CM Labs Adds Crawler Crane Module to Vortex Simulators

March 15, 2017 — CM Labs Simulations, developer of Vortex training simulators, has launched a new crawler crane training module, which focuses on providing trainees with the specialized skills required to operate crawler cranes, including traveling with loads, swinging loads, and an overall understanding of load charts and ground conditions.

The Vortex Studio software powers the module’s physics-based simulation, and students can experience the effects of their performance on the crane and loads the same way they would in real life. CM Labs simulates the entire crane, from the hoisting lines, blocks, and rigging, to the engine, hoist, drums, and hydraulics.

Trainees experience the realism of the complete power plant in the machine, and the reaction to operator control. This helps trainees really understand how the crane works and how it reacts to operator inputs.

CM Labs also realistically simulates crawler tracks and the crucial learning experience of travelling on uneven ground. This too is driven by Vortex Studio, which is the only simulation engine in the industry that can perform engineering-grade tracked vehicle simulation, thanks to CM Labs’ decades of peer-reviewed research in this domain.

With this release, CM Labs is also providing the only crawler crane training module anywhere that allows trainees to engage in heavy, complex lifts that push the crane’s capacity to its limits.

This is a particularly important learning experience that is difficult for trainees to access on real cranes, as they are generally high-cost and vastly more expensive to operate.

“CM Labs’ Crawler Crane Training Module provides an opportunity for novices to experience operating larger equipment.” said Drew Carruthers, CM Labs’ product manager. “It’s also perfect for experienced operators of smaller mobile cranes and boom trucks to expand their skills to larger cranes.”

The Crawler Crane Training Module incorporates self-guided learning features, including “fly-through” overviews of each training exercise, and best-practice hints. These features are designed to maximise student autonomy while reinforcing instructor guidance.

Along with basic controls familiarization exercises, CM Labs has provided realistic training exercises, including steel structure erection, concrete forming, and tandem lifts, which exposes trainees to the physical and mental demands of repeated duty cycles, as well as the requirement for planning and efficiency.

Operator performance metrics include fuel consumption, load radius, ground pressure, pendulums, and more, providing objective indications of areas where trainee skills and safety habits are well formed, or where they may require further development.