Safety solution wins innovation prize

Swedish technology company Rototilt Group has been awarded the German Innovation Award for its SecureLock coupling solution, which is said to eliminate the risk of dropped tools from excavators.

The German Innovation Award is highlights solutions characterised by a strong user focus and added value and is voted on by various design, technology and consultancy experts.

Rototilt received the award for SecureLock as combined in its tiltrotator and machine coupler.

“We want to make accidents involving dropped tools a thing of the past, and with our smart coupling solution, we’re getting closer to that goal,” said technical design engineer Pär Olofsson.

Excavators change tools several times each day, and if there is a problem with the coupling, tools can be dropped, resulting in serious injuries and even death. This is a risk that Rototilt wants to eliminate with SecureLock.

“We are extremely proud to have been honoured with this award,” said Pär, who was in Germany for the award ceremony.

“Our view is that no one should need to worry about on-the-job safety. With SecureLock, operators can rest assured that tools will always be correctly coupled.”

The product sounds a distinct beep to confirm that tools are locked firmly in place, and monitoring is continuous to make sure they stay that way. Two separate locking circuits ensure that coupling is secure and eliminate electrical problems. An LED lamp turns on automatically when changing tools to improve visibility when a new tool is attached.