In 2013, the containerized bulk handling (CBH) Industry experienced a significant transformation with the introduction of the first Rotainer R.S. from Container Rotation Systems (CRS). This unit was purpose-designed to be multifunctional and compatible with various equipment, including reachstackers, ship-to-shore cranes, mobile harbour cranes, iso 20ft pick points, and ships cranes. It marked the debut of a 3-in-1 container rotator.
To address the demands of diverse applications, the CRS engineering team developed an innovative, mechanically simple and patented the rotating mechanism. This unique design utilizes traditional hydraulic cylinders and a crank arm arrangement to convert linear movement into rotational movement, allowing for a 180° rotation.
The engineering principle behind this design aimed to replicate the operational performance of traditional front-end loaders (FELs). The 180° rotation was specified to adhere to standard safety protocols, ensuring that the load is always tipped away from the operator’s cabin during reachstacker operations. This unique drive system prevents the possibility of dumping the load back onto the base unit towards the operator’s cabin therefore maintaining the strictest safety protocol of any reachstacker container rotator.
The innovative rotating mechanism employs two hydraulic drive cylinders: one main and one slave per side. The main cylinders extension supports 100% of the load up to around the 120° point with the second-stage ‘slave cylinder’ completing the dump to empty cycle for 100% discharge, therefore making this design widely accepted by the CBH community.
Due to the system’s reliability, simplicity and low maintenance advantages, in 2018 CRS decided to add this drive system into its Rotainer® Eurospec 38, its innovative, fully sealed, single beam frame systems. Then, in 2000, CRS included it as an optional drive system in its Rotainer® Eurospec MH 42.
Moving forwards, CRS now maintains three drive system in its Rotainer® product portfolio with either 180° or 360° rotation to meet exacting customer needs.
A fine example of the performance of these units is Chien Shing, Taiwan, which handles and blends concentrates predominately from Latin America. By year end, Chien Shing, Taiwa will have increased its fleet of Rotainer® R.S.s to five units which in turn, it will be the largest operator of CRS Rotainers® globally. This is a co-operative position of which CRS and Chien Shing are very proud. Furthermore, this operation will see the introduction of a Sennebogen 9300E to work with these additional Rotainer® R.S. units.
Australian company Container Rotation Systems (CRS) is renowned for its container-emptying system, which offers an efficient solution to the problem of unloading bulk from containers.
This is a concept that is gaining in popularity worldwide, and is in use internationally handling cargoes of vastly different properties, from alumina to coal.
The company remains very active, with its concept becoming ever better known.
Part of CRS’s remarkable success is due to its Multilid technology — an innovative lid-lifting system that has transformed the CBH industry. The system was introduced as the Multilid®-1, a container-lid handling mechanism, which made CBH operations faster and more efficient. Recently, CRS has officially introduced the Multilid®-2 to the market. This fully adjustable lid lifting apparatus is designed to accommodate any type of open top container lids currently in global circulation, in line with CRS’s ‘Any Lid — Any Time — Any Container’ campaign. This innovative, patent-pending, system allows for both transverse and longitudinal adjustments, enabling the handling of any container and lock system within Rotainers®. It is already in operation with Qube Ports, Port Kembla, Australia where, in February this year, the very first ship was loaded with three different variations in containers using this innovative technology.