For seven years, FATZER has been actively using the TRUscan rope inspection system in Funchal on the island of Madeira. Pedro Galvão, not only the technical director of the Funchal cable car but also a certified rope inspector and wellknown cable car expert, provided his expertise and experience with the magnet-inductive inspection system TRUscan directly to FATZER.

This collaboration led to several optimization loops in the analysis and display software. The valuable insights from this initial phase throuh a first user have been greatly valued by the Swiss rope manufacturer to this day.

With detailed feedback from an end user like Pedro, Oliver Reinelt, Head of Technology and TRUscan Development Lead at FATZER, was able to finetune the analysis software and presentation of results to align with cable car operators‘ needs and address any system errors.

Funchal as a TRUscan pioneer

Based on this excellent collaboration, FATZER, in partnership with the Institute for Conveying Technology and Logistics (IFT) at the University of Stuttgart, brought the TRUscan system to production readiness.

„The idea of analysis software had been in our minds for a while, but it was only in the last ten years that automated rope inspection became a reality,“ explains Michael Hanimann, CTO at FATZER.

The urban cable car in Funchal operates 365 days a year, featuring a loop of 6.5 kilometers. It particularly benefits from the monitoring provided by the magnetinductive inspection device.

In-service rope inspection

A paramount benefit for users originates from the seamless automation of the TRUscan system. Activation of the analysis software can be effortlessly initiated via a user-friendly app or set to commence automatically.

This streamlined process empowers the inspection to unfold devoid of reliance on external experts, thereby curtailing the necessity for nocturnal and unique inspections.

The sustained operational readiness of cable cars is of highest importance, particularly in the context of extensively utilized cable systems. Pedro‘s capacity to examine the rope‘s integrity while the cable car operates under normal guest operations, all without the need for halting or decelerating the cable car, yields an exceptional edge.

In a matter of minutes, he acquires a glimpse into the complicate  mechanisms that drive the rope along its course.

Support from the POS Finder

“Another feature born from customer requirements is the POS Finder. It facilitates the identification of known damage points. The position of each damage point is defined based on its distance from the first splice knot and can be precisely targeted using the POS Finder.

The time-consuming process of visual inspection is eliminated, saving valuable time,“ explains Matthias Stacher, Sales Project Manager. The distribution of wire breaks along the rope length is also evaluated, indicating when a rope is nearing the end of its lifespan.

This guarantees predictability for the cable car operator, allowing maintenance to be planned in advance and employees to be properly instructed. TRUscan also serves as a crucial instrument for safety compliance in the cable car sector.

Conducted inspections and their results are automatically documented and can easily be shared with other inspectors or authorities.