Every day in the port, machinery roars, from a 55 meter high quay crane to a 1-millimeter piece of paper, all of which are essential tools for dock production. Sometimes, some sudden changes can be a big change for the dock. Today, let's take a look at some amazing inventions and creations in the port.

 

1 millimeter of paper, allowing each container to hold an additional 10%

At the bulk cargo operation center of China Merchants Port (South China), bags of fertilizers are neatly stacked into a "small mountain". If you observe carefully, you will find that under each stack of fertilizers, there is a white skateboard paper. Although it may not be eye-catching, it plays a key role in the automation of bulk cargo.

Due to the varying shapes and sizes of miscellaneous items, it is not possible to have a standardized automated process like a container. In order to improve the operational efficiency of the terminal, the bulk cargo operation center has come up with a solution: to pad each stack of fertilizer with paper. With one fork of the forklift, the entire stack of fertilizers is lifted steadily, giving the transportation of fertilizers a feeling of standard parts.

The changes brought by this paper are not limited to this. The traditional wooden pallet that supports bagged fertilizers is about 15 centimeters high, while the skateboard paper is only 1 millimeter thick. When it is converted from bulk to bulk, each container can carry about 10% more goods.

And it is made of multi-layer high-strength kraft paper composite, treated with special drying and moisture-proof technology, tear resistant and moisture resistant, and can adapt to the high humidity environment of coastal ports.

An electric pipe clamp increases binding and reinforcement efficiency by 9 times

At the forefront of the container terminal, the necessary process after the ship is moored is the assembly and disassembly of the bridge and deck. The several story high container is secured by heavy binding rods and flower basket screws that are several meters long.

In traditional homework, workers need to use bulky manual wrenches to tighten, and they stand in a tying channel several meters high for a long time, hanging their heads in the air to exert force. This not only results in extremely high labor intensity, but also makes it prone to safety accidents such as finger pinching.

To address this pain point, Guangzhou Port has introduced portable electric pipe clamps. Handheld by a single person, the tying rod can be easily removed and reinforced in just a few seconds, achieving an efficiency of over 9 times that of manual operation, greatly reducing the waiting time for ships in port.

This tool can not only be used for container ship binding, but also extends to the fastening and maintenance of heavy port machinery such as yard loaders, excavators, and cranes, becoming a "versatile wrench" for dock workers.

Portable flower grinder, the second "insurance" for pulp reinforcement

Pulp is a major category used in the loading and unloading of general cargo at the dock. In traditional operations, pulp blocks need to be bundled into stacks with 7 thick steel wires before transportation, commonly known as "twisting flowers". This operation relies on large automated fixed machines in the pulp mill.

However, during the lifting and transportation process, pulp often breaks due to bumps, resulting in unsafe loading, unloading, and transportation in the future. Traditional fixed machinery and equipment are bulky and cannot be transported to the cabin or dock front for secondary reinforcement. Therefore, Qingdao Port Western Union Company has invented a handheld flower grinder, which is smaller in size and lighter in weight. Workers can directly carry it onto cargo ships, or in dock yards and warehouses, to immediately twist and reinforce loose or damaged pulp packages in place, improving the efficiency and safety of port bulk cargo operations.

The Port Anti Taiwan Law of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea"

Preventing typhoons is an essential skill for coastal ports, and the most iconic image is a row of quay cranes with their arms raised high. But in some docks, the boom of the quay crane can prevent typhoons without being retracted. What is the principle behind this?

Zhenhua Heavy Industry has developed and delivered a new generation of extreme wind resistant shore bridge tailored for Qingdao Dagang Company. This model has comprehensively enhanced its wind resistance performance and can withstand sudden strong winds with a wind speed of up to 58 meters per second during operation, equivalent to a super typhoon of level 17. Shanghai Port Shengdong Container Terminal has also collaborated with Shanghai Maritime University to develop a shore bridge that can withstand typhoons, which is a unique presence among all the high rise shore bridges.

Similarly, for typhoon prevention, Qingdao Port Western Union Company started with the intelligentization of machinery and carried out intelligent transformation on the 18 gantry cranes at the dock. They installed photoelectric limit sensors and electric hydraulic plugs in the gantry crane running mechanism. After continuous debugging, it was realized that when the wind prevention command was issued, ground personnel only needed to hold the remote control and press the "anchor" button. The gantry crane automatically followed the track at low speed and stopped automatically when it sensed the track hole. The wind prevention plug plate automatically fell vertically and engaged, and the gantry crane could be fixed in just over ten seconds.

The front hanging that can hang all things

The front cranes we usually see at the dock are used to lift containers. Have you ever seen a front crane that can lift coil steel and bag loading? Shandong Port Bohai Bay Port has invented a multifunctional specialized lifting device suitable for front lifting. By installing frame beams on the lifting device of the front lifting device and hanging different hooks, different goods can be loaded and unloaded. A front-end crane can not only lift containers, but also general cargo and bagged goods. For small and medium-sized ports with unstable incoming goods, it is definitely a great cost saving tool.

In fact, there are far more creative and valuable inventions than just ports. A good invention can make dock operations safer and more efficient, and also reduce the danger and increase the composure of the workers. Do you know any useful inventions in ports? Let's chat in the comment section.