Speak to an Engineer about what type of overhead crane would meet your needs.
Call 781-897-4117, fax 781-729-3343, or email info@naicranes.com.
Often customers are unsure as to
what type of overhead lifting system
will best serve their needs, or even taking a step back, perhaps you're interested in learning about overhead lifting in general and the benefits with respect to other material handling options (to learn more about this topic, visit our Overhead Lifting page). To learn more about choosing a particular type of overhead crane, read further on this page.
It is
very important to understand the types
of lifting systems available and how
they differ from each other. Spending
a few minutes now discussing the needs of your application could
save you thousands of dollars (not
to mention the value of improved safety)
in the future.
Questions to Consider
When someone is considering the
purchase of an overhead lifting system,
the obvious concerns about lifting
capacity, length of lift, and the
area of hook coverage usually take
top priority. However, customers should
also give some thought to the following
questions:
- What am I actually doing with
the system? For example, will it be used
to move expensive tools into/out of
a molding
machine or to load/unload
steel from trucks?
- How can a crane increase
the safety
of the loads being lifted?
- How can a crane improve
my workers'
safety in handling the
loads?
- How frequently
will
it be used each shift?
- How will
the load need to be moved and located?
- How easy
is it to move the system to a
new
location in
my factory?
- Do
I really need three axes of hook
movement
(e.g., up/down, left/right, and
forward/back) or
will only two
be sufficient?
- How
heavy are the loads
to be lifted?
- How
much money should
I invest in a system?
Think Long-Term
When you consider these questions,
things can be a bit overwhelming,
but it could make the difference between
simply spending some money on an overhead
lifting system and investing in a
system to improve your operations,
increase worker safety and efficiency,
and improve product quality. Every project has a budget. In an
attempt to control project costs,
some customers consider inappropriate
crane types that can be risky, often
greatly reducing the effectiveness
of the crane and, in the long run,
wasting money. Starting with an honest
evaluation of your lifting needs is
of paramount importance in selecting
a crane for your factory.
How We Can Help You Choose
Below we provide some basic information about each type of crane, but the NAI sales team and engineers will be more than happy to assist you through the process of choosing the right lifting system. Visit our engineering pages to learn how our expertise can assist you in finding the best material handling solution for your individual needs.
Four Types
There are four main types of overhead
lifting systems available.
Click on each heading below
for further product
details. You can also contact us to request a set of brochures or speak with an engineer.
Overhead
Traveling Bridge Crane
This type of crane runs on an elevated
runway system along the length of
a factory and provides three axes
of hook motion. Both single and double
girder bridge designs are provided
with great flexibility in allowing
the hook to be positioned very precisely
and for loads to be placed very gently. See our technical reports under the resources button to learn more about single girder versus double girder cranes.
Gantry
Crane
This type of crane is
quite similar to the bridge crane except
that it
runs on a track at the floor
level. The bridge (which carries the hoist
and trolley) is supported
by a pair
of rigid steel legs which,
in turn, are carried by a pair of end trucks
along the floor-level runway.
The
gantry crane provides the
same performance characteristics that an overhead
bridge crane offers.
Jib
Crane
This type of crane consists
of a pivoting head and boom assembly,
which carries a hoist and
trolley
unit. The pivoting head is
supported either by a floor-mounted
mast providing
360°-boom rotation or by an existing
building column, which provides 180° of
boom rotation. The jib crane
can also be motorized to
provide precise spotting
of loads, however, the hook
location is along a radial
path rather than
a simple X-Y arrangement.
Monorail
This type of overhead
lifting system is quite specialized
and very
effective
when properly designed into
the factory layout. Only
two directions of hook travel
are afforded by the monorail:
up/down and along the axis
of the monorail
beam. It is not recommended
(and quite dangerous) to
push the load out from
under the centerline of the
monorail beam. The key phrase
here is "when
properly designed into the factory
layout" since monorail systems,
by their nature, are most
often integrated into continuous
production systems
for material transport; e.g.,
hot metal operations in a
foundry, paint
booths, etc.
|
