New choices in Tandem™ container handling

Most spreaders in Bromma’s Tandem™ family can be used on cranes already installed at terminals around the world, and this is important, since terminals have hundreds of millions of dollars already invested in their crane fleets. Bromma Research and Development has also recently developed a new Tandem Dual-Hoist Headblock™ for Bromma customers that might be exploring dual-hoist container cranes.

The Bromma Tandem™ family offers a variety of productivity solutions, based on container crane lift capacity. The Tandem™ T45 spreader weight is an estimated 31 tonnes, and with spreader capacity of 65x2 tonne (Bromma standard), customers will need a crane capacity of 165 tonne in the ropes. This will most likely prove unrealistic. As such, most customers will rate 20 foot containers to a maximum of 20-25 tonne, thereby resulting in a required crane capacity of 115-135 tonne in the ropes. The Tandem™ 40/45 spreader capacity is 70 tonne under the spreader. A terminal planning to utilize the full 70 tonne capacity under the spreader will need crane capacity of approximately 100 tonne in the ropes. Tandem™ Quattro is a high-productivity, lower weight Tandem™ solution especially well-suited for container terminals that have a high percentage of 40' and 45' containers, and a low percentage of 20' containers. Finally, the Tandem™ Fix 40 is a way for customers to gain the added productivity of twin-40 container handling on cranes with limited lift capacity.

The new Tandem Dual-Hoist Headblock™ is an ideal solution for terminals and crane OEMs exploring the use of dual-hoist STS cranes. Adual-hoist headblock is not like a traditional headblock. It has added mechanical functions, and as such it has more in common with spreader technology than the crane, making Bromma the natural company to develop it. The operating environment of the dual-hoist headblock is also comparable to that of the spreader – there is frequent banging and considerable shock – and Bromma has unmatched experience in developing highly reliable equipment for this environment. Bromma’s Tandem Dual-Hoist Headblock™ design is feature-rich. It can separate containers up to 1.6 meters, offering the extended flexibility for it to be used in straddle carrier operations.

 

At a full 1.6 meters extension, it can still handle container height differences of up to 300 mm. At a lower extension, the headblock can handle container height differences of up to 700 mm. It has a fast connect-disconnect feature for rapid transition from single to dual-hoist operations. It allows customers to retain the full functionality of Bromma’s technically advanced SCS² spreader control technology. Finally, it has excellent handling characteristics. It can make longitudinal adjustments, container height adjustments, and adapt smoothly to the tilt of the crane. Side-shift is ± 150 mm. Skewing is ± 5 degrees. Longitudinal tilting is ± 5 degrees. Toward ship tilting can be up to ± 10 degrees. These many features make the Tandem Dual-Hoist Headblock™ a perfect complement for next-generation dualhoist cranes.

For technical questions regarding the Bromma Tandem™ product family, contact your Bromma representative.