ABB-Crane Control System – ASTAT
ASTAT® for industry!
ASTAT, with slip-ring motors, has become the
leading technology for new heavy industrial
cranes in the growth regions of the world.
In Europe, ASTAT is mostly used for retrofit
installations or when normal industrial drives
are unable to fulfil the requirements.
We supply ASTAT solutions for applications up
to 4000 A or 4700 kVA.
The ASTAT Digital Crane Motion Controller has
better control and information properties
compared to earlier controllers. Equally
important is the focus on quality of hardware
components. The digital controller can be
mounted on a steel plant crane in hot countries
such as India without extra cooling or air
conditioning. This capability provides additional
benefits to worldwide industrial crane users.
i.e. The crane control system must withstand
dirty, hot and cold environments in addition to
difficult power supply systems. This has forced
us to integrate functions like brake control, time
relays, logic control and thermistor relays into
the ASTAT controller. Generic products with the
same robustness as the ASTAT controller are
difficult to find. With this level of integration we
offer a complete, fully tested motion control
system.
Slip-ring motors may be produced with small
internal rotor losses. This is important in crane
applications with multiple motors and a high
demand for good motion control. As well as
being ideal for crane applications, slip-ring
motors are low on maintenance with brushes
being exchanged only every 5 to 10 years.
ASTAT uses the slip-rings for measurement of
the rotor frequency and from this calculates the
speed. In most cases no tachometer or pulse
encoder is necessary.
The operator controls the crane motion, while
all rotor contactors are optimized by ASTAT, as
an integrated part of the current control. This
results in dramatically reduced wear of
contactors and crane mechanical parts. Crane
maintenance costs will therefore be reduced.
Advantages with ASTAT®:
• Fewer and better components result in more up-time.
• Operational diagnostics will speed-up fault tracing.
• Multipurpose spares will reduce parts in stock.
• The PC-program for maintenance can be installed in
a ground level computer. Nobody has to visit the crane
first to find the problem.
Digital ASTAT motion control is superior to other
techniques and it increases the operational results to the
limits of the crane itself. For you as a user it will create:
• Increased productivity. The operator moves the
crane without jogging, i.e. with one single movement.
• Prolonged lifetime. Smooth acceleration and
retardation decreases torque peaks.
• Special functions reduce rope and brake wear.
• Satisfied operators. Motion control is possible down
to increments of only one cm. Try to do such a small step
without the ASTAT system!
• Excellent control features permit higher speed
during automatic control.