Bailey Specialty Cranes & Aerials, Muskego, Wis., has introduced its laser-controlled collision-avoidance systems for boom and scissor lifts.
President Jeff Bailey says that the product's key features include a fields that adjust as the lift extends and retracts, ruggedness that meets the IP67 outdoor-protection standard, availability for all brands of lifts, adjustable protection fields, and the ability to be installed in the field.
The core component consists of a laser array field scanner that can be programmed to scan a specific area that cannot be crossed without sounding an alarm or stopping the machine.
It is similar to the new detection systems offered by automotive manufacturers that envelope a car or truck.
The base system with one scanner can scan an angle up to 270° and protect one or two sides of a lift. The basic kit starts at $6,000 and can be installed in the field. The basic system can also include a scanning area that reaches above the operator's head and warns or stops operation before contact can be made.
The more advanced systems include position sensors (laser or string pot) that measure the scissor platform height and deck extension. Those positions are then used to adjust the scanning fields to cover the full extending scissor stack or extending deck.
Systems are also available for telescoping-boom cranes, forklifts, and baggage handlers.
The primary applications to date have been aircraft/aerospace but are now simplified and kitted for more general industrial and construction use, says Bailey.
The company has a video of the system in action at www.baileycranes.com/assets/videos/Col_Avoid2.mp4
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
