Simlog’s Forklift Personal Simulator (Version 2) puts you at the controls of a typical sit-down, counterbalance factory forklift with rear-wheel steering (also called ” sit-down rider truck”, “lift truck”, and “fork truck”) suitable for OSHA Class 1, 4, and 5 operator training programs.
We also have a Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator so you can train people to operate both kinds of lift trucks with our help.
Scenarios are typical of transportation service centers, factories, warehouses, and distribution centers, with a wide variety of loads and storage arrangements, along with truck bays for loading and unloading and a flatbed truck outside.
Designed to provide even more flexibility when training operators with different levels of skill, Version 2 introduces new and modified Simulation Modules to encourage safer operation practices and maximize productivity. The new modules feature exercises for driving in reverse with tall loads, and five new “Loading Docks” modules to work with loads of different sizes in double rows, and stacked and unstacked, to maximize cube utilization.
You can use three displays in front to create a field of view of 180 degrees, along with a fourth display behind, to teach people to turn their heads when backing up.
And unique to Simlog, all you need is one off-the-shelf computer! You can either use your own PC or choose the convenience of our PC bundle with the Simlog software already installed, licensed, and ready to go in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Simlog’s Forklift simulation software is configurable, to reproduce the many different kinds of real forklifts. Three different power system options are available: Internal Combustion (gas-powered), and two versions of Electric. (Different simulator controls are required for each option, and the simulated forklift will also operate differently.) Use three or four levers, or even two joysticks, in addition to a steering wheel, transmission lever, and pedals.
For viewpoints from inside the cabin, the forklift mast and cabin frame can be displayed as either opaque (like a real forklift) or semi-transparent, to improve the visibility of the forks and the area in front of the forklift, including loads, racks, and obstacles. An "overhead map" presents the position of the forklift, the loads to be moved, and their target positions, to make it possible to plan the work to be done. You can even change the point of view during the simulation using buttons on the simulator controls, keyboard keys, or the PC's mouse.
Key "Performance Indicators" measure how quickly and how carefully the simulated work is performed. With more than 64 Performance Indicators in all, feedback is diagnostic, instead of just a consolidated pass/fail score. They include execution time, average and maximum driving speeds (forwards and backward), measurements about how precisely loads are picked up and put down (errors in orientation, centering, etc.), and counting many kinds of collisions (forks, loads, shelves, etc.).
A variety of incorrect operating conditions will trigger "Procedure Errors", such as driving "out of bounds". Finally, conditions related to safety receive special attention: a forklift overturn condition, or a load falling from a pallet or a shelf, will trigger "Fatal Errors" and the simulation immediately stops.
Simulation results are automatically saved, along with the occurrence of any "Procedure Error" or "Fatal Error", so trainees can progress at their own pace without trainer supervision. To simplify the record keeping, Simlog offers a database product called Simulation Manager, and the same database can be used with all of our Personal Simulators.
Real affordability, that’s how Simlog sets the standard in cost-effective simulation. The fact is, training with our Personal Simulator is a fraction of the cost of training with a real forklift, especially considering that even small accidents due to operator inexperience can mean thousands of dollars in replacement parts and downtime. And the purchase of the simulation software license is a one-time fee, to keep the total cost of ownership as low as possible, with no restrictions on the number of people that you can train.
The software license, a one-time fee, will pay for itself when you train just a handful of new operators. How? Consider the rising costs of putting a real forklift to work with a qualified instructor, the damage and downtime that inexperience can cause, and finally the risk of possible injury. That’s why it just makes sense to prepare new operators with Simlog help.
Simlog's new Operator Chair with industrial controls offers a superior simulation experience to train forklift operators thanks to an authentic operator seat with consoles for the left and right hands, and an adjustable steering column. All are mounted on an industrial platform with casters, for easy portability.
Since typical forklifts are equipped with three or four levers, you will need to use three or four USB-ready Forklift Levers. The fourth lever controls the separation of the forks so if you use three levers instead of four, the simulation software will change the separation of the forks for you. The levers are mounted on the right console, using a special bracket, The left console includes a USB-ready F/N/R Transmission Control Lever. There are also two toggle switches to change the point of view, one in each console. The industrial steering wheel is mounted on a column that telescopes and easily pivots to numerous angles. The Operator Chair also includes three industrial pedals.
If you already have a Simlog Operator Chair that you are using with some other Personal Simulator, then you may be able to re-configure that Operator Chair by purchasing additional elements.
There are four commonly used arrangements, one with a single display in front, one with a first display in front and a second display in back (to teach people to turn their heads to look behind when backing up), one with three displays in front arranged side-by-side in portrait mode and one with three displays in front and a fourth display in back.
Vibration increases the realism of our Personal Simulators by adding physical (tactile) feedback to the audio and visual, making the experience more “immersive” at little additional cost, especially when compared to a motion platform.
The vibration that you feel is generated from the simulation software’s audio system as things happen. Engine idling, collisions with obstacles, digging virtual terrain, etc. can all be seen, heard and experienced! Adding vibration improves the realism of the simulation and makes the simulator-based training more compelling, encouraging trainees to be more serious and learn more carefully.
For our Operator Chairs, Simlog offers a vibration system that includes the “ButtKicker Simulation Kit” plus special mounting for the operator seat. The “ButtKicker” is a low-frequency sound transducer equipped with its own amplifier and “volume” controller to change the “force” of the vibration created by the simulation software sounds.
If you are a Simlog customer, then you may be able to re-use the simulator controls that you already have, and just purchase the new Forklift simulation software license.
Simlog’s Replica Controls for the Forklift Personal Simulator feature industrial strength components suitable for both table-top mounting and Simlog’s Operator Chair. If you are a Simlog customer, you may be able to re-use the Replica Controls that you already have.
Since typical forklifts are equipped with three or four levers, you will need to use three or four USB-ready Forklift Levers. (The fourth lever controls the separation of the forks so if you use three levers instead of four, the simulation software will change the separation of the forks for you.) Simlog’s table-top mounting brackets will bring the joysticks down from table-top height to the sides of an ordinary chair, to better mimic the positioning of real controls in the cabin of real heavy equipment.
To complete the Replica Controls, add the Logitech “G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel” consisting of a steering wheel and a three-pedal unit, and the “G920 Driving Force Shifter,” a gear shifter that can also be used with many other Personal Simulators. In most countries, the G920 is for sale in retail stores that sell computers or video games, but it may also be purchased from Logitech’s online store. Logitech’s previous version, the “G27 Racing Wheel” can still be used.
There are four commonly used arrangements, one with a single display in front, one with a first display in front and a second display in back (to teach people to turn their heads to look behind when backing up), one with three displays in front arranged side-by-side in portrait mode and one with three displays in front and a fourth display in back.
For all setups, Simlog’s Custom Travel Case makes transportation easy.
Simlog’s Forklift simulation software, can be used with USB-ready PC Controls consisting of off-the-shelf PC input devices. Compared to Replica Controls, PC Controls are inexpensive and available all around the world.
PC Controls begin with PC joysticks, Logitech’s “Extreme 3D Pro”. Logitech’s previous version, the “Attack 3” can still be used. (The same PC joysticks may also be used with many other Personal Simulators.)
Since typical forklifts are equipped with three or four levers, you will need to use three or four PC joysticks. (The fourth lever controls the separation of the forks so if you use three joysticks instead of four, the simulation software will change the separation of the forks for you.) Since each forklift lever moves just forward and backward, you will need to move each PC joystick just forward and backward, and the simulation software will ignore any left/right sideways movements.
To complete the PC Controls, add the Logitech “G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel” consisting of a steering wheel and a three-pedal unit, and the “G920 Driving Force Shifter,” a gear shifter that can also be used with many other Personal Simulators. Logitech’s previous version, the “G27 Racing Wheel” can still be used.
Practically, stand-up reach lift trucks and sit-down counterbalance lift trucks are often found together, the first working indoors in racking systems that tall and narrow, while the second works indoors and sometimes outdoors to load and unload trucks.
For that reason, some Simlog customers will want to create a multi-purpose simulation station to combine Reach Lift Truck and (sit-down counterbalance) Forklift Personal Simulators, for training people to operate both kinds of lift trucks.
This means using the same PC, the same displays (Reach Lift Truck needs just three, so one less than Forklift), the same speakers, and the same Simulation Manager.
After that, if you have Replica Controls, you will need a special tabletop mounting bracket to re-position the steering wheel and add a steering wheel knob to be able to turn the steering wheel with just the left hand, along with a Replica Control Joystick (we offer different models for horizontal or vertical positioning) and its tabletop mounting bracket for the right hand, and work standing up.
