BEST / Hutchison Ports ZPMC Articulated Boom Crane

The cranes carried demanding performance requirements, including an aviation height restriction of 86.5 meters above the crane rails, an outreach of 70 meters, and a lift height of 55 meters. An additional design problem needed to be resolved: the previous crane generation used latch pins to secure the boom during stowage, but misalignment of the left and right pins made them difficult to engage and release reliably. A better solution was needed.

Liftech performed an independent structural static analysis of the crane structures using the Liftech Analysis Suite, the firm's proprietary in-house software, to confirm that stress levels, fatigue, deflections, and wheel loads all complied with the agreed specifications. Liftech also reviewed major structural components, assisted with design concepts, and provided manufacturing audit services. To resolve the booms towage problem, Liftech developed a new boom latch hook concept to replace the previous pin design, eliminating the alignment issues that had made the original system unreliable.