Bespoke airport trolley
Airport baggage handling specialists BEUMER Group UK, with help from Rotair Moving Systems, in 2015 designed and trialled a custom built piece of equipment for moving a number of new baggage X- ray scanning machines at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2.
The machine, weighing close to 4500kg, sits upon a platform under which are fixed machine skates. The design of this bespoke trolley was to alleviate the point loading issues with the floor slab. The 'trolley' can then be moved with the use of two battery powered tugger/pushers (PowerAttacks).
A single operational move takes approx. two and a half hours and has to be completed during the night when Heathrow briefly closes to passengers. The route available is across the Departures gate level. Each machine is valued at close on £1 million. The unit has to negotiate tight bends, ramps and a weight limited elevator. In places, there were millimetres to spare.
Buffalo boards are laid to protect the hall tiled floor. In total some two dozen machines will be installed by the end of next year.
Andrew Stevenson, senior construction manager for BEUMER Group, said: “Due to the complexity of the route available, the volumetrics involved, the point loadings and the manual handling reductions, this bespoke 'trolley' and methodology of movement ticks all of the boxes, ensuring that the new machines were delivered to their final positions in a safe and efficient manner within the 'live' operational environment.
