The INTERALPIN trade fair provides the Italian-Austrian rope manufacturer TEUFELBERGER-REDAELLI with a stage for numerous innovations. The focus is on the Solitec® XD rope, optimized for urban cable cars. The product has already been sold five times and is in operation at two installations.

It will now be presented to the general public at the fair in Innsbruck. As a further development of the proven Solitec technology, the Solitec® XD sets new standards in passenger transport.

Quiet and comfortable ride

Thanks to its noise and vibrationreduced properties, the Solitec® XD rope provides an exceptionally smooth and comfortable transport experience. The optimized rope construction with specially shaped profile spacers that fill the gaps between the strands results in a nearly round surface.

This leads to positive effects, such as high running smoothness and low noise during operation. With an extended lifespan based on the latest rope technology, the Solitec® XD meets the demands of urban operations with many operating hours and high system availability.

The rope is used both as a traction rope for single-rope circulating cable cars and as a haul rope for multi-rope circulating cable cars and funiculars. The rope covers all types of cable cars – from the classic urban systems to cable cars to tourist destinations and rail-bound variants. The benefits are numerous.

Noise minimized

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a noise level of no more than 53 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night in road traffic. The Solitec® XD emits a maximum of 42 to 49 decibels during normal operation, depending on the tower position and system.

Measurements taken in February 2025 at a cable car in Trentino, Italy, showed that the rope consistently falls below WHO recommendations.

Vibrations kept low

The Solitec® XD runs not only very quietly but also very smoothly: the rope offers the lowest possible vibration development caused by the strands. Compared to standard round-strand ropes, the vibration amplitude is reduced by 40 to 60 percent.

Durability for 24/7 operation

The Solitec® XD also excels in terms of durability, with significantly fewer wire breaks compared to standard round-strand ropes, according to the lay-down criteria as per EN 12927. The results obtained in the qualification phase of 2023/2024 showed a 30 percent reduction in wire breaks compared to standard round-strand ropes while maintaining the same number of bending cycles.

Therefore, the use of Solitec® XD is particularly beneficial for demanding usage with high daily operating hours, as is typical for urban cable cars. A replacement investment will only be necessary at a later time.

Alliance for monitoring and defect detection

In addition to Solitec® XD, the rope experts will present their alliance with AI professionals from Raidyn and MRT experts from AMC Instruments at INTERALPIN. Raidyn is the software partner for visual rope detection using artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and AI training. The software detects rope length, waviness, diameter, wire breaks, and corrosion.

AMC Instruments, on the other hand, provides the carrier medium for researching the internal structure of the rope. Together, the companies are working on digital tools for rope inspection, specifically a real-time all-in-one monitoring system with images and videos for ropes from TEUFELBERGER-REDAELLI.

The “Alliance for Intelligent Rope Monitoring (AIM)“ tool combines AI with magneto-inductive rope testing (also known as Magnet Rope Testing, MRT) and geometric rope measurement (also called Geometric Laser Detector, GLD). The goal is to monitor high-performance ropes efficiently and continuously.

The innovative collaboration within the expert alliance offers entirely new possibilities for camerabased, visual condition monitoring of the rope in real time. Using complex AI models, it detects anomalies in the rope early. The user-friendly interface ensures that all data is quickly and clearly accessible anytime and anywhere.

This allows responsible parties to act quickly when discrepancies in rope length or diameter occur or when wire breaks, corrosion, or damage are detected.  This increases system availability, reduces downtime, and enables proactive and efficient maintenance for operators.

Full-service approach

Solitec® XD and the monitoring tool are both part of TEUFELBERGER-REDAELLI‘s full-service approach. The manufacturer supports the rope throughout its entire lifecycle – under the motto “We care for your installation.“

The company is ready for the urban market and can also meet future requirements, as the modernized plant in Trieste is now equipped for ropes up to 70 millimeters in diameter and up to 140 tons in weight.