“For us, the ATLAS 520 MH has proven to be a real performance machine,” says André Bergenthal, Head of Service at Schulte & Bruns GmbH & Co. KG in Papenburg. The 57 t 520 MH transhipment machine is used in the port of Papenburg to load and unload ships. This can be wood chips, peat, fertiliser, sand or other things. The Deutz six-cylinder engine with 7.1 litres displacement and 182 KW/248 hp output is the good basis for being able to work strongly. “For us, a performance machine means that the 520 MH has to be in operation for more than 30 hours in a row. It has done that several times without any problems or signs of failure,” Bergenthal reports.
Special boom design
The ATLAS handling machine was specially designed for loading and unloading ships. In the process, the complete upper carriage was moved upwards by a 2 m high pylon. In addition, the cabin is still 3 m high and can be extended 2.5 m forwards. This provides an overview, excellent all-round visibility, but above all the field of vision to be able to see into the hold of ships. A special boom has been designed for Schulte & Bruns for optimum reach into the ship’s hold. The base arm has a slight bend in the middle, which makes it look a bit like a banana. This makes it possible to reach over the landside ship’s side to the bottom of the seaward ship’s side even when the ship is afloat. The small kink ultimately makes this possible and thus ensures absolute effectiveness.
Quiet in the cabin
The cabin is of course equipped with air conditioning as standard. A rear surveillance camera also comes as standard. It is especially important that it is quiet in the cabin. It is designed so that only 70 dB(A) sound is measured in the cabin. “Unlike excavators in the construction industry, pivoting is the most important function for us when loading and unloading,” says Bergenthal. The 520 MH does this quickly, permanently and without restrictions. The undercarriage is equipped with 70 t special excavator axles. The steering axle has an automatic swing axle lock. The slewing gear is controlled by means of two slewing gears and the slewing brake has an automatic multi-disc parking brake. The upper carriage has a speed of 5.2 revolutions per minute. That is more than speedy with the loads that are approved here. Safety is enhanced by an overload warning device and a pipe-break safety device for lifting and handle cylinders. Different buckets or grabs are used depending on the material to be loaded. “We have now been using the 520 MH for a while and can see that it exactly meets our high requirements here in Papenburg,” says Bergenthal.
Southernmost seaport
Schulte & Bruns is a company that is more than 135 years old. It deals with maritime shipping, works as a shipping agency, in port logistics and in the building materials sector, and it offers cruise services. The company has extensive handling and storage facilities at the Port of Papenburg. This is the southernmost seaport in Germany, which is also used as an inland port. Ships with a draught of 5.5 m can load and unload here. However, you always have to keep an eye on the tide so that you can sail with precision.
Reliable dealer – large series of handling machines
“With Werner Seemann GmbH & Co. KG we have a reliable dealer here in our region. With him and the factory in Ganderkesee, it was possible to configure this Atlas 520 MH exactly as required for us. And all we can say about Seemann’s service is “excellent”,” Bergenthal sums up. The ATLAS 520 MH is part of a range of twelve ATLAS handling machines with operating weights from 16 to 60 tonnes. They are specially designed for port operations, recycling and the extraction industry and are designed for high, permanent requirements with large loads. A good example of how this works excellently can be found here at Schulte & Bruns in Papenburg harbour.
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Photo: The 57 t ATLAS 520 MH transhipment machine packs this inland vessel full of wood chips at high speed. This special gripper is used to pack with pressure and not to pour.