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RINK technology Laser-Leveling Systems by DAVE WESCOTT, CIT, CPE 38 / JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2015 RINKMAGAZINE.COM W hen it comes to considering the laser- leveling system for your ice resurfacer, listen to the rink operators that have it. We've been hearing it's a no-brainer. For those of you that are not familiar, the laser-leveling systems for ice resurfacers consist of a sending unit mounted on the wall or glass and a receiving unit on the ice resurfacer mounted to the conditioner. The hand-crank blade adjuster is removed and an electric motor is installed in its place. When the ice is thick, the conditioner rises and the blade tips down, cutting more. When the ice is thin, the conditioner lowers and the blade stays level, cutting less. This maintains a very consistent sheet of ice. The system does not eliminate the need for edging the ice. It does, however, help with inconsistent water usage by the operators. There is a box on the dash with an electronic readout of the blade position, and operators can make adjustments from there. The box can be locked out once the depth is set to prevent operators from constantly changing the desired depth. The only time spent adjusting the unit is following a blade change. After a blade change, it takes a few minutes to go out and reset the proper depth setting for the new blade. My personal experience with the laser- leveling system was my two seasons spent with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. We used the full system for everything except games. Because of the sightline problem we had to remove the unit from the glass during games. During the games we used the computer boxes to control the blade depths manually. This was actually a great feature as we knew each machine was moving the blade exactly the same amount. This made it very easy to cut the same amount of ice with each machine during the games. After the games, we just hung the sending unit back on the glass and were back to automatic mode. The unit has an automatic leveling switch in it to make sure it's level every time, which made it very easy. For those of you who are convinced the unit will break down, the conversion back to the hand crank is a five-minute process. Fortunately, I did not experience this during my time with the units. Kevin Ackley, Senior Director at Goggin Ice Center at Miami University (Ohio), told me that he has noticed the amount of hours paid to operators for dedicated ice maintenance has dropped by at least eight hours a week. That will surely help with the payback of this system. Director of Building Operations Jon Elliott is happy with the function of the laser system. "We have consistent level ice on both ice sheets," says Elliott. "The system works great." Each summer during our hockey camps, we would have to dedicate a day to rebuild the ice halfway through the camps. This summer was the first time we did not have to do that. Of course, we had to learn the system, but it is not complicated. And with lots of different operators, it had to work well. Now that we are comfortable with the system, we can envision even more functions with it in the future, like individual operator login to track each operator and their resurfacings. The really disappointing part of this discussion is the rinks that really need the laser-leveling system on their ice resurfacers cannot get past the cost of the system. The value goes beyond the money saved by having proper ice depth and reduced labor maintaining the ice. The customer satisfaction of having a level ice sheet, being able to see the hockey markings and logos in the ice and having the ice set up faster is invaluable. J Laser-Leveling Systems for Ice Resurfacers: Will it be a normal part of the machine? NOW THAT WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE SYSTEM, WE CAN ENVISION EVEN MORE FUNCTIONS WITH IT IN THE FUTURE, LIKE INDIVIDUAL OPERATOR LOGIN TO TRACKING EACH OPERATOR AND THEIR RESURFACINGS. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STAR