Kone develops energy-saving elevator cable
Finland's Kone, a global leader in elevator and escalator technology, has introduced an innovative product - called UltraRope - that weighs less than steel cable and saves up to 35 per cent in electricity costs compared with elevators that use the tradit
Kone’s head of major technology projects, Johannes de Jong, said the company had taken nine years to develop UltraRope, which is an ultra-light, ultra-durable rope that offers huge advantages over the steel cables normally used to hoist elevators.
“This technology will make elevator travel heights of one kilometre possible in the future, while also improving energy efficiency and reliability. For example, our test using it in one of elevators at the Marine Bay Sands [in Singapore] found that UltraRope saves about 35 per cent of energy when compared with steel ropes,” he said.
He added that for a travel distance of 500 metres, for example, cables weighing a total 17,000 kilograms are currently needed to move an elevator safely. Beyond this distance, the weight of conventional steel rope becomes so high that more cable is needed just to carry the weight of the ropes themselves.
But UltraRope, which has a carbon-fibre core, is very light and extremely strong. It cuts the weight that needs to be moved by the hoisting system – the moving mass – exponentially as the travel distance grows, thus enabling much greater future travel heights and significant energy savings in elevator operation, he added.
Besides its light weight saving energy consumption, UltraRope will also expand the lifespan of an elevator by up to 200 per cent, said de Jong.
Next step an auto elevator
He said the company was now well advanced in developing the latest automatic-elevator technology, which uses UltraRope in the design of a small motor and automatic system for a lift – the goal being to reduce the space required to install elevators in buildings.
This would give property owners more residential space in apartment buildings, as well as more work space in office and commercial buildings.
“We believe our auto-elevator technology will be launched onto the market within the next year,” he said.
He added that the overall objective at Kone is to develop new technology for a smoother, smarter people flow. With this mind, the company allocates 1.5 per cent of its revenue for research and development into elevator and escalator technology.
Kone reported revenue of €6.3 billion (Bt267 billion) last year, and targets average annual growth of 10 per cent.
