04/12/2019

SKYLOTEC enables more efficient work with “ACX”

The “ACX” personnel winch by SKYLOTEC is a battery-operated solution for reaching higher or lower situated work places easily. The device is ready to use quickly, has many advantages in terms of safety, and offers flexible options for use. Users can perform their work more efficiently - whether working at wind energy plants, in confined spaces, cleaning building exteriors or rescuing.

“The personnel winch ‘ACX’ can be used for wind turbines to service the rotor blades for instance.”

It is important to be able to carry out activities at great heights or depths quickly and efficiently, no matter what the job: maintaining rotor blades, cleaning buildings or rescuing injured persons. It is about avoiding long and, in most cases, costly technical system downtimes, on the one hand. While on the other, every second counts in an emergency when care for an injured person. SKYLOTEC’s “ACX” personnel winch offers a new solution for such situations. The battery-operated device is easy to install and ready for use within a short time. The user attaches the "ACX" to an attachment point using a rope. A second rope is used as part of the Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) with a guided-type fall arrester according to EN 353-2. Once attached, facade cleaners or maintenance technicians can move reliably and securely along a facade or a rotor blade of a wind turbine from top to bottom wearing a suitable sit harness so they do not need to use their own muscle power. With a lever on the "ACX", users can regulate their speed when moving up and down - from 0 to 24 meters per minute which allows them to perform their tasks more easily, efficiently and flexibly than with a lift, for example. An additional benefit: It is easy to learn how to use the system in a single training session. This way of working is called “rope works” under ISO 22846-1 and does not require extensive training as a rope access technician.

“The battery-driven personnel winch ‘ACX’ is a substitute for a facade conveyance system or a mobile work platform when attached to a horizontal rail system.”

For more safety: Electronic and remote control

When it comes to safety, the “ACX” has many advantages: For instance, the device has built-in safety electronics. It monitors and regulates the battery charge status, temperature and energy output at all times. If the system overheats or is overcharged, it temporarily shuts off the battery to prevent damage - which could lead to a dangerous situation for the user when he uses the device. In addition, the device can be controlled with a remote control from the ground up to a distance of 150 meters. This allows a person on the ground to raise or lower a co-worker on the facade. This could be necessary, for example, if the person on the rope is having a medical problem such as unexpected dizziness, and cannot operate it himself.

The ‘ACX’ from SKYLOTEC makes it possible for users to move vertically across the facade without using muscle power.”

Alternative to facade conveyance systems or mobile work platforms

In the field of building facade maintenance or cleaning, the winch is a real alternative to the facade conveyance systems, scaffolding or mobile work platforms mainly used by employees for such jobs. Sometimes facade structures are too complex or tasks need to be carried out in exposed places making such solutions unpractical. In addition, mobile work platforms are costly and often impossible to set up because there is not enough floor space. For work on a facade, the winch can be used in combination with SKYLOTEC's "Skyrail" horizontal rail system.

To do this, the "Skyrail" is attached to the parapet or facade. Curved elements and intermediate brackets allow the system to be adapted and installed to the surface of the facade over longer distances. And since the rail elements are also available in different colors, the safety system can be color-coordinated with the building and unobtrusively integrated into the structure.

“The ACX can be controlled by a person on the ground using a remote control, for example, if a co-worker needs to be brought up or down.”

The "ACX" is suitable for lifting persons and loads with an authorized load of 200 kilograms. It also has IP protection class 55 which protects it against dust residues inside and against water jets from all directions.

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