CM Labs provide total operator readiness

(Posted on 04/11/19)

CM Labs Simulations, developer of Vortex training simulators, has announced a new operator training solution for mobile harbour cranes (MHCs), part of the Vortex solution suite of port equipment simulators.

CM Labs’ MHC Simulator Training Pack delivers a safe training environment that is available 24/7 and in all weather. It is designed to provide trainees with total readiness for any potential MHC operating challenge, including complex lift trajectories, compromised views, and unexpected equipment failures.

With a focus that goes far beyond basic controls familiarisation, the MHC Simulator Training Pack exposes operators to conditions that are challenging or unsafe to replicate outside the simulator, including night-time operations, compromised view due to glare, twist lock failures, rigging breaks, snags, and more.

The MHC Simulator Training Pack comes with a variety of unique operator assessment tools that CM Labs has developed in consultation with leading training experts and MHC operators, including the real-time Load Path Graph, which provides a visual indicator of load trajectory while the trainee is operating the simulator. This powerful tool allows instructors to provide immediate feedback to novice operators during training sessions, and correct any inefficiency before it becomes a habit.

The training solution also generates a real-time Hook Block Map, for a visual representation of load pendulums and all other deviations of hoist lines from the vertical. This helps trainees intuitively develop a rapid understanding of the movements required for load control.

The Load Path Graph and the Hook Block Map are also displayed as a component of the MHC Training Pack’s post-training report, so that trainee progress can be assessed over time. The result is more focused training.

The MHC Simulator Training Pack tracks all operating performance metrics during training exercises, and rolls them up into a single score that updates in real time. Port terminals and training schools can customise this scoring system to take their most important organisational values into consideration, so that new operators can ramp up even faster.

Similarly, various characteristics of the simulated equipment can be customised to match the quayside equipment already in use, including joystick deadbands, flipper behaviour, and hoisting, luffing, and traveling speeds.

The training pack provides weeks of MHC operator training out of the box, with exercises ranging from basic controls and learning how to prepare the crane for travel, to driving and parking the crane, and efficient loading and unloading of containers (twin-20ft, 40ft, and 45ft), bulk, and break bulk. It also includes an Exercise Builder that allows instructors to create a virtually unlimited number of exercises.

The MHC Simulator Training Pack incorporates CM Labs’ Smart Training TechnologyTM— resulting in a training solution that delivers the most transferable operator skills anywhere, outside the real equipment. Smart Training Technology is comprised of CM Labs’ proprietary and patented algorithms, and includes real-time simulation features that are unique on the market. This means training is based on real data and real machines.