Intamin

Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park, Germany

Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Gary Palmer, MD and Arnold Bernsteiner. The Intamin brand name is an abbreviation for: INTernational AMusement INstallations. The company distributes approximately 5-7 roller coasters from their workshops in Switzerland and Glen Burnie each year.

Intamin is a major player in the amusement park attractions industry, supplying some 22 different styles of rides to a variety of parks. Their first roller coaster installation was The Great American Revolution, a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1976. Since then they have installed a total of 70 coasters in several countries around the globe. They designed and built the first "river rapids ride" known as "Thunder River" based on the idea supplied by Bill Crandall, a past General Manager at the now defunct AstroWorld. Intamin also marketed the first Freefall (developed by Giovanola) experience and the first Drop Tower.

Products and technologies

Intamin is well known for being innovative and creative with their rides. They were some of the first to create a magnetic propulsion system (Linear induction motors/Linear Synchronous Motors) and remain one of only a handful of manufacturers continuing to use such technology on roller coasters. Intamin also created the first hydraulic launch system (also known as the "Accelerator" or "Rocket Coaster"), which is now being used to catapult roller coaster trains from 0 to speeds upwards of 128 mph (193 km/h) in a few seconds before climbing up immense heights. Furius Baco at PortAventura was their latest achievement and is Europe's fastest coaster, launching riders from 0-135 km/h (83.9 mph) in 3.5 seconds.

Intamin is also known for their massive "Mega" (Intamin's term for a hypercoaster; often considered over 200 ft/61 m) and "Giga" (over 300 ft/91 m) coasters. They have also created the "Strata Coaster" (Any coaster over 400 ft / 122 m tall). There are currently only two Strata Coasters in existence (Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure), both manufactured by Intamin. Top Thrill Dragster uses lapbars as the choice of restraint, allowing the rider more comfort and freedom of the upper body throughout the ride than Kingda Ka's over-the-shoulder restraint system. Mega/Giga Coasters currently occupy the top 2 spots of the Golden Ticket Awards with Millennium Force (Giga) and Superman: Ride of Steel (Mega). Also drawing much praise is the company's recent foray into the wooden roller coaster business with their "Plug and Play" models, such as Balder at Liseberg, Colossos at Heide Park, and El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure which opened spring 2006. Unlike other traditional wood coasters, these rides use prefabricated track sections made of a high-strength wooden laminate that can be secured on-site when the superstructure is completed. This design enables the coaster to reach speeds and navigate course elements smoothly, not unlike a steel roller coaster, while retaining the look and some of the traditional feel of common wooden coasters.

Roaring Rapids river ride at Six Flags Over Texas (2007)

Another recent roller coaster development by Intamin is the Ball Coaster, a type of Spinning roller coaster. It has individual cars, each with 8 seats, arranged in two pods coming off the sides of the car, each with 2 seats facing forwards and two facing backwards. This car is either lifted to the highest point by a conventional chain lift, or propelled around the course at a constant speed by a Linear Motor system.

Intamin is also responsible for a large number of other thrill rides. They have designed some of the largest Ferris wheels in the world, along with various types of observation towers, and currently hold the record for the world's tallest and fastest freefall ride (The Giant Drop) at Dreamworld, Australia. They also supply motion simulator technology which can be seen in many installations around the world. Intamin is also credited with the invention of the river rapids ride, though the idea was given to Intamin by Bill Crandall, a past General Manager of AstroWorld.

The company is known for being the original home to the famous (within the coaster world) Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). The two engineers worked for Giovanola who in turn were frequently contracted by Intamin for their early stand-up roller coasters (Giovanola eventually started producing roller coasters independently). B&M broke away from Giovanola to form their own company which now supplies roller coasters as well. Similarities between the two companies are often obvious, such as the style of track used by B&M, which was used in a number of early Giovanola installations which were contracted by Intamin.

Outside the amusement realm, Intamin supplies monorail transportation systems which are used in both public transport networks and at tourist attractions across the world.

Safety Incidents

Main article: Amusement park accidents

Intamin has been in the news for a number of safety-related accidents or incidents.

• In 1984, three passengers riding The Edge at Marriott's Great America were injured and hospitalized. The boys were soon after released. The ride had experienced a software malfunction that caused the ride to fall backwards down the wrong shaft.

• In May 1999, a 365 lb (165 kg) guest was unable to close his lap bar properly on the newly opened Superman Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake and fell out of the train.

• In 1999, a 12-year-old boy fell to his death on the Drop Zone Stunt Tower at Paramount's Great America. An investigation was inconclusive and no charges were filed, but following the accident modifications were made to add redundancy to ride restraints of not just Drop Zone, but all of the Intamin Drop Towers around the world.

• In 2001 a 40-year-old woman fell from Perilous Plunge at Knotts Berry Farm. She was too large to be correctly restrained by the T-Bar, and rose out of it on the -1G 76 degree drop.

• In 2004 two incidents involving the Intamin lap bar system occurred within months of each other. The first was on Hydro, an Intamin near-vertical river plunge at Oakwood Leisure Park (Narberth, Pembrokeshire) in which a 16-year-old fell approximately 100 ft (30 m) to her death. The peculiar incident is very similar to an earlier accident on another near-vertical plunge ride, Perilous Plunge. Hydro remained closed for the rest of the park's 2004 season before reopening in 2005 with modifications that have seen the lap bar restraints replaced with "Over-the-Shoulder" restraints.

• The second incident of 2004 was on one of Intamin's mega coasters, Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts. The ride, again with lap bar restraints, was dispatched with a sufferer of cerebral palsy in the front seat. According to an investigation[1], the ride operators were primarily to blame for not ensuring the man was properly secured. Intamin was also partially blamed because the ride's safety system allowed the train to be dispatched without all the restraints properly secured. Some blame was also attributed to the victim for not notifying the operators of his condition.

Intamin is now supplying rides with the more restricting OTSR (over-the-shoulder restraints) as well as the traditional lap bars for added safety.

• In June 2007, a 13-year-old girl had both of her feet severed at the ankles on Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. A ride malfunction caused a cable to snap and a cord to wrap around the girl's feet, amputating both of them. She was brought to the hospital in critical condition and the park was later fined $1,000 for not properly maintaining the ride.

• In September 2009, a cable snapped during the launch on Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm. A 12-year-old boy and his father were sitting in the front seats and were injured by flying debris and the snapped cable.

Notable roller coasters

Year	Accomplishment	Roller Coaster	Park	Notes
1981	First wooden roller coaster built by Intamin	American Eagle (roller coaster)	Six Flags Great America	*At the time it was the fastest, highest and longest roller coaster in the world. It still is the fastest, highest and longest racing roller coaster.
1982	First Double Roller Coaster built by Intamin	Vertigorama (roller coaster)	Parque de la Ciudad	The fastest, highest and longest steel racing roller coaster in the world at the time, although it never operated.
1985	First (and only) Spacediver coaster	Flashback (roller coaster) (Originally Z-Force)	Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Over Georgia	*Opened in '85 at Great America as Z-Force, was relocated to Over Georgia in '88, then was again relocated to Magic Mountain and opened there as Flashback in '92. It was demolished and scrapped in mid-December 2007 after sitting idle at the park since 2003, but removed in 2007.
1997	First roller coaster to go above 300 ft (90 m).	Tower of Terror	Dreamworld	Not a complete circuit; the train does not reach the top of the vertical spike.
1997	First roller coaster with a structure to reach beyond 400 ft (120 m).	Superman The Escape	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Not a complete circuit; the train does not reach the top of the vertical spike.
1997	First roller coaster(s) to go 100 mph (160 km/h)	Tower of Terror & Superman The Escape	Dreamworld and Six Flags Magic Mountain	See above
1998	First LIM launched inverted roller coaster	Volcano: The Blast Coaster	Kings Dominion	Also is the fastest inverted coaster at 70 mph (110 km/h) when first opened
1998	First impulse roller coaster	Linear Gale	LaQua
1998	First roller coaster to do 8 inversions	Monte Makaya	Terra Encantada
2000	First Giga Coaster (over 300 ft)	Millennium Force	Cedar Point	First complete circuit roller coaster to stand over 300 ft. (310 ft)
2000	First roller coaster to drop 300 ft (90 m).	Millennium Force	Cedar Point	Drop is exactly 300 ft (90 m).
2000	First LIM Twisted impulse roller coaster	Steel Venom	Geauga Lake	Originally Superman Ultimate Escape (Six Flags Geauga Lake) currently operating at Dorney Park as Posssesed, formerly Voodoo
2001	First roller coaster to utilize a LIM launch hill	California Screamin'	Disney's California Adventure	Has a magnetic launch followed by a magnetic non-cable/chain lift hill (this along with "scream tunnels" was done to reduce noise)
2002	First roller coaster to do 10 inversions	Colossus	Thorpe Park	Intamin AG is the only company to produce a model that does more than 8 inversions at this time (8/2007)
2002	First Hydraulic Catapult launch coaster	Xcelerator	Knott's Berry Farm	* Accelerates from 0 - 82 miles per hour, covering 157-feet of launch track in just 2.3 seconds.
2003	First Strata coaster (over 400 ft)	Top Thrill Dragster	Cedar Point	Tallest and fastest coaster in the world when opened at 420 ft (128 m). and 120 mph (190 km/h)
2003	First Intamin water coaster branded "AquaTrax"	Atlantic Adventure	Lotte World	This is the only known AquaTrax that is operating and no other Aquatrax is currently planned for the future. Features LSM propulsion
2004	First accelerator coaster to feature inversions.	Storm Runner	Hersheypark	It reaches a height of 150 ft and catapults riders from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. It features a top hat and three inversions
2005	Current record holder for the tallest roller coaster, due to Ring Racer breaking speed record.	Kingda Ka	Six Flags Great Adventure	456 feet high; launch speed 128 mph (206 km/h)
2007	First Terra Coaster, with Dual LSM launch (launch hill and flat launch) with a 95-degree drop and a terrain hugging layout	Maverick	Cedar Point
2008	At 97 degrees, steepest drop out of all Intamin coasters.	Fahrenheit	Hersheypark	Ascends chain lift hill at a 90 degree angle It features a 121 foot top hat and six inversions
2008	Current record holder for the steepest wooden coaster in the world, also the highest, fastest, longest roller coaster in South Korea.	T Express	Everland	maximum 77degrees Top height at 183.75ft (56.01m) Top speed at 64.6 mph (104 km/h) Length of 5383.10 ft (1641m) 12 airtime hills

Existing Intamin Roller Coasters

Name	Model	Park/Country	Year Opened
Atlantis Adventure	Aqua Trax	Lotte World, South Korea	2003
Avalancha	Looping Coaster (Monte Makaya)	Xetulul, Guatemala	2002
Avatar Airbender	Half Pipe Coaster (20m)	Nickelodeon Universe (Mall of America), United States	2008
Balder	Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab)	Liseberg, Sweden	2003
Bobbaan	Bobsled roller coaster	Efteling, The Netherlands	1985
California Screamin'	Looping Coaster (Custom)	Disney's California Adventure, United States	2001
Cobra	Stand-Up Coaster	La Ronde, Canada	1995
Colossos	Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab)	Heide Park, Germany	2001
Colossus	Looping Coaster (Colossus)	Thorpe Park, Great Britain	2002
	Desert Race	Accelerator Coaster	Heide Park, Germany	2007
Disaster Transport	Indoor Bobsled	Cedar Point, United States	1985
El Toro	Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab)	Six Flags Great Adventure, United States	2006
Expedition GeForce	Mega Coaster	Holiday Park, Germany	2001
Fahrenheit	Vertical Lift Coaster	Hersheypark, United States	2008
Flight of the Phoenix	looping coaster (Monte Makaya)	China	2006
Furius Baco	Accelerator Coaster	PortAventura, Spain	2007
Goliath	Mega Coaster	Walibi World, Netherlands	2002
Half Pipe	Half Pipe Coaster (20m)	Don Quijote, Japan	(SBNO)
Half Pipe	Half Pipe Coaster (30m)	Särkänniemi, Finland	2003
Half Pipe	Half Pipe Coaster (30m)	Six Flags Elitch Gardens, United States	2004
Hydro	River Plunge	Oakwood Theme Park Wales, UK	2002
Surf Rider	Water Half Pipe Coaster (30m)	Wet 'n' Wild Water World, Australia	2007
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril	Looping Coaster (Custom)	Disneyland Resort Paris, France	1993
Insane	Ball Coaster	Gröna Lund, Sweden	2009
Intimidator 305	Giga Coaster	Kings Dominion, United States	2010
iSpeed	LSM Launched Coaster	Mirabilandia, Italy	2009
Jet Rescue	Sit Down - Hydraulic	Sea World, Australia	2008
Jr. Gemini	Steel Kiddie	Cedar Point, United States	1979
Kanonen	Accelerator Coaster	Liseberg, Sweden	2005
Kawasemi	Mega-lite Coaster	Tobu Zoo, Japan	2008
Kingda Ka	Accelerator Coaster	Six Flags Great Adventure, United States	2005
Kirnu	Ball Coaster	Linnanmäki, Finland	2007
Millennium Force	Giga Coaster	Cedar Point, United States	2000
Mick Doohan's Motocoaster	Accelerator Coaster	Dreamworld, Australia	2007
Monte Makaya	Looping Coaster (Monte Makaya)	Terra Encantada, Brazil	1998
Maverick	LSM Launched Coaster	Cedar Point, United States	2007
Pegasus	Wooden Coaster	Efteling, The Netherlands	1991
Piraten	Hyper Coaster	Djurs Sommerland, Denmark	2008
Possessed	Impulse Coaster	Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, United States	2008
Raging Spirits	Looping Coaster (Custom)	Tokyo DisneySea, Japan	2005
Ride of Steel	Mega Coaster	Darien Lake, United States	2007
Rita - Queen of Speed	Accelerator Coaster	Alton Towers, Great Britain	2005
Shockwave	Stand-Up Coaster	Drayton Manor, Great Britain	1994
Skycar	Accelerator Coaster	Mysterious Island, China	2005
Speed Monster	Accelerator Coaster	Tusenfryd, Norway	2006
Stealth	Accelerator Coaster	Thorpe Park, Great Britain	2006
Storm Runner	Accelerator Coaster	Hersheypark, United States	2004
Superman Escape	Accelerator Coaster	Warner Bros. Movie World, Australia	2005
Superman - Ride of Steel	Mega Coaster	Various Parks, United States	1999
Supersonic Odyssey	Looping Coaster (Custom)	Cosmo's World, Malaysia	2003
T Express	Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab)	Everland, South Korea	2008
Tenth Ring Roller Coaster	Looping Coaster (Colossus)	Guangzhou, China	2006
The Claw	Gyro Swing	Dreamworld, Australia	2004
Thirteen	Unknown	Alton Towers, United Kingdom	2010
Thunder Dolphin	Mega Coaster	Tokyo Dome City, Japan	2003
Top Thrill Dragster	Accelerator Coaster	Cedar Point, United States	2003
Tornado	Inverted Coaster	Särkänniemi, Finland	2001
Tornado	Inverted Coaster	Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, Spain	1999
Tower of Terror	Reverse Freefall Coaster	Dreamworld, Australia	1997
V2: Vertical Velocity	Impulse Coaster	Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, United States	2001
Vertical Velocity	Impulse Coaster	Six Flags Great America, United States	2001
Vertigorama	Double Rollercoaster	Parque de la Ciudad, Argentina	1982 SBNO
Vurang	Twist and Turn Coaster	Hopi Hari, Brazil	1999
Wicked Twister	Impulse Coaster	Cedar Point, United States	2002
Xcelerator	Accelerator Coaster	Knott's Berry Farm, United States	2002
Zaturn	Accelerator Coaster	Space World, Japan	2006

See also

• Incidents at Six Flags parks
• Incidents at PARC Management parks
• Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

External links

• Intamin (official site)
• Intamin Bahntechnik (official site of Intamin's factory in Germany)
• Intamin Ride Database (IRDB)
• Accidents involving amusement roller coasters manufactured by Intamin
• Alton Towers Secret Weapon 6 believed to be built by Intamin