Fully Automated Rail Terminals
Automation is the future but one major change is required to have a true automated container rail terminal.
Moving freight from road to rail will have a considerable overall positive impact on our future. Increased use of rail freight will reduce social costs and will drive development of container terminal automation.
A key issue confronting the transport industry is how to achieve improved logistics performance which translates into a need for increase efficiency.
You can increase efficiency in container handling and reduce workplace injuries during loading and unloading of ISO containers in rail terminals.
Automation is happening everywhere and will most certainly gain momentum in the rail freight industry. Full rail automation in terminals is a challenge and complicated. One major reason is the current systems on railcars using pins (location cones) that must be set manually to hold containers.
There is a risk when you manually set these pins in position. It means that human interaction is required by walking along the train in the terminal. This process eliminates the possibility of a true fully automatic process of loading and unloading containers.
Train arrangements are long and will most likely increase to carry more containers in the future which will make it even more unproductive and increase risk.
Different types of devices to lock down freight containers have been in use since the design of the ISO freight container. The locking and securing of freight containers, equipped with International Standard Organization (ISO) corner castings or their equivalent, to load carriers has been pursued for some time.
Depending on the circumstances of the security required, three main categories of systems have been developed and used, namely, location pins, positive locking device (fully automatic) and positive manual locking device. None accommodating automatic loading of different length containers.
A location cone or so-called pin commonly used in the container rail freight industry does not positively lock the container and there are several examples of blow-offs. A change is required from the old to the new if true automation is chased in the terminals.
Celtec Rail have a system that will accommodate the need for easy positive locking and unlocking of a container. The system permits maximum flexibility in loading different length containers on the railcar by providing many seating positions in which the automatic system can be engaged and secure the container safely. This system comes as standard or can be tailored to meet specific customer requirements.
This system will eliminate manual handling during setting pins and remove humans from the rail terminal along with the prevention of blow-offs.