Spotlight: Products & Services

Sling ID System Eliminates Frustration

of Pulling Good Rigging Out of Service

S
ling users, responsible for perform- penses associated with repair or replacement becoming illegible due to conditions such as
ing inspections and making lifts safely, of the sling. surface abrasion and oil absorption. And, the
must have the ability to identify each The software-based system allows sling- window material is not weakened through at-
sling they pick up, inspect and place makers to efficiently display the required tachment by the sewing needle perforations,
into service. That’s why FIRST™ Sling Tech- information on their synthetic flat web and remaining stable and secure on the sling.”
nology has developed the Synthetic Sling round slings, but provides material that truly
Identification System, which provides sling- exceeds the performance of the synthetic sling What the future holds
makers with an identification tool designed to material itself including environmental, tem- Because the sling manufacturing industry
increase the useful life of a quality sling. perature, chemical and abrasive conditions. is a small, close-knit community, word has
Current inspection standards challenge to- With the Synthetic Sling Identification spread quickly since FIRST’s initial intro-
day’s sling manufacturers because the tag has System, the sling manufacturers use label duction of the system about a year ago, and
become an integral component of the response has been positive.
the sling. FIRST Sling, of Mustang, “We can hardly keep up with in-
Okla., developed the identification stallations,” says Summars. She’s
system to eliminate rejected and witnessed “the most impressive”
redundant identification process- test of the effectiveness of the sys-
es, and to secure the attachment tem in Colorado, where the tag-
process so that tags last the life of ging system went through nearly a
the sling. year of direct ultraviolet light and
“If end users can’t determine rainfall at high altitudes. “When
who made the sling, load ratings, the customer brought it to me, it
and sling material,” says Linda was still legible,” she says. “In the
Summars, founder of FIRST Sling, Slingmakers have faced headaches in designing effective tagging field is where the product makes
“then they really don’t have a sling methods because of the conditions that most slings are exposed to. it or doesn’t make it,” she says.
they can use, even if it meets every Material can be easily removed by hand, and end users are forced to The system is being integrated
other inspection condition. Simply reject rigging that passes all inspection criteria except identification. into a variety of industries where
put, the driving force behind the high-quality slings are required.
development of our product is safety.” templates linked to a protected database of Nuclear power plants, “very interested in
Current ASME B30.9 Sling Standards re- sling part numbers and rated capacities. The abiding by all standards,” are incredibly picky
quire the manufacturer to mark each sling manufacturer prints hundreds of tags within about the safety of the slings they use be-
with certain identification information. In re- minutes onto a vinyl material that has been cause of the sophisticated lifts in which they
cent years this initial responsibility has been varnished to accept a laser jet print job. Infor- are involved. Ironworkers, too, are trained
expanded, placing the responsibility of main- mation such as manufacturing date and se- on standards of rigging gear inspections,
taining a legible ID on the user. Furthermore, rial number and bar coding are automatically says Summars. “You can imagine how frus-
a sling must be removed from service if iden- printed. trating it is to a crane operator to find that
tification is missing or illegible. The adhesive vinyl is then simply peeled tagging is not there on the sling,” she says.
and positioned inside a heavy duty high per- The system is in place for synthetic
An effective system for makers formance plastic window, protecting the sling slings only at the moment. However, Sum-
and users identification from abrasion, cuts or tears and mars says FIRST has a wire rope sling tag
Slingmakers have been challenged to choose is even UV resistant. At this point the ID is in product development which will use the
effective tagging methods. “Given the condi- ready for attachment to the sling. same software system as the existing prod-
tions that most types of slings are exposed to, “No special equipment is necessary, mini- uct. Additionally, with the proliferation of
this has caused serious problems. You’d be mizing the slingmaker’s investment,” says RFID technology to the sling sector, RFID
surprised, too, at how much of this material Summars, adding that the ultimate benefit chips will slip securely behind the tag in-
can be easily removed by hand. End users and to the sling manufacturer is a satisfied cus- stead of having to be inserted into the sling.
customers find themselves pulling rigging off tomer. Not only is special information such as Most all sling tags look good on the shelf.
the job that passes all inspection criteria ex- crane numbers and company logos no longer Remaining legible and remaining attached in
cept identification.” In turn, she says, the sling difficult to see, but, she says, “this is the only the field is the goal achieved by FIRST Sling
manufacturer often receives a complaint and synthetic sling tag material available today Technology. z
the sling user suffers downtime and the ex- that completely protects ID information from www.firstsling.com

94 CRANE HOT LINE AUGUST 2007 • cranehotline.com