
Bridge cranes or also called overhead cranes are a type of industrial material handling crane using a hook and line mechanism which runs on a horizontal beam running along two widely separated rails. Numerous overhead cranes could be found within a long factory structure and they could run along the building's two long walls, like a gantry crane.
Overhead cranes usually have either one beam or a double beam construction. These are crafted out of normal steel beams or more complex girders. The single bridge box girder crane is complete with the system and the hoist and is operated utilizing a control pendant. Whenever the application needs heavier capacity systems for at least ten tons, double girder bridge cranes are more common.
Among the main advantages of the box girder type of configuration is that it provides a lower deadweight with a stronger overall system integrity. One more advantage will be the hoist to lift the things and the bridge which spans the area covered by the crane, along with a trolley so as to move along the bridge.
The overhead crane is more generally used in the steel business. Steel is handled using an overhead crane at every level of the manufacturing process until it leaves a factory as a completed product. The crane is also responsible for pouring raw materials into a furnace and hot steel is then stored for cooling making use of an overhead crane. Once the coils are finished they are loaded onto trains and trucks utilizing overhead crane. The fabricator or stamper also relies on overhead cranes to be able to deal with steel in the factory.
Overhead cranes are normally utilized in the automobile business for the dealing with raw material. There are smaller workstation cranes that are designed to deal with lighter loads inside work areas like for instance in sawmills and CNC shops.
Bridge cranes could be utilized in nearly all paper mills. They are utilized for regular maintenance needing removal of heavy press rolls and various machinery. Some of the cast iron paper drying drums as well as various pieces of specialized equipment weigh as much as 70 tons. The bridge cranes are utilized in the primary construction of the paper machinery to be able to facilitate installation of these enormously heavy objects.
The price of a bridge crane can be largely offset in various cases with savings incurred from not renting mobile cranes when a facility is being made which makes use of a lot of heavy process machinery.
The Rotary Overhead crane has one end of the bridge connected on a fixed pivot and the other end carried on an annular track. The bridge traverses the circular area below. Rotary Overhead cranes provide improvement over a Jib crane by making it possible to provide a longer reach while eliminating lateral strains on the building walls.
Demag Cranes & Components Corp. was one of the first businesses to mass produce steam powered cranes. The now defunct Alliance Machines were the second company to mass produce cranes. Alliance holds an AISE citation for one of the first cranes in the United States market. This crane was used in service until around nineteen eighty and has been retired into a museum in Birmingham, Alabama.
Ever since the early days, various innovations have come and gone, for example, the Weston load brake is currently considered rare, while the wire rope hoist is still popular. Initially, the hoist contained components mated together in what is now known as the built-up style hoist. These super industrial hoists are utilized for heavy-duty applications such as steel coil handling for instance. They are likewise popular for users who desire better quality and long life from their machinery. These built up hoists also provide for easier upkeep.
Now, many hoists are package hoists. This means they are built as one unit in a single housing that is normally designed for ten years of life. This particular estimate is based on an industry standard wear and tear when calculating actual life.
In the present North American Material Handling Business, there are several governing bodies for the industry. The Overhead Alliance is a group which represents CMAA, or otherwise known as Crane Manufacturers Association of America, HMI or also known as Hoist Manufacturers Institute and MMA or Monorail Manufacturers Association. The members of this organization are marketing representatives of the member companies and these product counsels have joined forces to create promotional materials to be able to raise the awareness of the advantages to overhead lifting.