Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2017)12Model change of the "NICHIYU PLATTER"
Electric Forklift Stand-on Reach Truck

M i ts u b i s h i N i c h i y u F o r k l i ft C o . , L td .

The Nichiyu-branded reach forklift truck, the Platter (load capacity of 0.9 to 4.0 tons),
underwent a complete model change for the first time in 12 years, and sales of the new model
commenced in January 2015. The new Platter was developed based on the main concept of "aproduct excellent in terms of ecology and economy," and its energy saving performance, safety
performance, and basic performance of moving, turning, braking, and lifting were reviewed.
Furthermore, a function to establish the operating feel that the operator desires has been added in
response to the growing diversity of operators. The development was conducted targeting a productthat all users – from beginners to experts – can use comfortably for many years. This paper presents
the features of the new Platter FBR-80.

|1. Introduction
The electric reach forklift truck was a cargo handling vehicle that was developedcollaboratively by Nippon Yusoki Co., Ltd.(note) and Nippon Express Co., Ltd. in 1958 for the firsttime in Japan for the purpose of handling cargo on the platforms of railway stations and in freighttrain cars (Figure 1).
(note) Nippon Yusoki Co., Ltd. and the forklift
truck section of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd. have merged to establish Mitsubishi
Nichiyu Forklift Co., Ltd. on April 1, 2013.

Figure 1 The first electric reach forklift truck

The cargo handling vehicle was named Platter referring to the word "platform."
An electric reach forklift truck is equipped with a reach mechanism where the entire mastthat raises and lowers the cargo can be slid back and forth. Due to the biggest benefit, its small
turning circle, electric reach forklift trucks are actively used in warehouses with narrow aisles invarious fields ranging from food to heavy industry. The standing riding-type operating posture,
which allows the operator to get on and off easily, is suitable for work that requires the operator toperform other tasks in addition to the operation of the forklift truck, such as picking work in awarehouse.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2017)13|2. Enhancement of energy saving performance
Using the newly provided Eco-mode, which suppresses the maximum performance of themoving speed and the lifting speed, the electric power consumption can be reduced. In addition, byreviewing higher piping resistance components including the replacement of elbow hydraulicfittings with bend fittings, the energy loss of the hydraulic system, for which the electric power
consumption was particularly large, was reduced. The new model reduces electric power
consumption by 15% (obtained by in-house measurement) in comparison with the old model.

|3. Enhancement of safety performance(1) In addition to the moving and cargo-handling interlocking system that has been equipped on
existing models in order to disable moving and cargo-handling operation according to the ISO
3691 safety standard when the operator is not riding the forklift truck properly or is absent
from the cockpit, a pedal-type presence switch that is located so as to prevent the forklift truck
from moving when the operator's right foot is outside of the cockpit was newly provided. This
results in safer posture of the operator while moving (Figure 2).
ISO 3691 describes that a forklift truck with a step higher than 300 mm needs to be equippedwith a handle. The new 2-ton load capacity class forklift truck model has such a step, andtherefore a handle for getting on and off was installed. The handle was also installed on thenew 1-ton load capacity class forklift truck model with a 265-mm-high step, which contributes
to safety and the reduction of fatigue when getting on and off (Figure 3).

Figure 2

Pedal-type presence switch

Figure 3

Handle for getting on and off(2) The operation levers were moved toward the center of the forklift truck by approximately 30
mm in comparison with the old model. This layout allows the operator to stand facing
obliquely leftward as the basic posture, which rarely leads to an accident caused by theoperator putting out his or her right elbow during operation (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Operation lever layout that rarely leads to an accident(3) The charging plug was provided with a handle. This allows easy plugging in and removing theplug, and rarely results in improper plugging or plug breakage.
(4) An optional charging monitoring system that monitors any abnormalities while charging andissues a warning in the case of the risk of a fire is available. This system stops charging
operation and sounds a horn to inform people in the surroundings if an abnormal electric
current in the transformer or an abnormal temperature at the vehicle-side charging plug isdetected.
(5) Anti-slip control was provided as standard and attained more stable operation on slippery
floors. Attitude change while plugging (moving forward and backward by operating theMitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2017)14accelerator) and braking was minimized and the breaking distance was shortened. By
detecting the rotation speeds of the right front wheel and the driving wheel as well as thesteering angle, slippage of the driving wheel is calculated and the power output of the driving
wheel is controlled appropriately to suppress slippage.
(6) According to the electricity-related requirements of ISO 20898, the plugs were color coded in
red for 24 V and blue for 48 V in order to prevent misconnection between different voltages ofbatteries. In addition, the plugs were replaced with those for which misconnection is
physically impossible.
In addition, the old model has an emergency stop switch that mechanically disconnects thebattery plug when activated. However, the new model adopts a breaker-type emergency
switch that electrically shuts off the power when activated.

|4. Improvement of basic performance(1) The control linkage was improved in order to enhance the moving stability (Figure 5).
It is characteristically difficult for this vehicle to attain a well-balanced moving attitude
because driving, braking, and steering of the vehicle rely on the single drive wheel positioned
at the left rear of the vehicle. The driving wheel and the caster wheel are linked by the control
linkage through a spring and these components constitute the rear axle. This structure allows
the wheel pressure of the driving wheel to be kept constant regardless of the roughness of thefloor, or increase and decrease the rear wheel axle load during reach operation. This makes it
possible to generate stable driving force even when the vehicle is loaded with cargo andstabilizes the attitude of the vehicle. On the other hand, if the vehicle is turned suddenly(toward the left in particular) under an unloaded condition, the center of gravity moves toward
the caster wheel side and the left front wheel located on the opposite corner lifts easily. To
prevent this, the vehicle is equipped with a locking cylinder in order to restrict the operation of
the control linkage when the vehicle is turning. In the case of the old model, lowering of thebody toward the caster side occurred as an effect of the caster side spring because the locking
cylinder was installed on the driving side, and this was an issue that needed to be solved.

Figure 5Control linkage

Figure 6 Locking cylinder that
restricts linking action ofcaster wheel (Circled in red)

For the new model, the structure was changed so as to apply locking to the caster wheel side
linkage, which was conventionally difficult because of insufficient installation space, etc., andthe sinking of the caster wheel was reduced. (Figure 6)
In addition, by finely controlling the locking cylinder activation timing in response to theconditions of the moving speed and the turning angle, the turning stability was significantlyenhanced. By activating the lock, the stability was enhanced not only in terms of turning, butalso in terms of cargo handling. The swinging amount was increased in order to enhance themoving performance against the roughness of the floor.
While the cockpit floor height was lowered by 50 mm in comparison with the old model foreasier getting on and off and for the reduction of the fatigue of the operator, the swinging
amount of the control linkage was increased as described above. This lowered floor wasattained using an under-floor caster wheel of the same outer diameter as that of the old modelMitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2017)15

without reducing the wheel diameter, and therefore the wheel wear life is not shortened andthe riding comfort is not degraded.
(2) A custom feeling system that can realize an operating feel according to the tastes of various
operators was provided as standard. (Figure 7)
This system allows the characteristics of the acceleration, response, and lever operation to beadjusted according to the taste of the operator.
In distribution warehouses where the cargo varies from hour to hour, there are various
operation patterns such as those focusing on speed and the others requiring careful cargohandling.
The custom feeling system is intended to meet not only the taste of the operator, but also thesafety management policy of each distribution site in order to support safer and more securecargo handling. Three custom feeling settings can be set for each aspect.
This is the first time that a function such as this has been provided for a forklift truck.

Figure 7

Custom feeling|5. Design(1) The new Platter was finished by pursuing excellent operability that can satisfy expert
operators through visits to the actual work sites of customers, as well as by repeated researchof use conditions. To attain this, the following were intensively examined.
- The properties of the handle: height, longitudinal position, and angle of rotating shaft- The layout of the accelerator lever and the cargo handling levers, and the stroke of theaccelerator lever- The layout of the underfoot safety interlock (presence pedal)- The body supporting function (the height of the arm pad, the shape of the waist pad, theshape of the new grip)- The layout of the display, the angle of the screen, and the screen display viewing angle- Sufficient area of the document table- The new small storage container
After the dimensions and direction related to these design examinations were determined, thenew Platter was designed by pursuing the establishment of a simple design with nodiscontinuity without increasing the shape lines unnecessarily and complicating the faceconstitution, targeting a design that facilitates lengthy use.
(2) The new Platter was highly evaluated also in terms of design, and received a "100 Best Good
Design Award 2014" from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP) and a "46thMachine Industry Design Award 2016, Japanese Brand Prize" held by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.
(Figure 8)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2017)16

Figure 8

Highly-evaluated design|6. Specifications
Table 1Classification

Type

Item

Remark

48V vehicle

48V vehicle

48V vehicle

48V vehicle

Vehicle type

FBR(M)10N

FBR(M)10FBR(M)15

FBR(M)20

FBR(M)30kg

10001000

1500

2000

3000mm500

500

500500500AC

AC

AC

AC

ACmm

3000

3000

3000

3000

3000

mm

105

105

105

120

125

deg

3/5

3/5

3/5

3/5

3/5

mm

850/100/35

850/100/35

850/100/35

920/122/40

920/122/44
2310

Rated load
Load center
distance
Electric motor type

Tilt of fork
Fork shape
Overall length

WeightDC/AC, Open/Sealed

Forward/Backward
Length/Width/
Thickness
To tip of forks

mm

1885

1920

2010

2205

Reachmm

475

420

590

675

835

Overall widthmm

990

1090

1090

1190

1230

Frame width
Overhead guardheightFloor heightmm

990

1090

1090

1190

1190

mm

2220

2220

2220

2280

2280

mm

265

265

265

315

315

Turning radiusmm

1350

1340

1580

1785

2050

Travel speed

Laden/Unladen

km/h

9.5/10.5

10.5/10.5

9.5/10.5

10/11.5

9.0/11.0

Lift speed

Laden/Unladen
mm/sIncluding standard
kgbattery
Laden wheels/Driven
wheels/Free wheels
mm

265/450

340/540

310/540

290/490220/400

1780

1890

2100

2790

3210

2/1/2

2/1/2

2/1/2

2/1/2

2/1/2

1105

1085

1335

1515

1785

875

975

975

1075

1095

WeightNumber of wheels
Wheel baseDrivingcomponents

Standard type

24V vehicle

Free lift

Performance

Narrow type

VoltageStandard lift

Dimensions

Unit

Specifications

Track widthMain brake
Parking brake

Battery

Front

mm

Rear
Mechanical/Hydraulic/Electric/Air
Stepping/Manual/DeadmanVoltage/Nominal
capacity (5h)(min/max)
Weight (including case)(min/max)

mm

565

640

640

695

695

Mechanical

Mechanical

Mechanical

Mechanical

Mechanical

DeadmanDeadmanDeadmanDeadmanDeadman

V/Ah

24/39048/201

48/28048/32048/370kg

315 (300/450)

355 (340/450)

470 (450/750)

550 (525/900)

575 (560/900)

AC induction
motor

AC induction
motor

AC induction
motor

AC induction
motor

AC induction
motor

Motor type
Drive motor

Lift motor

Output (60 minrating)Battery charger

2.6

4.3

4.3

5.0

5.0

kW

AC induction
motor
6.0
DC magnet
motor

AC induction
motor
8.8
DC magnet
motor

AC induction
motor
8.8
DC magnet
motor

AC induction
motor
11.0
DC magnet
motor

AC induction
motor
11.0
DC magnet
motor

Motor typeOutput (5 min rating)Power steering
motor

kW

Motor typeOutput (60 minrating)Type(Built-in/Separate)

kW

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

Built-inBuilt-inBuilt-inBuilt-inSemi-constantSemi-constantSemi-constantSemi-constantSemi-constantvoltage avoltage
voltagevoltagevoltageutomatic charge automatic charge automatic charge automatic charge automatic charge

Charging type
Input (number ofphases/voltage)
Transformer capacity

0.15
Built-in/V

3/200

3/200

3/200

3/200

3/200

kVA

3.0

3.0

3.6

5.2

5.2