80 Ton Overhead Crane Double Girder + Dual 40-Ton Hoists Trolley

80-ton crane with dual 40-ton low headroom hoists, optimizing load handling, space efficiency, and operational safety in industrial environments.

Overview of 80 Ton Overhead Crane Case Study

This case study focuses on the use of a Double Girder Overhead Crane with a Low Headroom Hoist Trolley, specifically designed to handle heavy loads in industrial environments. The crane, with an 80-ton lifting capacity, is equipped with two 40-ton hoists, providing better load distribution and flexibility. The main aim is to explore how this crane system improves space utilization and boosts operational efficiency.

Background on Crane Technology
Overhead cranes are essential in industries like steel mills, construction, and logistics. They are used to move heavy loads across vast areas, making material handling easier and safer. These cranes consist of a bridge that runs along tracks, supported by two girders, with a hoist that moves vertically to lift and lower loads.

• Double Girder Cranes: Compared to single girder cranes, double girder cranes offer more strength, greater load capacity, and better stability. This makes them ideal for handling heavy materials and larger spaces.
• Low Headroom Hoist Trolleys: The low headroom design allows the hoist to operate in spaces where height is limited, maximizing vertical space without compromising the load capacity. This is especially important in industries where ceiling clearance is a challenge.

Objective
The primary goal of this case study is to understand how this specific crane system contributes to the overall performance of industrial operations. The focus will be on the following objectives:

• Optimizing Space: By using a low headroom hoist trolley, the crane makes the most of limited vertical space.
• Improving Load Handling: The combination of dual hoists and a high-capacity double girder crane allows for efficient handling of large loads with reduced strain on the equipment.
• Increasing Operational Efficiency: The crane's design reduces downtime, streamlines workflow, and enhances safety, making it a valuable tool in busy industrial settings.

In summary, the case study will examine the role of this advanced crane system in transforming heavy material handling and its impact on day-to-day operations.

double girder overhead crane with European style low headroom electric hoist trolley 

Technical Overview

Crane Specifications

This Double Girder Overhead Crane is designed for heavy-duty material handling, with a lifting capacity of 80 tons. The key features that make this crane effective in industrial environments include:

• Double Girder Design: The crane uses two parallel girders that span the width of the workspace. This design allows for greater strength, stability, and load capacity compared to a single girder crane. The double girder structure ensures that the crane can handle the maximum load without compromising its safety or performance.
• Lifting Capacity (80 tons): The crane is capable of lifting loads up to 80 tons, making it suitable for heavy industrial applications such as steel production, large-scale manufacturing, and construction. The capacity is divided into two 40-ton hoists, allowing for effective load distribution.
• Hoist Configuration (Two 40-ton Low Headroom Hoists): The crane uses two 40-ton low headroom hoists mounted on a trolley. This configuration maximizes lifting capacity while reducing the amount of vertical space needed for operation. The low headroom design is crucial for environments where height clearance is limited, such as in facilities with low ceilings or tight spaces.

Key Mechanical Components:

• Motors and Drive Systems: Powerful motors ensure smooth operation of both the hoists and the trolley, enabling precise control of load movements.
• Trolley System: The hoist trolley moves along the girders, allowing for efficient lateral movement across the entire span of the crane.
• Safety Features: Safety features such as load limiters, overload protection, and emergency stop systems are built into the crane, ensuring safe operation even when handling heavy or sensitive loads.

Advantages of Double Girder Cranes Over Single Girder Cranes

• Increased Strength and Capacity: The double girder design can support heavier loads and larger spans, making it ideal for more demanding industrial environments.
• Better Stability: The two girders create a more stable structure, reducing the risk of swaying and improving load handling.
• Improved Clearance: With the hoists mounted on top of the girders, there’s more space beneath the crane, allowing for more efficient use of the area below.
• Longer Lifespan: The extra strength and stability of double girder cranes typically lead to less wear and tear, which increases the overall lifespan of the equipment.

Benefits of Low Headroom Hoist Trolleys in Improving Clearance Height

• Maximizing Vertical Space: The low headroom hoist trolley minimizes the amount of vertical space needed for the crane's operation. This design is essential in industries with height restrictions, such as steel mills or warehouses with low ceilings. It allows for the lifting of heavy loads while leaving more room for other operations or machinery beneath the crane.
• Space Efficiency: In confined spaces, this type of hoist trolley is crucial for optimizing available height and maximizing the usable area within a facility. It makes it possible to install the crane in places where traditional cranes might not fit.

Operational Capacity

This crane operates with two hoists, each rated for 40 tons, working together to lift and move heavy loads. The key aspect of this dual-hoist configuration is load sharing:

• Load Sharing: The dual hoists allow for better distribution of the total load. When lifting an 80-ton load, each hoist shares 40 tons of the total weight, reducing strain on any single hoist and ensuring smoother operation. This setup also enhances safety by preventing overloading of one hoist and spreading the workload evenly.
• Flexibility in Operation: With the dual hoists, the crane can lift a single heavy load or even handle two smaller loads simultaneously. This flexibility improves efficiency and reduces the time required to move materials, which is especially valuable in high-demand environments.

Hoist Trolley Design and Space Optimization

• Trolley Design: The hoist trolley is designed to move smoothly along the crane’s girders, providing lateral movement of the hoists. The trolley itself is engineered to handle heavy loads while maintaining precision in positioning. It moves the hoists across the span of the crane to pick up, move, and drop off materials at specific locations.
• Role in Space Optimization: By integrating the low headroom hoist trolley, the crane makes better use of limited vertical space. The compact design allows for efficient operation in tight areas, such as factory floors where height clearance is a premium. The ability to position the trolley and hoists at precise locations further contributes to maximizing floor space, making the most of available square footage while keeping the area under the crane clear for other activities.

In conclusion, the combination of double girder design, dual hoists, and low headroom hoist trolleys makes this crane highly efficient and well-suited for environments that require heavy load handling in restricted spaces.

40 ton electric hoist trolley for double girder overhead crane 

Application and Use Case

Industry and Environment

Double Girder Overhead Cranes with Low Headroom Hoist Trolleys are typically used in industries that handle heavy materials, large-scale equipment, or complex logistics. Some of the key industries where these cranes are essential include:

• Steel Mills: Overhead cranes are vital for moving heavy steel products, such as slabs, billets, and coils. They help streamline the production process by efficiently transporting these materials across the mill.
• Heavy Machinery Factories: These cranes are used to lift and transport large and heavy parts, like engines, turbines, and metal components. The ability to handle substantial loads with precision is critical in manufacturing environments.
• Large Warehouses and Distribution Centers: In environments where large goods need to be moved across long distances (e.g., automotive parts or building materials), these cranes offer both vertical and horizontal movement, optimizing storage and space management.
• Construction Sites: Cranes are used to move large construction materials such as steel beams, concrete blocks, and heavy machinery, especially in confined or space-limited areas.

Specific Case

• Location: The crane in question is installed at a large steel mill located in Argentina, a region known for its booming steel production industry.
• Company: SteelCorp S.A., a leading steel manufacturing company in the area, implemented the crane system to optimize operations in their rolling mill.
• Type of Operation: The steel mill operates with high-volume production, processing raw materials like iron ore into steel sheets and coils. The crane is used to transport these heavy materials across different stages of production, from the melting furnaces to the rolling mills and shipping areas.

Operational Challenges

Prior to the installation of the Double Girder Overhead Crane, SteelCorp faced several challenges that impacted their efficiency:

• Space Constraints: The steel mill had limited vertical space due to the layout of machinery and overhead infrastructure. This made it difficult to operate traditional hoists that require more clearance, resulting in inefficient material handling.
• Inefficiency in Load Handling: The existing cranes in the mill had lower load capacities and were unable to handle the large, heavy steel products efficiently. This led to slower processing times and increased downtime during load transfers.
• Frequent Downtime: The older cranes often experienced mechanical failures due to the excessive strain placed on them. With such heavy loads and continuous use, the wear and tear resulted in frequent breakdowns, further hindering production.

Solution Provided by the Crane

The new Double Girder Overhead Crane with dual 40-ton Low Headroom Hoist Trolleys addressed these challenges in the following ways:

• Increased Space Utilization: The low headroom design allowed the crane to operate within the limited vertical clearance of the facility, maximizing usable space. The compact trolley system also contributed to optimizing the mill’s floor area, making it easier to move large materials without obstruction.
• Efficient Load Handling: With a combined lifting capacity of 80 tons, the crane could easily handle heavier materials such as steel sheets and coils. The two hoists distributed the load between them, reducing strain on each hoist and allowing for smoother, more efficient lifts.
• Reduced Downtime: By utilizing a more robust double girder design and modern hoist technology, the crane provided a significant boost in reliability. The load-sharing system between the two hoists decreased the risk of overloading or mechanical failures, reducing maintenance needs and improving uptime.

In summary, the crane system has greatly improved SteelCorp’s ability to handle heavy materials safely and efficiently, addressing the space constraints, load handling issues, and downtime challenges that previously slowed down production.

Benefits and Impact

Increased Capacity and Efficiency

The 80-ton Double Girder Overhead Crane with dual hoists significantly enhances the operational output of any industrial environment, especially in heavy-duty sectors like steel manufacturing. Here’s how:

• Optimized Workflow: The combined 80-ton lifting capacity, split between two 40-ton hoists, allows the crane to handle a wide range of loads efficiently. With the ability to lift large and heavy materials in a single movement, the crane minimizes the need for multiple lifts or transfers, thus speeding up material handling.
• Faster Cycle Times: The dual hoists distribute the load evenly, allowing for smoother and faster lifting. This reduces the time spent on lifting and moving materials, improving the overall throughput of the facility.
• Flexibility in Operations: The crane can easily switch between lifting a single large load or two smaller ones simultaneously, making it versatile in handling varying types of materials. This flexibility leads to better resource utilization and reduces bottlenecks in operations.

Space Optimization

In industrial environments where space is limited, the low headroom hoist trolley design plays a crucial role in maximizing available vertical space.

• Maximizing Vertical Clearance: The low headroom design reduces the distance between the hoist and the crane’s girders. This allows for more usable space below the crane for other operations, machinery, or storage, especially in environments where ceiling height is a constraint.
• Improved Facility Layout: By optimizing the use of vertical space, the crane frees up valuable floor area, allowing for better layout planning within the facility. This is especially beneficial in high-density operations like steel mills or warehouses where space is a premium.
• Enhanced Storage Options: With more vertical space available, facilities can stack materials higher, increasing the storage capacity without needing to expand the building’s footprint.

Safety Improvements

The crane’s design significantly enhances safety features, addressing several key concerns that are common in material handling operations.

• Reduced Risk of Accidents: The use of dual hoists ensures more even load distribution, reducing the risk of load imbalance or sudden shifts that could cause accidents. This provides better control over heavy loads, making handling safer.
• Advanced Load Control: The precise control offered by the dual hoist system allows operators to maneuver loads smoothly. This helps in preventing accidents such as swinging loads or accidental collisions, which are common with traditional cranes.
• Ergonomic Design: The crane system includes ergonomic features for the operators, such as intuitive controls and automated features. This reduces physical strain and minimizes the risk of operator fatigue, which is a key safety concern in manual material handling tasks.

Cost Savings

The installation of this advanced crane system offers long-term cost savings that can offset its initial investment:

• Increased Efficiency: By reducing cycle times and minimizing the need for multiple cranes to handle the same load, the system improves overall efficiency. This leads to better resource utilization and higher productivity levels, contributing to a faster return on investment.
• Reduced Crane Requirements: With its 80-ton capacity, the crane can handle much heavier loads compared to smaller or older models. This reduces the need for additional cranes in the facility, leading to lower capital expenditures and reduced space requirements for equipment storage.
• Lower Maintenance Costs: The double girder crane design, combined with the advanced hoist technology, reduces wear and tear on the equipment. Fewer breakdowns and less frequent maintenance mean lower maintenance costs over time. Additionally, the load-sharing system between the hoists helps prevent overloading and premature wear.

In conclusion, the Double Girder Overhead Crane with dual hoists provides significant benefits in terms of capacity, efficiency, space utilization, safety, and cost savings. These advantages make it an invaluable asset to any industrial operation looking to improve productivity while reducing operational risks and costs.

Technical Challenges and Solutions

Design Considerations

Designing a crane system to fit specific operational environments can be challenging. Several key factors were considered in adapting the Double Girder Overhead Crane for SteelCorp’s steel mill:

• Space Constraints: One of the primary challenges was the facility’s limited vertical clearance. The low headroom hoist trolley design was specifically chosen to address this issue, allowing the crane to operate within the height restrictions while still providing the required lifting capacity.
• Load Distribution: The dual 40-ton hoists required careful engineering to ensure that load sharing was balanced and that both hoists operated efficiently. The design had to account for the dynamics of lifting and moving heavy steel products without overstressing any part of the system.
• Environmental Conditions: The steel mill operates in a harsh environment with high temperatures, dust, and exposure to heavy materials. The crane system was designed with robust materials and protective coatings to withstand these challenging conditions, ensuring longevity and reliable performance.

Installation Process

Installing the Double Girder Overhead Crane in a functioning steel mill posed several logistical challenges:

• Integration with Existing Infrastructure: The crane had to be integrated into an existing system of rails and girders. Modifying the current setup to accommodate the new, heavier crane required precise planning. Custom mounting brackets and reinforcements were added to support the new load requirements.
• Space Management: Given the limited space in the mill, coordinating the installation without disrupting ongoing production was critical. The crane was installed in stages, and temporary supports were used to ensure that material handling could continue without interruption during installation.
• Testing and Calibration: Once the crane was in place, extensive testing was required to ensure that the dual hoists were correctly synchronized and that the crane’s load distribution was functioning as designed. Engineers fine-tuned the controls and safety features to meet the mill’s operational needs.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Maintaining the crane system required addressing specific challenges related to wear and tear, especially with the dual hoists and trolley systems:

• Dual Hoists: With the load sharing between the two hoists, regular maintenance was needed to ensure that both hoists were operating at the correct load distribution. The wear and tear on each hoist was monitored, and adjustments were made to prevent one hoist from carrying more weight than the other.
• Trolley Systems: The trolley system, responsible for lateral movement, was subject to high operational loads. Periodic checks were performed to inspect for wear on the trolley wheels and tracks, and lubrication systems were optimized to ensure smooth and efficient movement.
• Routine Maintenance: With fewer breakdowns and a more reliable crane design, maintenance costs were reduced. However, routine checks on the hoists, motors, and control systems were still necessary to ensure continuous, efficient operation.

Future Considerations

Technological Advancements

The crane industry is continually evolving with new technologies that improve efficiency and safety. Some potential advancements that could benefit future versions of the Double Girder Overhead Crane include:

• Automation and Smart Features: Integration of sensors and automation technologies can enhance load tracking, monitoring, and operational control. This would allow the crane to make real-time adjustments to optimize performance and energy efficiency.
• Advanced Materials: Future cranes may use lighter and stronger materials, reducing the overall weight of the crane while maintaining or even increasing load capacity. This would improve efficiency, reduce maintenance needs, and extend the crane’s lifespan.
• Energy-Efficient Systems: Innovations in energy efficiency, such as regenerative braking systems and advanced drive motors, could further reduce operational costs and environmental impact.

Scalability

The crane system is highly scalable, with several opportunities for expansion or adaptation:

• Additional Hoists: The system could be adapted to incorporate more hoists for larger or more complex operations, increasing the total lifting capacity or enabling multi-load handling.
• Increased Load Capacity: Depending on the future needs of the facility, the crane’s lifting capacity could be increased by upgrading the hoists, motors, and control systems, ensuring the crane continues to meet growing production demands.
• Adaptation for Different Environments: The crane can be adapted for use in other industries, such as shipyards or construction sites, by modifying its specifications to fit unique requirements (e.g., larger spans, increased outdoor durability).

Long-Term Benefits

The long-term benefits of the Double Girder Overhead Crane extend beyond just immediate operational improvements:

• Operational Efficiency: As the crane continues to operate efficiently, it will lead to sustained productivity, with fewer disruptions and faster material handling. This will have a direct positive impact on the company’s bottom line.
• Cost-Effectiveness: The crane’s longevity and reduced maintenance needs will result in substantial long-term cost savings. Lower operational costs and fewer crane replacements will provide financial benefits over the years.
• Business Growth: With improved material handling capabilities, the company can scale operations more easily. The crane system’s efficiency will contribute to higher output, better customer service, and an overall increase in competitive advantage within the market.

Conclusion

The Double Girder Overhead Crane with dual 40-ton low headroom hoist trolleys offers significant operational, safety, and financial benefits. The crane optimizes material handling in tight spaces, increases load handling capacity, and improves efficiency. With its robust design, the crane addresses critical space constraints, reduces downtime, and enhances safety.

Businesses considering similar crane systems should:

• Evaluate Specific Needs: Carefully assess the operational environment, space limitations, and load requirements to ensure the crane design meets specific needs.
• Plan for Long-Term Maintenance: While the crane is designed for durability, establishing a regular maintenance schedule is crucial for ensuring its continued efficient operation.
• Consider Future Growth: Take into account potential future needs such as increased load capacity, additional hoists, or integration with automation systems to future-proof the investment.

Incorporating a high-capacity, low headroom crane like this can provide a significant return on investment through improved operational efficiency, reduced downtime, and enhanced safety, making it an essential asset for industries with heavy material handling needs.