Straightpoint (UK) - Safety and productivity when monitoring loads during heavy, critical and multi-point lifting applications will be greatly enhanced as Straightpoint extends the range of its wireless products to 700m (nearly 2,300ft).

The force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cell manufacturer launched the enhanced technology as standard at the turn of the year, covering all wireless products including the Radiolink Plus, Wireless Shackle Load Cell, Wireless Compression Load Cell and the wireless version of the new Running Line Dynamometer (or TIMH).

The wireless portfolio will be available with almost triple the range of the current line, which is already at 250m (820ft), and boasts 1,200-hour battery life as another standard feature. Straightpoint continues to pioneer development of load monitoring technology having previously increased the wireless range from 150m (492ft).

Straightpoint director David Ayling said: “Much will be made in industry, understandably, about the extent of the increase and the phenomenal range in terms of distance, but our distribution partners have lauded the all-round, practical advantages of the enhanced product offering. The 700m line-of-sight range gives those planning or supervising multi-point and critical lifts trust in a 360-degree signal at each pick-point on a monopile or hulking oil and gas component, for example.”

Ayling, who reiterated the wireless range’s suitability for monitoring multi-point, dynamic lifts, added: “Few applications will demand such a range in terms of distance but it provides trust in solid communication when a number of load cells are rigged onto a series of cranes positioned over, say, 300m from either end of a long, heavy load.”

Further aligning the range with lifting professionals in the offshore and other industries where heavy and critical lifts are commonplace, the products remain extremely weather proof and boast the Straightpoint hallmark in the absence of an antenna, which can be vulnerable to damage, further enhancing durability.

Ayling said: “Key to product development throughout was commitment to the reliability, durability and weatherability for which our brand is associated, typified by the internal antenna which remains a cornerstone of design, despite such an increase in range. With the internal antenna, battery life and 700m-range combined, lifting professionals have faith that the load cells will remain efficient and operational even during tough conditions on the most critical and complex of lifts.”

Straightpoint’s leading wireless product, the Radiolink Plus, offers unrivalled strength-to-weight ratio plus a sealed enclosure giving electronic components IP67 environmental protection even with the battery cover plate missing.