Sunkid, a leading provider of attractions for the whole family, has supplied the world’s first concave loading conveyor belt for a major project in the United Arab Emirates.
The Ain Dubai, the newly crowned tallest and largest observation wheel in the world, is now standing and operating in Dubai. Guests enter cabins via a unique “moving carpet” loading conveyor belt and access gates conceived and delivered by Sunkid.
Record breaker
Ain Dubai (previously known as the Dubai Eye) provides views of notable landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa at heights of 250 metres. Sunkid’s conveyor belt forms part of the loading process for the record-breaking wheel, which rises well above its rival in Las Vegas (High Roller, 168 metres), as well as the Singapore Flyer (165 metres), and London Eye (135 metres).
Dubai’s latest attraction is circled by 48 luxurious passenger cabins which can carry approximately 1,750 guests simultaneously. As Ain Dubai never stops turning, the loading conveyor belt ensures the difference in speed between the gondolas and the static platform is optimally compensated to provide the required safety and maximise operational capacity.
Sunkid’s conveyor belt allows the wheel to move 30% faster, increasing its hourly capacity by the same percentage whilst providing an important evacuation route component in case of an emergency.
Ain Dubai has been worked on for a considerable period of time, with construction commencing in 2015, since involving companies from over ten countries around the world. An enormous project, more than 2,000 hours went into planning and project management alongside development and production for Sunkid’s moving carpet conveyor belt.
Moving around obstacles
Whilst the initial complete assembly for acceptance by TÜV Süd could be done in Sunkid’s assembly hall in Austria, the final assembly in Dubai needed to be done at night, avoiding the most extreme temperatures.
Working during the summer of last year, the assembly team managed to work around obstacles including highs of 35°C, high humidity and confined spaces. The further issue of COVID-19 created wider project delays, however, the facility’s access gate and conveyor belt were officially accepted this summer. Ain Dubai officially opened on 21 October 2021.
Sunkid delivered the project whilst meeting specific requirements such as a special U-shape (concave) of the “rolling platform”, a slip-proof design of link chain for silent, safe operation and a cleaning function to comply with the local climate situation, coping with Dubai’s heat, dust, wind and sea conditions.
Other features include chain tensioning for the elimination of vibrations and independent control of the loading conveyor belt, communicating with the control of the observation wheel and access gates.
Sunkid plans to discuss the moving carpet conveyor belt found at Ain Dubai during the IAAPA Expo later this month in Orlando, where a Q&A session with the project manager will be held at booth #3056.
Earlier this year Sunkid developed and produced a bespoke Moving Carpet boat conveyor belt for the summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
