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Zoomlion’s tower crane record breaker

Zoomlion’s D1250-80 tower crane has set a world record by lifting a 5.5tonne load at a radius of 100m. The record was set in Changde Guanxi Industry Park and the machine was certified as having the largest working radius in the world. Achieving the record was not straightforward and Zoomlion had engineering challenges to deal with such as the stresses imposed while slewing and the wind load on the boom. These factors required considerable research and development as conventional boom designs could not deliv
November 20, 2012 Read time: 3 mins

Zoomlion’s D1250-80 tower crane has set a world record by lifting a 5.5tonne load at a radius of 100m.

The record was set in Changde Guanxi Industry Park and the machine was certified as having the largest working radius in the world.

Achieving the record was not straightforward and 1175 Zoomlion had engineering challenges to deal with such as the stresses imposed while slewing and the wind load on the boom. These factors required considerable research and development as conventional boom designs could not deliver the necessary boom lateral stability and still be able to cope with the increased dimensions and weight without reducing machine performance. And as the increased working radius also generates greater deviation during operation, Zoomlion also had to develop a control system delivering higher accuracy requirements. The firm developed a lightweight, large radius boom along with a special control system specially for the D1250-80 tower crane.

The innovative variable section boom system has two stages, a design that is said to maximise both lateral stability and lifting capacity. Its effective working radius is 110m while its maximum lifting capacity offers a 26.9% increase over earlier generation crane technology. The self-adaptive power control offers constant speed modes for lifting, amplitude variation and slewing. This boosts working efficiency and reduces power consumption. The comprehensive tower crane monitoring system can monitor the working parameters of the machine in real time, diagnose problems and boost machine reliability. The company has also innovated by making an animation that instructs contractors on how the tower crane can be erected, making it quicker and easier to set-up.

The development of the D1250-80 establishes Zoomlion as a leader in the tower crane design and manufacturing field. This new machine follows a strong performance with Zoomlion having first set a record for the world’s largest upper slewing tower crane with its D5200-240 in 2010. In June 2011, Zoomlion also introduced Germany’s JOST Company flat-top tower crane technology to its range, further boosting its expertise for research and development and new materials. In 2012, the settlement of the ISO/TC96 Secretariat in Zoomlion has further shown the strong market position of Zoomlion in the global crane industry.

The D1250-80 is receiving high recognition in the crane market. The sample machine has been bought by one customer and another customer has ordered six units with a total order value of close to US$15.8 million.

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