PNH-201C
Sealed button with a cancel key at the workstation: the transport call repeats every 30 s until the operator cancels it with the key on the spot. Battery-powered, no wiring.
Quantity: 1 per workstation
Completed projectIndustryPrecast concrete plant
A forklift called by radio from the workstation in a precast concrete hall
In-plant transport called up in a precast concrete hall where structures and conveying equipment run at a height of about 4 m and above. A radio link connects the workstations with the transport crew.
- 4 m+height of the structures in the hall
- 1workstation identified in every call
- 2kinds of run: collection and delivery
01 / Investment context
What problem had to be solved?
In the hall of the precast concrete plant the workstations run at different rhythms. Each finishes its part of the work at a different moment, and each needs material at a different moment. Material therefore has to be collected or delivered exactly when the workstation is ready — and only the worker standing at it knows when that is.
Structures and conveying equipment run through the hall at a height of about 4 m and above. Cables from the workstations to the transport crew would have to run beneath them, through the working production area. Without a signal from the workstation, the worker has to leave the job to look for the forklift operator, and the operator does not know which workstation is waiting or for how long.
The investor’s goal: A transport call that clearly identifies the workstation and reaches the forklift operator anywhere in the hall — without extensive cabling through the production area.
What was designed?
The installation linked the workstations with the transport crew by radio. A worker sends a call from the workstation, and the transport operator receives clear information about where it came from. No extensive cabling had to be run through the production area.
For a similar hall GORKE today selects a sealed button with a cancel key (PNH-201C) for each workstation. The call repeats every 30 seconds until someone cancels it, so it is not lost while the operator is busy manoeuvring a loaded forklift. The forklift operator carries a pager (OBI-4SH) that shows the workstation number, and on arrival cancels the call with the key on the same button.
If the forklifts are directed from a transport office, a receiver with a text display (IDO-1000U/E) shows the workstation’s name there instead of a number. Metal structures reflect and attenuate radio waves, so a range test is carried out before installation; if it reveals dead spots, a repeater (RTS-1000) powered at 12 V DC carries the signal.
02 / Operating principle
From signal to action.
Workers call a forklift from their workstation by radio, and the operator knows where the call came from — without extensive cabling across the hall.
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01 / Signal source
Workstation Collection or delivery of materialThe worker sends a call when the workstation is ready.
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02 / Transmission
Radio link No extensive cablingLinks the workstations with the transport crew without cables under the structures.
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03 / Notification
Forklift operator In-plant transportReceives clear information about which workstation the call came from.
The forklift operator knows which workstation is waiting. The operator plans the order of runs instead of circling the hall looking for jobs, and the workstation waits less for transport.
A simplified functional diagram.
03 / Installation components
Devices for a similar investment
The description of the installation names no models — this is GORKE’s choice for a similar site.
OBI-4SH
Forklift operator’s pager: receives the call directly from the buttons and shows the workstation number, also while driving around the hall.
Quantity: 1 per operator
IDO-1000U/E
Receiver in the transport office: shows the workstation’s name instead of the transmitter number, where a dispatcher directs the forklifts.
Quantity: optional
RTS-1000
Repeater mounted high in the hall if the range test reveals dead spots between the structures; it passes the buttons’ signal on. Powered at 12 V DC from a power supply.
Quantity: per range test
Catalogue figures describe a device under stated conditions, usually in open terrain, and are not a guaranteed range in every installation. Device quantities in the examples are indicative.
04 / Value for the investor
What does this solution give you?
Fewer empty runs
The operator knows which workstation is waiting and plans the order of runs instead of circling the hall looking for jobs.
Shorter waits for transport
The call reaches the operator when the workstation is ready, so material waits less between production stages, and the worker does not leave the job to look for a forklift.
No extensive cabling
The radio link needs no cables run beneath the structures and conveying equipment, and a battery button can be moved along with any change in the workstation layout.
05 / Before installation
What needs to be settled for a similar investment?
Before devices are chosen, what matters is the site’s conditions and how the system ties into the final installation.
Requirements to verify
- A range test in the hall before installation: metal structures and conveying equipment affect the range, and the test result decides on a repeater and its 12 V DC supply.
- The number of workstations and forklift operators on each shift — one button per workstation, one pager per operator.
- Who cancels the call once it has been dealt with: the operator on arrival, or the worker at the workstation once the material has been collected.
- Conditions in the hall: the button is IP44-rated and works from −10°C, so it is not mounted where it would be hosed directly, nor in an unheated spot without checking winter temperatures.
Source: the description of the installation under Custom projects.
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