LineScale 3i: Increase Rope Safety with Precision
In the world of technical rescue, rope access, and rigging, accurate data and informed training are critical to safe operations. That’s why CMC is offering the LineScale 3i, a cutting-edge load cell designed to revolutionize how professionals monitor and measure forces in rope systems.
Built for Demanding Environments
The LineScale 3i is machined from a solid block of aviation grade aluminum with a Minimum Breaking Strength (MBS) of 90 kN and a Working Load Limit (WLL) of 30 kN. It has an improved Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP68, making it water resistant and dust proof, and it is certified to CE PPE-R/11.114 V3:2021 and UIAA 130 V1:2021, meaning it is robust enough for the most critical operations, from drop testing to integration into live rescue and work applications.
Smart, Fast, and Fully Equipped
The LineScale 3i is set apart by its blend of intelligence and speed. With a high speed scan rate of 1,280 samples per second, the LineScale 3i captures even the most dynamic events with pinpoint accuracy. Its massive onboard storage logs up to 50 hours of data and stores over 230 million data points; ideal for post-operation analysis and training. Bluetooth Connectivity monitors and records data remotely using the free companion app that’s loaded with features like adjustable peak alarms and live data monitoring; making it easier to assess system performance in real time. A clear digital display shows loads in kgf, lbf, or kN, and a simple button array provides easily adjustable settings, allowing custom settings and readings for immediate feedback in the field or lab.
The LineScale 3i isn’t just powerful, it’s practical. It comes with a padded case, screen protectors, and USB connectors, ensuring it’s ready to deploy wherever your mission takes you. With 20+ hours of Bluetooth operation and 50+ hours in power-save mode, it’s built to last through extended operations. Its large master-point style attachment eyes with smooth, round edges allow for any number of rigging applications, without having to worry about cross loading or damaging soft gear. Its durable screen and solid construction ensure it can stand up to years of abuse.
Use Case 1: Rope Rescue
A rescue team is executing a complex rope rescue operation involving tensioned highlines, where a rescuer will need to be reeved from midspan to an injured person below. Once the rescuer and the subject are moving horizontally, the team knows they will need to maintain clearance from several obstacles, and to do so, they will need to tension their highlines significantly. The team installs the LineScale 3i behind their tensioning devices to monitor for excessive forces, and any changes in total load from dynamic movements as they traverse the rescue package.
The LineScale 3i excels in this application. The solid single piece construction does not introduce a potential point of failure in the rigging, and the large attachment points accommodate all the rigging needed to build such a system. The mobile app allows for a peak force alarm to be set prior to what the team determined was the maximum force for their determined safety factor, and the high sample rate, and adjustable settings on the app and device, allows for monitoring in both current and highest forces seen.
Use Case 2: Rope Access
While installing an ornate facade panel on a high-rise building, a rope access team is given a set of engineered plans for the panel. Although some of the weights are specified, additional components and rigging are omitted. While the weight could be estimated, the exact numbers are unknown. A simple rigging system is set up to lift the panel with the LineScale 3i to know the exact weights.
With this information, the team can now compare their measured values to the building anchors with stamped working load limits. Then, to ensure that the weight of the panel, combined with the additional forces presented by the hauling system, stays within the anchorages working load limits, the team installs the LineScale 3i at the anchorage collection point to monitor the force applied.
Use Case 3: Instruction
When teaching a low angle rope rescue class, the instructor is attempting to help the students visualize forces in the system. This is especially challenging in a low angle system where multiple rescuers are involved and much of the force is transferred through their feet into the ground, with only a portion being seen by the rope system. Additionally, the forces differ significantly between lowering and raising operations.
To enhance understanding, the instructor can integrate the LineScale 3i into the system, either at the litter bridle or behind the progress capture or descent control devices. This setup allows students to observe real-time force data during operations and review peak loads afterward, providing a tangible and educational look into system dynamics
The Ultimate Teaching Tool
Whether you’re a rescue technician, rope access professional, or instructor, the LineScale 3i is more than a measurement device, it’s a teaching tool and safety enhancer. By providing real-time feedback and detailed post-event data, it helps teams refine techniques, validate system performance, and make informed decisions.
