General Rules for Suspension

• Consult a professional mechanical or structural engineer, licensed in the jurisdiction of the sound system installation, to review, verify, and approve all attachments to the building or structure.
• Employ the services of a certified, professional rigger for hoisting, positioning, and attaching the equipment to the supporting structure.
• Correct use of all suspension hardware and components is imperative in sound system suspension and deployment.
• Always calculate suspended loads before lifting to ensure suspension components and hardware are used within their respective load limits.
• Consult local codes and regulations to fully understand the requirements for suspended loads in the venue in which equipment will be suspended.
• Use only dedicated PL-LA Series rigging hardware as described in this manual for suspending a loudspeaker array. Further details can be found below.
• Be absolutely certain of the integrity of any structural member intended to support suspended loads. Hidden structural members can have hidden structural weaknesses.
• Never assume anything! Owner or third-party-supplied suspension attachment points may not be adequate for suspending the loads.
• Before lifting, always inspect all components (enclosures, suspension brackets, pins, frames, bolts, nuts, slings, shackles, etc.) for cracks, wear, deformation, corrosion, missing, loose, or damaged parts that could reduce the strength of the assembly. Discard any worn, defective, or suspect parts and replace them with new, appropriately load-rated parts.

Shock Loading

When a load is moved or stopped, its static weight is magnified. Sudden movements can magnify the static weight several times. This is called “shock loading.” 

The effects of shock loading can be instantaneous, or it can remain undetected. Proper preparation for shock loading requires careful planning and knowledge of equipment, suspension, and lifting practices. Shock loading is most often the result of lifting and installation, but natural forces (winds, earthquakes, etc.) can create shock loads several times the static load. 

Shock loading poses a danger to equipment and workers. Because of this, structures and suspension equipment must be capable of supporting several times the weight of the suspended equipment.

Rigging Categories

Certification of the PL-LA Series rigging system has been analyzed by an independent structural engineering firm to certify some worst-case configurations. The Categories covered by the certification include the following Array deployments:

• Array Frame, Loudspeaker without Pullback Bar
• Array Frame, Loudspeaker with Pullback Bar
• Array Frame, Subwoofer, and Loudspeaker without Pullback Bar
• Array Frame and Subwoofers only
• Loudspeaker array with two Pullback Bars

Array Restrictions

1. The splay angle for each speaker must always be equal to, or greater than the splay angle of the speaker directly above.
2. The Total Splay angle in an array should never exceed 62.5° for PL-LA8 and 70° for PL-LA12.
3. WLLs are based on simply suspended arrays using the available Array Frame pick points to angle or aim the array up or down. Notwithstanding the use of a Pullback Bar, any method or means used to angle the array up or down beyond these simply suspended angles may reduce the FOS.
4. All Loudspeaker rigging Certified only for Q-SYS array frames and Pullback Bar. Assembling with other structure is out of scope.

FOS changes according to the Total Splay Angle and Frame Angle. The following tables have been computed with the mentioned parameters. If the tilt or Total Splay of your particular array is above those parameters the Factor of Safety rating will be impacted.