Omnitrack Ball Transfer Units for Efficient Stadium Construction

Omnitrack ball transfer units touch down in American Football Stadium construction! When a leading US construction contractor wanted to create a seamless soffit panel roof to go around the 3100ft (944.88m) perimeter of the new Dolphins’ stadium, they knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The suspended canopy was installed just over 180ft (54m) above ground. With 624,306ft2 (58,000m2 ) of surface, the vast canopy is topped by four spires, supporting 17,000 tons (15,422,141kg) of steel and cladding.

The Challenge

Manoeuvre into position the 180lbs (81.64kg) steel canopy panels along large rectangular steel tubes, 180ft up in the air, and connect them seamlessly together onto the core building structure. “We used Omnitrack ball transfer units (BTU’s) in several different custom trolley devices we had designed and fabricated to help us move and hoist the panels into position. Omnitrack BTU’s could handle the loads we were putting on them and still rolled very smoothly. One of the best things about Omnitrack was that they had very accurate 3D computer models of their parts available to download.  This made it very easy to incorporate them into computer models of the devices we were making.  We then CNC fabricated parts from the models with holes located to align with the attachment holes in the BTUs,” explained the lead US construction contractor.

The Result

“Without Omnitrack’s product and knowledge we would have struggled to find a solution. My engineering team said I needed a roller with over 1,000lbs (453.59kg) capacity and Omnitrack were the only manufacturer that came to mind.  We didn’t have any trouble with the BTU’s sticking or failing over the course of the project and despite exposure to normal construction site weather and dirt, they had no maintenance. The other great thing was how fast Omnitrack shipped the parts when we needed to make additional devices.  I hope I have an opportunity to use Omnitrack products again.” The stadium was completed in 9 month on time and ready for the start of the 2017 football season. 

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