Liebherr automated RMGs for US terminal

Three Liebherr rail mounted gantry cranes are being used at the CSX Carolina Connector Intermodal Terminal (CCX) in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in the USA.

Three cabinless and remote controlled RMGs at the terminal

The RMGs have been supplied with remote operating systems.

The cranes have a span of over 50 metres long, have a lift height over rail of 15 metres and the cantilevered outreaches on both sides have a working load of over 40 tonnes.

The machines will work five rail lines and a four-high, five-wide container stack, with a further two rail lines under one of the cantilevers. Truck handling will take place under the other cantilever in a dedicated truck transfer area.

Fully automated

Container handling on the stack is fully automated and in line with terminal safety procedures, picking and placing from the rail cars is carried out remotely using supervised moves.

Truck handling employs a combination of manual and supervised moves. The RMGs will operate on both domestic top pick containers and ISO containers, handling single and double stacked rail cars.

Technology

The cranes automated communications are supported from an industrial data centre with redundant servers and a high speed fibre network. A 3D measurement system scans the operational area, continuously creating and updating profiles of container stacks, railcars and hazards. This allows for path planning and means the operations can be fully automated.

One of the Liebherr RMGs at the terminal at night

The crane positioning is provided by Infrared spreader tracking, RFID gantry and trolley positioning technologies. An obstacle generation and monitoring system is also installed. Built by a team of Liebherr engineers, the system has been tailored to precise customer requirements and works with the Tideworks TOS through a customer specific interface.

For safety, a Yardeye system has been installed. This system monitors operational traffic, particularly pinmen vehicles in and around the RMG operational area allowing for safe operation. The system uses both GNSS and RFID, and tracks other vehicles in the yard in real time.

Liebherr says its eight-rope-reeving system is stable and ensures precise and faster final positioning times, whilst the micro-motion controls ensure smooth remote driver operation when placing containers onto trucks.