Centre of gravity system for offshore lifting
Force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cells designer and manufacturer Straightpoint (UK) Ltd has just launched what is believed to be the first off the shelf wireless centre of gravity system of its type in the world.
The system is ideal for helping to ascertain the weight and centre of gravity of large structures or items with an uneven weight distribution. It produces a ‘centre of gravity’ report through readings taken via the wireless dongle and PC software, which is connected to up to eight wireless compressive load cells. As the system is wireless, it’s quicker and safer than a cable led system and it can be used on items up to 4,000 tonnes in weight. The system is imperative to ensure the safe lifting and unloading of items that don’t have an evenly distributed weight, making it ideal for use in the offshore markets.
One of Straightpoint’s distributors, Pieter van Duijn from Van Gool in the Netherlands, is already using the system and said, “The system has a real industrial, solid look. The centre of gravity feature is excellent for loading and unloading, especially offshore from the dock to the ship and from the ship to the rig. There’s nothing else like it in the market that I know of. Also, as the system’s wireless it’s really accurate, as there are no wires that can be pulled out of the socket or can malfunction.”
Director of Straightpoint (UK) Ltd, David Ayling added “This new product came about from visiting some of our clients around the world last year, who requested such a product. I believe ours is the first off the shelf system to be available worldwide, which means that we can fulfil orders really quickly without a high, ‘bespoke’ price tag.”
Havant based Straightpoint (UK) Ltd supplies crane scales as well as tension and compression load cells to organisations in the UK and its 26 global distributors.
