Liebherr strikes Silver at Intermat Awards

Intermat will see a new version of Liebherr’s Demolition Control (LDC) system for its demolition excavators, and it will be on show fitted to a new high reach demolition model at Intermat that we hope to unwrap in the March-April issue of D&Ri. The new system gained a Silver Award at the recent Intermat Innovation Awards.

Liebherr has had an LDC system for a number of years, but the system that will be on show is all-new, said the company. According to Liebherr, the challenge was to find a solution to integrate this LDC system into the electronics of the excavator and to simplify the functions for the operator.

The solution that was developed automatically recognises attachment lengths, and angle sensors are used to monitor the position of the equipment and to integrate the tool types with their weights into the display on the excavator. To optimise the performance of the excavator, extended reach with rotation limitation has also been developed. This extended reach allows the operator to cover a greater working area, which results in a productivity gain on site.

Because the LDC is integrated with the on-board electronics on the excavator there is no requirement for additional LDC-specific components with their associated costs. In addition, because of this maintenance in the field is easier.

The new LDC eliminates the possibility of human error that could affect the stability of the machine. A tactile colour display shows diagrammatically the position of the attachment in real time and informs the driver of the authorised movements that he can make. A display of the position (levelness) of the machine is also given to the driver.

The increase in working envelope allowed by the new extended reach means that demolition works can be carried out using machines of smaller size than at the moment, which has the added benefit of reduced fuel consumption during work as well as easier machine transport. It also hints at what will be on show in Paris in April.