An overhead crane is an essential piece of construction equipment. It enables industries to load and unload heavy objects and material handling precisely from one location to another. Various industries such as warehouse, automotive, metal manufacturing, concrete manufacturing, power plants, shipbuilding, aviation, and transportation use overhead cranes for the safety and efficiency of their job.
The benefits of using overhead cranes in an industrial environment are reduced product/ material damage, easy lifting of loads, reduced workplace accidents, improved workflow, avoid floor obstructions, improved load control, and reduce staff fatigue, thus increasing work efficiency.
Overhead cranes work through manual or remote-control operation. Things to consider when choosing the right overhead crane for your business are; motion of the crane, location if indoor or outdoor, capacity required, how often the crane is to be used, weight, and type of the load. Different types of overhead cranes are workstation cranes, jib cranes, monorail cranes, bridge cranes, and gantry cranes.
Workstation cranes also known as free-standing cranes, are industrial cranes for heavy lifting and moving of products in a workstation and consist of a moving bridge running across parallel runways. They can either be freestanding, ceiling-mounted, or monorails, providing a safe working environment and improve productivity.
Jib cranes use a mounted arm to load, unload and move products in a workstation. Are suitable for both small and big factory settings, storage, and loading bays and requires low maintenance to continue functioning. Jib cranes can be wall-mounted, pillar mounted, or wall traveling.
Monorail cranes are used to move heavy loads within a restricted area. Monorail cranes act as a substitute for conveyor belts and are easy to install in a building without making structural changes. Easy control, customizable, fast, and flexibility are some of the benefits of a monorail crane.
Bridge cranes are overhead crane type that has two overhead runways that use building structure for support. They are of two categories: Process and modular cranes. Process cranes are for specific purposes like lifting a heavy load, while modular bridge cranes are for general purpose material handling and found in smaller manufacturing factories.
Gantry cranes operate as a bridge crane but do not use a suspended runway but instead use legs fixed on rails to support the bridge, hoist, and trolley. Gantry cranes are found mostly in railyards, shipyards, bridge construction sites, or construction projects where an overhead room is impossible. Gantry cranes are of different designs such as adjustable, portable, and track-mounted gantries. Adjustable gantries are used in places where movement is through aisles, around obstacles, above, or under obstructions. Track-mounted gantries are used for lifting and moving heavy products in a fixed route, while portable gantries are found in places requiring relocation or replacement of products. Gantry cranes are economical as they are portable allowing ease of use at different locations, they do not require permanent installation, and are easy to assembly and disassemble when needed.
It is essential to choose the right overhead crane to make work more efficient. Van Adrighem cranes offer a wide variety of cranes to meet any client’s needs and budget.
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