ABB ASTAT Crane Control System

Powerful, responsive and accurate control of

industrial cranes in all types of environment.

For both new and retrofit installations.

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.

When to select ASTAT® ?

ASTAT is suitable for crane control in demanding

environments, when larger motor powers must be

handled, for retrofits or when automating one or more

cranes.