Thanks to the TRUCONNECT Brake Monitoring retrofit, customers with existing installed cranes can gain momentum on safety, productivity and reliability while minimizing production shutdowns.
Esa Kukkola - Product Manager, TRUCONNECT, France
In industries where cranes play a vital role in production their continuous operation can cause brake linings to wear prematurely, and brake components can fail. But it can be challenging for customers to track when they need to be replaced because brake functionality and lining wear depend on crane usage. For example, the wearing parts of a hoist brake may have a shorter service life in heavily used cranes.
This is where TRUCONNECT Brake Monitoring comes into play.
Brakes are critical load-bearing components in a crane, so keeping them in good condition is essential to safe and productive operations. However, traditional inspections only provide a snapshot of the brake’s condition and require crane shutdown. And as crane users well know, when a crane goes down, production can come to a halt.
Brake Monitoring give you continuous data on brake air gap condition and brake service life estimates. Through the yourKONECRANES customer portal, you can get real-time insights into brake condition as well as alerts and faults so you can detect problems before they become a bigger issue.
By far the most significant benefit of having this brake knowledge at your fingertips is safety. When the brake lining wears, the required opening current increases. Brake Monitoring measures the opening current which indicates air gap status, wear of friction material and boost functionality.
If, for instance, the air gap becomes too large, it can increase the risk that the brake won’t open and cause a load drop during crane operations. A load drop caused by brake failure can lead to serious injuries and damage to equipment or product.
Brake Monitoring is also a valuable tool for maintenance planning. Having visibility into how fast the brake is wearing and its remaining service life allows you to anticipate maintenance and avoid unnecessary brake disassembly, resulting in less downtime to inspect your brake and more production time.
Don’t wait to react to a breakdown, add TRUCONNECT Brake Monitoring as part of a data-driven maintenance strategy and take a proactive approach to service.
Contact us to add TRUCONNECT Brake Monitoring to your existing CXT, UNITON or SMARTON cranes to make them safer, reduce maintenance costs and accelerate productivity.
