Access Automation
Multi Stop PLC controlled Cable car
(click to enlarge)
Car departing terminal building
Manufacturing self-leveling incline elevators for Wellington's hillside properties
Techlink would like to thank Mark Galvin and Paula Smith for their contributions to this case study.
Introduction
Access Automation's Managing Director Mark Galvin likens his cable cars to trains or lifts running in the open, each on an inclined track, to improve access to hillside sites. A cable car is pulled up the hill by an electric winch and a wire rope, on either a single track or dual tracks.Now a flourishing mechanical engineering business, Access started as a hobby and part-time business. For the first five years Mark produced one cable car a year out of his garage, while he was working for the Industrial Crown Research Institute. For the last 12 years, however, it has been a full-time venture, and has become New Zealand's leading cable car manufacturer of self-leveling incline elevators “and yes I still enjoy it, absolutely."
The concept was born in Wellington, with its hilly suburbs presenting all manner of access challenges. The city's “wild properties" have been an ideal Research and Development proving ground as Access Automation has evolved their product range. The lineup of self-leveling incline elevators covers nearly every operational requirement, from a 10-12 seat commercial gondola car to a basic two-person car ideally suitable for bringing home the shopping.
Clients come from right across the spectrum – old people, retired people, young people. Young professional couples ask why struggle carrying up the shopping, and why wait until 65 years of age before considering a cable car? “It's usually when the second child comes along that is the trigger point," says Mark.Access Automation ensures there is no compromise by designing, managing, and installing their product themselves. Every cable car gets the same innovative thinking, attention to design and construction, rigorous testing of critical safety components, and state-of-the-art control systems.
Improved access can unlock a site's development potential. Designers and architects can gain flexibility, and save space and the cost of more extensive earthworks due to the ability of Access Automation cable cars to turn corners and negotiate multiple gradients. The innovative cantilever car has no under-floor machinery, which allows easy access to the car without the need for an elevator pit in most installations.
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