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New Zealand Equipment Manufacturer Leads in Precision Bulk Cargo Handling . . .

Friday 14 November 2014, 11:04AM

By Manufacturers Success Connection

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The Isaac Findings

The Port of Tauranga, New Zealand, is the home and applications testing ground for production engineer Page Macrae Engineering. The company's grabs feature dual operating techniques. The manufacturing engineer's grabs work in the standard way deriving grab open-close from the crane, or through their own grab-mounted autonomous motors which are operable by remote wireless from the crane cab or anywhere else.


Grab materials handling via open/close power from the crane via its own pulleys, and also by the diesel hydraulic wireless operated type in which the open-close motor is part of the grab itself established the New Zealand firm as one of the most innovative in bulk cargo movement.


The company's bulk handling equipment is routinely specified when and where atmospheric contamination by dust is an issue. Port of Tauranga to Huntly power station coal logistics earn consistent high marks for efficiency and dust control and at the heart of this materials handling are Page Macrae s special purpose grabs and hoppers.


Among the coal-dust reducing benefits integrated in Page Macrae bulk coal grabs are damper controlled discharge to reduce dust levels, clam-like bucket seals, semi enclosed buckets, and also vegetable-based lubricants.


The 50-year-old company is known as a world leader in its application of latches and dampers in grabs, and it insists on designing its grabs to be used with chains. In contrast, the alternative, wire ropes, can fray.


Coal handling equipment is a particularly demanding area for heavy engineering because by definition bulk grabs with their many moving parts in use are under constant high load impact, gathering and discharging their abrasive and corrosive cargo over and over again. The use of the self-powered radio control grabs goes a long way to eliminating a major cost in dry minerals bulk cargo handling which is grab impact damage to hatch coamings and to other parts of the bulk carrier.

 

By Peter Isaac   Specialist Technical Journalist for MSCNewsWire  © 2014 MSCNewsWire