The X Y Drive is an exciting, new product that is part of a family of emerging technologies known throughout the material handling industry as "Intelligent Assist Devices".
The X Y Drive senses the direction that an operator pushes the handlebars of an end effector and drives the bridge crane in that direction. Servo-driven tractor drives engage against the
crane rails and propel the overhead crane.
For loads up to 2000 lbs, a slide column would be substituted for the Crane Arm, where the load travels up and down a column. The slide column (and Crane Arm) are rigid arms that do not allow any swinging of the load. Acceleration and deceleration are smooth and responsive so that accurate placement of loads is much easier.
The pushing forward, backward and sideways of the handlebars is sensed, fed into an algorithm and drive signals are sent to the servo-drives, regardless of which direction the operator is facing.
The intelligent drive system can also be disengaged where the bridge crane freewheels in all directions, allowing the crane operator to push the load manually.