Photo: Zoomlion
China is working on a grandiose construction project that’s supposed to become the world’s largest road-rail bridge. This ambitious project could not be accomplished without the help of a giant crane, which is why a machine manufacturer developed an impressive top-slewing tower crane that literally stands above anything else in the industry.
According to Zoomlion, a Chinese manufacturer based in Changde, Hunan Province, construction projects are getting taller and wider, and parts are getting heavier, which is why tower cranes also need to increase their size. The company’s recently-launched product, the W12000-450, was specifically created for the Changzhou-Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge, a massive project that will integrate a highway, an expressway, and an inter-city railway.
With a 4,000-ton weight and a 12,000 tonne-meters load moment, the W12000-450 became the world’s largest top-slewing tower crane and the first of its kind to exceed 10,000 tonne-meters. This enormous machine also boasts impressive capabilities: it can lift equipment weighing up to 450 tons, and its maximum lifting height is 1,312 feet (400 meters). Zoomlion says this equals the weight of 300 cars, lifted as high as 130 stories, all in one go.
Since this is a first, the builder didn’t have a pattern to follow, so it had to “re-establish a calculation platform.” Besides unprecedented performance, this extra-large tower crane also had to demonstrate safety and reliability. The technical challenges were overcome with the help of Zoomlion’s intelligent manufacturing technology.
The Chinese company claims to also break the record when it comes to intelligent factories, with its tower crane production plant, supposedly the biggest of its kind in the world. The building process is fully digitalized, integrating advanced visualization systems, big data analysis, and industrial internet.
These intelligent assembly tools allowed the W12000-450 to be completed in just four months instead of at least 12, what it would normally take.
Building the world’s largest tower crane is just the beginning for Zoomline’s future strategy, which includes machinery that will reach 20,000 tonne-meters capabilities.
With a 4,000-ton weight and a 12,000 tonne-meters load moment, the W12000-450 became the world’s largest top-slewing tower crane and the first of its kind to exceed 10,000 tonne-meters. This enormous machine also boasts impressive capabilities: it can lift equipment weighing up to 450 tons, and its maximum lifting height is 1,312 feet (400 meters). Zoomlion says this equals the weight of 300 cars, lifted as high as 130 stories, all in one go.
Since this is a first, the builder didn’t have a pattern to follow, so it had to “re-establish a calculation platform.” Besides unprecedented performance, this extra-large tower crane also had to demonstrate safety and reliability. The technical challenges were overcome with the help of Zoomlion’s intelligent manufacturing technology.
The Chinese company claims to also break the record when it comes to intelligent factories, with its tower crane production plant, supposedly the biggest of its kind in the world. The building process is fully digitalized, integrating advanced visualization systems, big data analysis, and industrial internet.
These intelligent assembly tools allowed the W12000-450 to be completed in just four months instead of at least 12, what it would normally take.
Building the world’s largest tower crane is just the beginning for Zoomline’s future strategy, which includes machinery that will reach 20,000 tonne-meters capabilities.
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