Reliable hold at heights of over 100 metres
In its innovative climbing aid, HACA uses COMBIPERM P1 from KEB Automation
If you want to reach for the heights, wind turbines are the place to be: at an average height of 90 to 130 metres, climbing is a challenge that should not be underestimated and requires the highest standards of safety. Lorenz Hasenbach GmbH u. Co. KG offers an innovative climbing aid under the HACA Clifter brand, which provides service technicians with significant support when climbing up the turbine. The COMBIPERM P1 permanent magnet brake from KEB provides reliable hold at dizzying heights.
Ladders, stairs, mobile scaffolding and fall protection products are part of the portfolio of HACA, a company that can now look back on over 135 years of history. More than 1,000 different product variants are manufactured “Made in Germany” by around 100 employees in Bad Camberg, Germany. One of the highlights in the wide range of products is the Clifter - a climbing aid that makes climbing masts, towers or wind turbines significantly less strenuous. “By no means every wind turbine has an access system. The Clifter is our alternative for exactly these systems. It performs lifting work and supports the service technician in climbing safely to the top,” says Dieter Contzen, Head of Development and Construction at HACA.
Similar in principle to the support function provided by an e-bike, the battery-powered Clifter reduces the effort required from muscle power and enables travel distances of up to 500 metres under load and climbing speeds of up to 30 metres per minute. The user is relieved of up to 70 kilograms when climbing. The fall protection runner is an integral part of the climbing aid. This runs "freely" and serves as an additional safety measure to prevent a fall if the worst comes to the worst. If the Clifter is switched off, it is important that the device remains safely in position. This is exactly why HACA has chosen the COMBIPERM P1 permanent magnet brake from KEB. “KEB has many years of experience in the field of brakes and, with the COMBIPERM P1, offers just the customised solution we were looking for for the Clifter. In the event of an emergency stop or when the power is switched off, the safety brake engages, brakes and thus prevents the climbing aid from dropping,” says Contzen.
Safety comes first
Andreas Jung, responsible for sales in the south-west region at KEB, adds: “At HACA, we use the P1 in size 3. The brake is backlash-free, frictionally engaged, designed for one hundred per cent duty cycle and available with a torque range from 0.1 Nm to 194 Nm. The Clifter is an exciting project for us because, as a transportable device, it can be used on several wind turbines at the same time and provide assistance there. With the brakes from KEB, we are happy to play our part in maximising safety in the application.”
A new feature is that the climbing aid can now be used on various wind turbine rail systems. Previously, the climbing aid was operated exclusively in (top-hat profile) rail systems from HACA. The adapted design and use of the C-rail profile opens up new possibilities in practical application. “Regardless of the height at which the Clifter ultimately has to operate, one thing is clear: safety comes first. That's why our system fulfils the criteria of functional safety. With KEB and the COMBIPERM P1 brake, we can be sure that the position of the Clifter will always be reliably maintained, even under adverse conditions,” says Contzen.
