Cranes to fight Covid-19 Telescopic cranes from Condra will soon be helping a South African chemicals company to produce alcohol in very large volumes for hand sanitiser to combat the spread of Covid-19. Recently tested and soon to be delivered, the double-girder cranes with underslung K-Series hoists were ordered to replace a competitor’s machines used for pump maintenance. They are of complex design, each featuring a telescopic boom to enable a single crane to service pumps in separate but adjacent bays. The boom will extend into position over the adjacent bay, allowing the retrieval of pumps to the principal workshop area for attention by the crane after the boom has retracted. Condra’s order is for nine identical units, replacing eight machines from rival firms and one of its hoists, all nine being originally supplied in 1987. Condra won the replacement order because the customer considered Condra’s machine to have performed the best over the past 33 years. The new cranes are doublegirder underslung machines with underslung crabs. A foot-mounted hoist on each crane moves between two girders arranged as an extendable boom beneath the mainframe.
A Condra spokesman explained that the Condra design made use of an intricate arrangement of limit switches to prevent any possibility of long travel while the boom is extended. Travelling with an extended boom would damage the building, the spokesman explained. To achieve the most compact possible machine dimensions, Condra used K Series hoists footmounted on underslung crabs, lifted up and between the two girders along which they travel. Variable-speed drives have been fitted to achieve speeds of up to 4,5 metres per minute on the lift, 20,2 m/min on the cross travel, and 30,7 m/min on the long travel. The variable-speed drives will deliver improved productivity. The only two-speed operation was available on the machines being replaced. Travel on the telescopic boom will be 4,3 metres per minute. “From an engineering point of view, we found these machines very interesting to design and make because of the telescopic capability,” said Condra’s spokesman.
“The main and telescopic sections are independently mobile and designed in such a way that longtravel movement will automatically halt if the telescopic unit is near a column.” “The design is also extremely compact to maximise lift height. Optimised safety and reduced maintenance were incorporated throughout this design,” the spokesman concluded.
Condra Cranes, +27 11 776-6000, sales@condra.co.za, www.condra.co.za
The Focus 30 crane grows closer with completion of main boom The Focus 30 crane is set to change the landscape of heavy lifting in confined spaces and has now moved a step closer to completion with the fabrication of its main boom. Mammoet selected experienced fabricators Hillebrand for this stage of the construction project. “All the contractors for the Focus 30 are based in the Netherlands and within a reasonable distance of our Schiedam office, which is where the crane’s engineering team is based,” explained Harold Zuidervaart, Project Manager.
The boom has been fabricated in eight main parts and there were quality control procedures at all stages during the fabrication.
“Hillebrand has a lot of steel construction experience across various industries, including the fabrication of heavy cranes, and their Middelburg and Vlissingen facilities are well-equipped for this type of project. We were also familiar with them as Mammoet has previously transported and installed steel bridges and viaducts that they have fabricated. We are both companies that have a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what is possible, so it was a good fit.” Mammoet has had to work closely with each of their contractors and that coordination has been vital. To save time on the project, Hillebrand’s fabrication work began before the full engineering for the Focus 30 crane was complete. The coordination between Hillebrand and Mammoet ensured both the engineering for the crane and the main boom’s fabrication could successfully run simultaneously. Hillebrand was supplied with the main tubular of 690 quality, procuring the rest of the components for the fabrication. The majority of the components could be sourced from within the Netherlands, with Hillebrand seeking the most efficient ways of transporting them.
Templates of each of the sections were fabricated to ensure they would all fit correctly. Several trial fits were then performed to test the components before they were designated final. Once deemed complete, the last stage of the fabrication could be carried out for each section, with the painting work performed in several batches. This means that when delivered to Mammoet, the boom will be fully finished. Overall construction for the Focus 30 crane is continuing on schedule, ready for the crane’s first project later this year.
Mammoet, +27 11 882 4499, sales.southernafrica@mammoet.com, www.mammoet.com
Modulift and Pewag Group announce strategic alliance Modulift is proud to announce a new strategic alliance with Pewag Group – one of the oldest chain manufacturers in the world and today home for a multitude of worldwide leading brands for integrated safety solutions for man and machine. This partnership will leverage each company’s unique strengths and assets to expand customer reach, as well as to promote the service to a higher level. Ägyd Pengg, Managing Director of pewag group is convinced that “adding the know-how, products and services of Modulift to our existing range of lifting devices is a perfect match.” Aligned through our shared vision for the highest quality products, passion for innovation and globally renowned brands, we are moving forward into the future working
together to keep the lifting industry safe. “Combining forces to strengthen our products and markets around the world, we will be increasing our global distribution network whilst continuing to offer unrivalled levels of customer service,” Managing Director of Modulift, Sarah Spivey adds.
Modulift & Pewag, +44 (0)1202 621511, sales@modulift.com, www.modulift.com
New testing center for Pintsch Bubenzer Brakes Brake products supplied by Pintsch Bubenzer USA will be tested by two new dynamometer test stands at the manufacturer’s research and development centre in Betzdorf, Germany. Pintsch Bubenzer makes highperformance disc and drum brakes for cranes and other severe duty applications, as well as complementary products, such as emergency and storm brakes. One test bench is used for smaller calliper and drum brakes and the other for larger calliper and hydraulic brakes. The testing facility is particularly applicable to products supplied in the USA to Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST)— formerly Association of Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE)—standards and those that meet the rigid requirements of Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN), the German national organization for standardization. As Joel Cox, president at Pintsch Bubenzer USA explained, products for wind energy and storm brakes are subject to more specific testing
as they do not always rely on “spinning” as much as “grabbing”. Cox added: “Our goal was to not only build a testing centre that could work with today’s highest capacity equipment, but also tomorrow’s. Given the pace of evolution—we recently installed a series of Twin Safe TS800 brakes on two 10,000-metric ton (22 million pounds) capacity cranes and auxiliary hoists aboard a giant semisubmersible crane vessel—that vision required us to think big. To have a proven, repeatable product you must endure the most rigorous of design and testing processes and in these new dynamometer test stands we have that.” Cox explained that the pair of testing units are in addition to a thruster dyno testbed at North American headquarters in Flemington, New Jersey, where prospective and existing customers
can see six of the company’s most popular brakes and couplings undergo a thorough examination. The system is also used for in-house training and employee inductions. Back in Germany, where the testing centre runs under the watchful eye of Johannes Hammelrath, the new dynamometer test stands boast some staggering numbers. For example, the diameter of the test brake discs range from 560mm to 1,200mm, depending on the test brake; the maximum braking torque (static and dynamic) is 30,000 Nm; the maximum speed is 2,200 1/min, and the mass inertia is adjustable in steps from 50 to 1,000 kgm², via couplable flywheel masses. Cox also pointed to the maximum energy (without brake disc) of 25,000 kJ at 2,200 1/min, and maximum braking performance of 3.5 MW at 2,200 rpm and 30,000 Nm. He said: “Hundreds of our products have already been tested at this new centre. Typically, products are tested upon the design of the units in production batches. We also are asked sometimes for proof testing; we can pair up a given disc with pads and burnish them in for a small fee and prove given torques— not just static paperwork.”
Pintsch Bubenzer, info@pintschbubenzerusa.com, www.pintschbubenzerusa.com
GIS Launches New Chain Hoists, Trolleys
Swiss electric chain hoist manufacturer GIS AG has launched two additions to its GP series and a new generation of trolleys. The GP1600 and GP2500 electric chain hoists expand the capacity of the range to 6,300kg, while the GHF/GMF manual and motorised trolleys match-up with higher capacity in addition to optimised, quiet running and extended service life. The GP2500 is a first in the company’s 60-year history in that it enables an increase in capacity from the previous 5,000kg in twofall operation and lifts 3,200kg in a single fall. The GP1600 boasts a lifting capacity of 2,500kg (one fall) or 4,000kg (two falls). The range now extends from the 12kg light GPM250, with 320kg lifting capacity, up to the two new powerhouses—available immediately. As with existing GP models, protection class IP65 is standard, guaranteeing dust-tightness and protection against water. With its compact, robust design, every GP chain hoist is suitable for both dusty environments and outdoor use. All shaft-hub-connections are manufactured to a self-centring polygonal design. Erich Widmer, sales and marketing manager at GIS AG, said: "Disassembly and assembly during maintenance work are, therefore,
faster and requires no special tools, which reduces service costs. The low-wear DC spring-loaded brake, as well as a contactor control without sensitive electronics, ensures further operational safety." For applications with an exceptional duty cycle in addition to high switching frequency (multi-shift operation), a version with a frequency converter is available. Variable speeds and a soft start ensure precise, gentle positioning of the load. ATEX versions (dust or gas protected) of the GP1600 and GP2500 can be used in explosive environments. New trolley The new trolley generation, meanwhile, consists of a manual (GHF model) and motorised (GMF model) versions, with a 26% higher capacity compared to previous models. A stepless, variable flange width facilitates on-site installation. The GHF/GMF trolleys are designed for maximum flexibility and durability. They are available in four sizes with capacities of 1,250kg, 2,500kg, 5,000kg and 6,300kg. The helical gear and flat or convex rollers, with a larger diameter, can be tuned to the wing to ensure longer service life.
Widmer said: "The flange width is steplessly variable thanks to a new type of adjustment system and can be fixed positively using a locking function." Importantly, the trolleys are matched-up to the GP chain hoists and form a compact complete unit. The product can also be used as components for end carriages of underslung overhead travelling cranes and are available with frequency converters for movement of the load without overshooting. Widmer said the trolleys feature side plates made of grey cast iron with integrated fall and climbing protection and are also available in a corrosion-resistant version up to 1,250kg capacity for the food; chemical and pharmaceutical; wastewater treatment; and outdoor applications. He added: “Both the electric chain hoists of the GP series and the GHF/GMF trolleys are made in Switzerland; they are robust and designed for tough, everyday use.” Both products are guaranteed by an extended warranty of three years.
GIS AG, +41 41 984 11 33, tel@gis-ag.ch, www.gis-ag.ch