Air Cargo Screening
Because the principal issue addressed automated plastic wrap station before At present, one of the pilot priorities
by the pilot is the feasibility of cargo they are discharged from the system. is to demonstrate that the integrity
screening without significant adverse The system includes two EDS and loads on skids, whether or not they
impact on air cargo operations, the five ETDs, two of those being used for are considered built-up, can be
choice of screening modalities for the the oversized loads that are moved by maintained through the screening
pilot remained notional, with EDS and forklift directly to the oversize process, using multiple digital images
ETD systems selected for the purpose. screening area. and total weight as quality assurance
As currently configured, the pilot requires tools. For break-bulk cargo, however,
Concept of Operations three or four individuals to oversee reassembly on skids may not be
Cargo arrives by truck at one of 15 operations and handle the loads. At peak necessary. Instead an automated
bays.
1
Forklifts move the cargo into the operation, as many as eight screeners may system could direct break-bulk items
facility, where it is accepted and bar be required to staff the system, although directly to load areas for specific
coded by Swissport employees. the variations in cargo flow would indicate flights, much in the same way that
Commodity, number of items, weight, that far fewer screeners will be required checked baggage is directed to flights
and dimension data from the air bill are most of the time. in terminal bag rooms.
entered into the United computer.
Although most cargo arrives on ~4’ x 4’
skids, about half of that is designated as
built up, meaning that the integrity of
the configuration must be maintained
when it is placed in the cargo hold. (A
higher rate is charged for built-up
shipments, including a charge for the
skid on which it is placed.)
With the exception of oversized
shipments, all cargo (both exempt and
non-exempt) is placed by forklift on the
pilot system input queuing conveyor at
one of four load positions. In all, the
input conveyor can accommodate up to
12 loads. At the terminus of the input
conveyor, a Mettler/Toledo subsystem
(Figure 3) weighs and dimensions each
load,
2
a digital image is acquired from
four directions, and the bar code is read.
Based on the data associated with the
bar code, the load is then directed to
either the normal or high priority queue.
From either queue, loads are then
directed to one of the two current
screening modalities (EDS or ETD)
based on its commodity designation, or,
if exempt from screening, sent to the
output side of the system. Loads to be
screened are directed to stations (Figure
4) where they are raised and rotated for
unloading. Individual boxes are loaded
onto the EDS infeed conveyor or onto
ETD examination tables using vacuum-
assist devices that permit the almost
effortless lifting and moving of boxes
weighing up to 125 lbs (see Figure 5).
Once scanned (and any alarms
resolved), boxes are reloaded onto skids
in reverse order (last-off – first-on),
using the digital images acquired at the
weight and dimension station as a
guide. Weight is used as a quality
assurance measure to ensure that all
items in the load have been reloaded.
Once reloaded, loads continue to an
Aviationsecurityinternational December 2007
www.asi-mag.com 13
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