A new range of rapid-response Pronal pneumatic lifting cushions in capacities from 30-80 tons is being introduced to Australia by actuation, isolation, and suspension specialists Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd.
The new Pronal CPF Stack Bags – for which Air Springs is national distributor – are of a type used by militaries and civil and industrial emergency response organisations internationally to provide safer, even force for lifts, shifts, and alignment.
CPF Stack Bag cushions – inflated quickly and easily by compressed air cylinders or standard industrial compressors – feature flat, non-slip surfaces to enhance safety in soft, sandy, wet and uneven sites. Weighing from 11-26 kg for easy transport and placement, the hot vulcanised aramid-reinforced cushions are manufactured to the European BS EN 13731 safety and performance requirements for fire and rescue service use.
CPFs are suited to maintenance and recovery of mobile plant and fixed infrastructure on sites and localities such as those affected by record rains and cyclone weather on Australia's East Coast recently and which are common in tropical zones. They and complementary Pronal lifters also provide a solution to the challenge of safe heavy lifts in remote, sandy, muddy, and awkward site conditions, including confined pipeline trenches, soft ground, uneven earthworks, and vehicle accident recovery areas.
CPF Pronal Stack Bag lifting and shift cushions – which join Pronal's complementary established Australian ranges of CLT and CPB ranges – can be stacked up to three cushions deep to reach a stable and secure lifting height of more than 500 mm. Each CPF airbag has a positioning mark to reinforce the safety and use of the product, says Air Springs Supply Pronal specialist, Vinh Lam.
"In addition to their flat, non-slip surface for enhanced stability of the load, the new Pronal Stack Bags are simple, safe, and easy to handle, thanks to their lightness and low thickness when empty (25 mm)," says Vinh, adding that the CPFs are designed to a safety factor of three.
Pressurisation of the lifting systems, to a maximum of 7 bar (100 psi), is controlled by a remote control box, so the operator can work in complete safety. A valve limits the inflation pressure to 10 bar. The range is composed of 5 models with a wide range of accessories to meet all customer applications.
"These globally proven lifting systems are manufactured to the rigorous safety and quality standards of elastomer specialist Pronal, which manufactured the underwater lifting bags to raise artefacts from the Titanic four kilometres deep in the Atlantic. Pronal lifters are used in emergency and recovery applications, and in difficult conditions including wet and sandy surroundings and inaccessible locations that can create hazards for conventional lifting technologies (such as where there is insufficient room overhead to employ suitable cranes, even if they can be brought overland to a remote site). Sometimes also there is insufficient stability underfoot to employ lifters that produce high point loads both on the ground and on the object being lifted," says Vinh Lam.
CPF lifting cushions – which can be easily transported by 4WD, helicopter or boat – are part of a range of Pronal lifting cushions from Air Springs Supply engineered to overcome lifting safety and difficulty issues by delicately raising irregular loads with optimum safety and flexibility. Pronal lifters gently raise heavy and irregular loads ranging from road and rail vehicles, pipelines and plant, through to beams, bridge components, building components, machinery and resource development structures and maritime vessels and structures, as well as machinery used in resource exploration and development.
About us:
About Pronal
Founded in 1961 and headquartered near Lille in the north of France, PRONAL builds standard and customised flexible products from fabrics coated with elastomer and/or plastomer. In addition to extensive industrial expertise, Pronal also works in the defence, aerospace, civil emergency, and maritime/harbour sectors.
Pronal's Australian distributor, Air Springs Supply, is Australia's leading supplier of air springs and associated pneumatic technology for the industrial and transport sectors. Air Springs Supply has more than 50 years' experience in actuation, isolation, and suspension, with a national distribution and technical service network.
