Version 2.0 of Liebherr’s Crane Planner software, which enables the planning of crane jobs, supports a larger number of Liebherr mobile cranes, all Liebherr crawler cranes with lifting capacities up to 300 tonnes, as well as hydraulic rope excavators.
The Liebherr Crane Planner 2.0 helps users to identify solutions and procedures for their lifting work in advance. This enables complicated heavy lifts with crawler cranes as well as supposedly quick and easy taxi lifts by mobile cranes to be completed safely. The tool combines an interactive 3D visualisation of the machines, the loads and surrounding objects with dimensions, a positioning tool and Google Maps, without the need for expensive CAD programs or high performance computers. The results of the planning process can be exported in the form of a report and sent to the customer. This means that even small crane contractors can compete for large tenders.
The software combines a three-dimensional user interface and the exact machine data of the load moment limitation from the LICCON crane control system. The data displayed in Crane Planner 2.0 are determined using exactly the same calculation logic as the live data generated by the real mobile and crawler cranes. Key data such as ground pressures, support pressures, lifting capacities and centres of gravity are calculated simultaneously. Each time the configuration, load or geometry is changed, a new calculation is carried out.
Planning tasks can be completed in 2D using the free version of the software. The range of functions is similar to the LICCON job planner. The pro version contains detailed, interactive 3D models of the cranes, as well as a library with various 3D objects such as buildings, roads, machines or load objects. Map views from Google Maps and 3D data can be included in the display in the correct scale.
Ease of use was the main priority during the development of Crane Planner 2.0. According to Liebherr, neither is special expertise nor additional hardware, apart from a standard PC, required to use the programme. A trial version of the software enables users to enjoy a 30-day free trial of the pro version. Whilst using Crane Planner 2.0, the calculations of the machine planning data, such as lifting capacities, support and ground pressures, are carried out online to ensure that they are always up to date.