Following on from a detailed evaluation of the market place, L3 Communications have selected the MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd ‘Baggage Orientation Device’ (BOD) for the new baggage handling system to be installed within the new Dublin Airport Passenger Terminal 2.

The BOD has been designed specifically to position baggage to meet with the width limitations of the downstream system and in this case the entrance to the L3 Examiner 3DX 6000 X-Ray.

Some 23 BODs have been installed into standard In-Gauge baggage systems with 1000mm wide conveyors where the baggage profile has been specified as 900 long x 450 high x 635 wide (mm).

The Dublin project has a unique requirement to handle baggage measuring 950 long x 450 high x 750  wide (mm) resulting in a diagonal measurement of 1211mm. The standard BOD, which caters for 1025mm has been redesigned to cater for a 1300mm turning dimension.

When the BOD determines that the baggage is too large for the downstream conditions it will automatically manipulate the baggage. When the BOD detection array is satisfied that the baggage is within the specified limits to meet the downstream conditions it will allow the bag to continue on its journey.

The BOD has the ability to interface to any Baggage Handling System equipment and provides diagnostic and status information to a remote SCADA system.

The selection of the MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd ‘BOD’ units follows on from the successful implementation of the BOD units at the following Airports:

• BAA’s Stansted Airport
• Manchester Airport Terminal 1,2 and 3
• Cyprus Airports (Larnaca & Pathos)
• Otopeni Airport Bucharest.