Strongarm Designs Develops Ergonomic Interface Solution for Xtreme Coil Drilling

Drilling contractor Xtreme Coil, developer of the proprietary Coil Over Top Drive® (COTD™) drilling rig, faced a number of interface challenges for operators of their equipment. Line of sight was a major consideration, as operators needed to have clear visibility of the work area while maintaining instant access to their interface displays. Traditional, hard-fixed displays were awkward and impeded the operator’s view of the outside surroundings. Xtreme Coil sought a solution that would allow the operators to adjust their displays to the proper position, and to be able to do so easily and quickly. Strongarm Designs, an industrial leader in developing and manufacturing operator interface solutions, was consulted to solve these interface challenges.

Strongarm’s Mini-Station, featuring the industry standard Vertica adjustable pendant arm, was perfectly suited to address the requirements of Xtreme Coil. The ceiling-mounted adjustable arms allow the operator to position the display exactly where needed, and can even be adjusted vertically to suit the operator’s personal preference. The Mini-Station is perfectly counterbalanced, allowing for quick and effortless repositioning.

Gary Werner, Project Engineer with Xtreme Coil Drilling, said “We required a robust overhead mounting system, complete with display, that provided adequate adjustment flexibility for operator use and servicing control panels locations. We needed to allow the operators to move their monitors in order to improve visibility, unlike our preexisting monitor equipment that was fixed-mounted. We investigated competing operator interface system vendors, but Strongarm was the only one willing to address our requirements by directly involving their design team personnel to meet our specific requirements and delivery schedule”.

The Mini-Station solved Xtreme Coil’s ergonomic interface challenges by providing an easily adjustable display mounting. Additionally, Strongarm’s ability to rapidly customize these systems, as they do with each and every system they manufacturer, meant that they could address all of Xtreme Coil’s interface needs. These included fully integrated keyboard trays, easily accessible keyboard and mouse ports, KVM extenders for remote PC locations, and customized mountings to facilitate easy installation into the operator cabins on drilling rigs.

About Xtreme Coil Drilling Corp.
Xtreme Coil is a drilling contractor that designs, builds and operates its proprietary Coil Over Top Drive® (COTD™) drilling rigs which employ new patented and patent-related coil designs and technologies. Xtreme Coil has designed, with customer input, six different models of COTD drilling rigs to reach deeper crude oil and natural gas horizons. Six designs (16 rigs) are completed and five are deployed to field operations. The newest design, the XTC 200DTRPLUS, was developed for the re-entry drilling projects that typically occur in the Middle East. Xtreme Coil has more than 60 further patent-related applications pending in the United States, Canada and other jurisdictions.

About STRONGARM Designs, Inc.
STRONGARM Designs (Horsham, PA) is the leading manufacturer of operator interface mountings and systems. STRONGARM has developed interface solutions for a variety of industrial applications including pharmaceutical, food, transportation, and general manufacturing. The company’s precision-designed products range from articulating arms and terminal enclosures to complete operator interface systems featuring integrated displays, keyboards, pointers, and PCs.