Atlas Copco has developed a unique patented technology, named SmartMast™, to maximise light towers safety. It features intelligent inbuilt sensors which detect and respond to adverse conditions, obstacles, potential impacts and irregular ground surfaces or floors.
Designed for use on light towers with extending hydraulic masts, SmartMast™ not only improves site safety but reduces operating costs by extending the autonomy thanks to dimming function. Atlas Copco’s HiLight B5+ light tower can now be equipped with this advanced system, which will also be offered on other HiLight models in due course. It will allow safe and efficient lighting for mining or other industrial sites.
On detecting high winds, for example, SmartMast™ automatically lowers the mast to avoid losing stability. Similarly, it brings the mast down if any obstacle is detected between 300 and 500 mm above it. It can also sense – and alert users to – the approach of objects which might impact upon the light tower. During installation of the lighting on sites, SmartMast™ assesses whether the ground or floor surface is level enough to make the structure stable. If not, it prevents the light tower from operating.
SmartMast™ utilises dimmable LED floodlights; which can be used to adjust luminosity, with regards to lux, in a workplace. This, and the benefits outlined above, combines to ensure the equipment, and more importantly end users and people working in close proximity to the light tower, are protected.
“The unit’s user-friendly, full-colour control panel is highly intuitive, so no specific knowledge is needed to install and operate the equipment. It combines with the market-leading capabilities of the HiLight B5+ light tower to provide a highly effective, flexible and energy-efficient lighting solution. Dimmable LED floodlights can be adjusted to meet changing needs, saving up to 40% in fuel. Noise levels are the lowest for any diesel-powered light tower on the market, while compact dimensions enhance transport economy and low maintenance requirements reduce servicing costs.”
“Customers increasingly demand peace of mind in terms of safety and efficiency,” says Félix Gómez, the Atlas Copco Power and Flow division’s spokesperson on light towers. “HiLight B5+ and SmartMast™ protect workers and the public against falling light towers while avoiding waste of light and reducing running expenses. SmartMast™ also, of course, prevents damage to the lighting itself, so downtime and repair bills are minimised, and utilisation is increased.”