Freestanding workstation cranes make metal fabrication easier — and safer

A manufacturer of agricultural equipment wanted to increase the health and safety of the workers at its facility, and boost productivity at the same time. Changing how its workers handled steel materials and fabricated assemblies was key to this effort. 

The old way

Workers were using two portable gantry cranes to handle steel materials and fabricated assemblies. They often struggled with a congested floor space that offered limited room for handling assemblies, which weighed 4,000 pounds and were up to 16 feet tall. It took two workers pushing and pulling to position the loaded gantries. This process exposed the workers to risks of injury, and was also very time consuming and inefficient. 

The manufacturer explored installing an I-Beam crane system to cover the work areas; however, it wanted a modular crane system that could be relocated as needed, and that would allow for future expansion. 

The new way

The company decided to purchase two custom two-ton Gorbel freestanding workstation cranes with nested trollies mounted on double girder bridges. Each crane’s nested trolley has a rigid hook electric chain hoist mounted to it. 

The crane systems’ general arrangement and installation place the columns at the outer limits of the work area, up against the walls of the building. The middle columns straddling the two cranes serve to support both systems. The nested trolleys maximize the hook height. Because of the low friction trolley wheels, workers can manually position the bridges and trolleys. 

The benefits

With the Gorbel crane, only one worker is needed for lifting activities. And, thanks to the system’s placement, there is an improved utilization of floor space. Additional advantages include increased production speeds and reduced risk of worker injury.

Additional details

Engineered Lifting Systems & Equipment (ELS) is an authorized dealer for Gorbel products. To learn more, contact ELS. 

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