Overhead crane selection factors to consider
By Tom Feare -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2000
Before talking to potential crane suppliers you'll want to do some homework to define the general requirements for your specific application in terms of crane size, speed, power. You want to select a crane with enough muscle to do the job, of course, but not so big that you overspend on the equipment.For example, you will need to know load weights (now and in the foreseeable future) to be moved and lifted. How often will you move the loads? How far do loads need to travel horizontally and vertically? And how fast do moves need to be made to keep pace with cycle times in workcells?
Check into such factors as headroom and whether there are obstructions (beams, pipes, and machinery) in the way. Determine if your facility's floor, walls, columns, and roof will support the loading from the crane and the weights it handles. If you lease your building, decide how important portability is when choosing a small workstation crane, jib crane, or gantry crane.
How should the crane be powered? Your options are electric, air, or manual power. And consider, for large overhead systems, whether the operator will run the crane by pendant or by remote control, using either radio or infrared transmissions, or from within an enclosed cab attached to the crane.
Ask suppliers about leadtimes. Free-standing and ceiling-mounted cranes may come in kit form in as few as five days, once a selection decision is made. For large overhead traveling cranes, the wait may be as little as 5 to 10 weeks to install standard units to as long as a year or more for customized units going into new buildings.
Before you replace an old, large crane ask about modernization and what you will get for your investment in an upgrade.
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