Moving large coils of aluminized carbon and stainless steel requires careful control and attention to safety. So when the cranes at Atlas Steel Products became uncontrollable, the situation was not taken lightly.

Difficulties with remote control and infrared systems interrupted production practices and threatened worker safety. "We had trouble losing signals and, in some cases, the operator had to stand on a ladder," says Stan Runevitch, maintenance manager. "We even lost confidence in our ability to control the cranes—a condition that was totally unacceptable."

That's why Atlas Steel installed two new cranes with built-in portable radio remote control (PRRC) systems. The company also retrofitted three existing cranes with the new controls at its Twinsburg, Ohio facility.

The system can accommodate 32 digital or analog inputs and contains high-performance microprocessors with a minimum number of components. It also contains a single board receiver/decoder, which responds to commands for a controller/transmitter.

Perhaps even more important are the product's safety features. The PRRC system's extensive self-diagnostics perform continuously to en-sure safe and reliable operation. A two-character status display shows operators when operation is normal or faulty. In addition, no motion is initiated without a proper command.