In record time: Sunkid implements vertical raft return conveyor for Aqualibi water park (Belgium)
“Unlimited thrills and chill-out time” for the whole family - this is how the Belgian water park AQUALIBI (Wavre, 25 kilometers south-east of Brussels) advertises its attractions. The biggest highlight is a slide tower with four unique and action-packed “water roller coasters”. In order to offer all guests an unforgettable and comfortable experience - without dragging the unwieldy slide rafts - a vertical raft return conveyor was retrofitted at the end of 2023. The park operator entrusted this project, with an implementation time of just over four months for planning, production and installation, to Austrian conveyor belt expert Sunkid.
“The challenge with projects like this is the integration into the existing structures,” says Sunkid Project Manager Peter Schiendorfer. “In other words, limited space and radii - both in the loading and unloading area and for upward transportation under the building roof. Thanks to the simple modular design of our system, which can easily be adapted to suit local conditions, we were able to quickly implement the right solution. With our system, we can also keep the structural preparations on the customer's side to a minimum. Here in Belgium, for example, in the form of four steel girders attached to the building wall as a support for our conveyor belt, which is around 20 meters long. These were manufactured according to our drawings and painted in the customer's desired color.”
To overcome the 17-metre height difference, the double sliding rafts are placed on a five-metre-long roller table by the passengers. When the traffic lights turn green, a park employee pushes them onto a lifting system with a conveyor, which finally sends every tube upwards.
The rafts are lined up at equal intervals and transported up an incline of 75 degrees. Non-slip contact points minimize the risk of wear and tear and guide elements on all sides the rafts from wedging or falling out. An additional tarpaulin catches the dripping water and gives the entire system the look the customer wants.
Once at the top, the tubes slide onto another roller table, at the end of which they can be picked up by water park visitors. At every point where operators or guests (could) come into direct contact with the Sunkid system, emergency stop switches / cables, warning lights etc. were installed. After TÜV Nord accompanied the entire project from the beginning, all safety equipment was installed in close coordination with them and the entire system was successfully approved. An integrated ladder including a guide rail for the necessary safety rope simplifies cleaning and maintenance work. Basic operation is carried out using the intelligent i-CONTROL control system via an HMI touch display. This provides the customer with relevant information on operation, maintenance and troubleshooting - including maintenance schedules, alarm lists, automatic reports, operating instructions and remote maintenance options.
Sunkid CEO Emanuel Wohlfarter sums up with satisfaction: “Thanks to the partial automation with the help of our vertical conveyor, the customer achieves a much higher transport capacity and utilization of his attractions - with increased comfort and more sliding fun for his visitors at the same time.
Our overall package, which goes beyond the usual planning, production and assembly expertise, was a convincing factor. At Sunkid, for example, we keep the complete electrotechnical development and the associated component construction “in-house”. Customers therefore receive “everything from a single source” at Sunkid!
RAFT RETURN CONVEYOR AQUALIBI
| Application | Cleated Raft Return Conveyor |
| Length | 20 m |
| Drive | 3 kW |
| max. Speed | 0,4 m/s |
| max. Incline | 75° |
| Raft width | 2000 mm |
