Morello is a material handling equipment company with long-standing experience in manufacturing battery powered carts.
The company designs and builds custom-made electric powered carts for moving heavy loads from massive power transformers to sections of large naval vessels to steel industry tube, coil and plate.
Within the Morello range the SGAI motorised battery-operated cart is an adaptable and flexible solution for moving heavy loads. It is designed to provide greater operational flexibility and efficiencies compared to bridge cranes or rail transfer carts for example. Operating in confined or open spaces, indoors or outdoors, with no vehicle pollution many companies have chosen these carts as a more valid solution for their heavy material handling.
What are the characteristics of a Morello battery operated cart?
Typically, these are battery powered carts, with low noise, rubber tyres for indoor and outdoor use, and with customisation options related to steering, power supply, safety and security, lifting, terrain conditions and more.
Models: The standard motorised trolley, the Morello SGAI, can carry up to 500 tons. This model provides for one or more steering axles.
The OMNI battery powered cart, the Morello OMNI SPMT (self-propelled modular transporter), can transport extremely heavy loads of up to 1000 tons. In this case the cart can have an unlimited number of axle lines to support the load. Effectively the OMNI cart can have as many axle lines as is required to support the heaviest of loads. The vehicle has maximum steering options allowing each wheel to move autonomously and enabling 360° steering where the cart can rotate within its own footprint.
Power: The power is supplied by storage batteries or accumulators. Most industrial environments have the objective to eliminate sources of air pollution. There are many diesel vehicles still circulating and a battery powered heavy duty cart contributes significantly to improving the air quality within the work environment.
99% of Morello SPMTs are driven by electric motors, mainly non-hydraulic motors, which offer a series of advantages. There are both economic and environmental benefits such as lower maintenance costs, cleaner operations (no risk of oil leakages) and the battery lifetime has a long duration.
Security is Guaranteed: A popularsolution is to equip the cart with laser scanner technology to ensure safe operations. An alternative safety feature are bumpers, made of foam materials, to avoid any risk of injury. In the case of the battery powered cart following a permanent route there is the option of using a semi-agv vehicle which follows a floor track marking with several guide technologies being available.
For more volatile environments Morello provides an ATEX version. Apart from the more obvious sectors such as oil and gas and the mining sector, this is often a useful solution to apply in the case of transporting equipment into industrial painting booths.
Operator Control: Morello electric powered carts are normally operated by remote control although when required may be equipped with an onboard driver’s cabin depending on the client’s requirements.
Technical Support: all models can be equipped with a remote assistance board allowing Morello to provide diagnostic support and ensure an efficient after-sales service directly from the production plant.
What are the main advantages of Morello SGAI and OMNI battery operated carts for your operations?
Greater flexibility and operational efficiency, environmentally friendly, and fitted with the latest safety and security technologies are key advantages to be considered.
When compared to other more traditional methods of moving heavy industrial loads there are a series of important advantages to highlight.
When compared to bridge cranes or gantry cranes all suspended heavy loads are eliminated from the plant. There are no more heavy loads swinging and transport between two separate factory bays becomes possible. The bridge crane is clearly limited to moving along one axis within one bay.
The Morello carts can operate outdoors and so all external operations can be facilitated. There is also a limit to the number of bridge cranes which can be installed whereas there is no physical limit to the number of heavy duty carts which can be employed both internally and externally.
Another alternative solution are Rail Transfer Carts which operate along a fixed route. The presence of rails within a plant is a limiting factor which must be taken into consideration. There is also the cost of the building works, additional fixed equipment and maintenance. The physical presence of the rails and the movement of the rail transfer carts along a fixed route can reduce operational flexibility.
Industrial Sectors
Morello SGAI and OMNI motorised trolleys are employed in many different industries.
A common application for battery operated carts are the movement of dies or molds within industrial plants, for example in the automotive sector. In this case the vehicles are often called die transfer carts and are sized and technically designed specifically for this purpose.
An interesting example of where a Morello battery powered cart is being used is the Tideway Project in London, UK. This is a 25km Super Sewer under the river Thames to intercept sewage spills and clean up the river, delivering great environmental benefits. This battery-powered electric trolley is used for on-site handling of precast segments used for the tunnel lining. It is a machine that is highly valued by operators, as it is used to transport the segment bars from the storage area to the inside of the tunnel, without the need for rails and without any air or noise pollution.
Another application where Morello motorised trolleys are employed is in nuclear decommissioning projects. In this case the carts are used to transport the dismantled shell structures with weights exceeding 100 tons, while the transfer cart was tested for carrying up to 145 tons and can be built to carry much greater payloads.
We are always ready to illustrate examples of how and where our vehicles are being used and how we can assist you with streamlining your heavy material handling. Call us!
