail systems and travel paths. Neither do I when I hear these terms. I think of the extra stretch of road that I regularly take when I'm out and about in my car. And I always let my nails grind and occasionally the clutch. Joking aside: video analysis also makes sense in the warehouse and replaces assumptions with facts, which is not much different with an inventory than with the example shown here.

Suggestions for deductive measures round off the inspection package in the final step. They are made available to the customer in a detailed report, among other things. All these services are part of the Conductix-Wampfler basic package. The offer is also available in a premium version as a "basic package plus". This involves the use of several cameras, the video analysis is designed to be much more detailed, and film material and the final film documentation are made available to the customer.

Conductix-Wampfler has carried out most inspections in the automotive industry on electric monorail systems or in amusement parks on roller coasters, where the system lengths can reach several kilometers. Switches and lifters as well as other crossings are also wear points that require close observation. In crane applications, Conductix-Wampfler recently inspected the conductor rail of an anode changing crane in an aluminum plant.