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One injury Far Too Many For This Utility Company’s Workers
For an electrical utility company, looking out for employee safety is a high priority. It’s that concern for safety that drives them to test the insulation inserts for cherry picker truck baskets to be sure that any line workers who are repairing power lines above the ground are protected from potential electrical shock. The problems: • 120 lb. baskets were being lifted by hand • Average worker is 55 years old • Worker was injured hoisting the basket in the water basin. The solution, a 500 pound capacity work station crane to cover the entire work area. To service the entire work space, the system was installed as two perpendicular systems that shared common support columns.
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Gorbel Jib Lifts Oceanographic Institute Out Of Deep Water
In a lab that is part Jacques Cousteau and part George Lucas, an east coast oceanographic institute is using advanced technology to open the doors for expanded open sea scientific research. The centerpiece of the lab is a 50-thousand gallon water tank in which the aquatic research facility simulates open sea conditions while experimenting with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV’s) and remote operated vehicles (ROV’s). These underwater vehicles conduct a wide variety of test using lasers, targets and various large obstacles that average 500 lbs. and measure 5 feet long x 6 feet high.
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Achieving Ergonomic Sustainability with the Gorbel PIVOT PRO™
A large manufacturer of flooring materials makes a considerable effort toward environmentally friendly products, using recycled and biodegradable materials in its products whenever possible. While their process was targeting environmental sustainability, it was becoming very obvious that is was not ergonomically sustainable. The solution was the PIVOT PRO® articulating jib crane with a 150 pound capacity, 9-foot height under boom and 12-foot span, paired with a Vaculex vacuum lifter. The benefits provided: Reach around columns / obstructions, Accessible by two conveyor lines, One worker can unload 2 conveyor lines in a safer working environment with less injuries to wrists and shoulders.
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Getting It Right With A Work Station Bridge Crane Before Production Starts
Regal Granite & Marble owner was aware of the risks associated with handling the heavy, fragile material, and wanted to minimize the risk. Without a crane system it would take numerous people to lift and move the slabs around the facility causing safety and productivity issues. Solution: A Freestanding Gorbel work station crane with a 2000 pound capacity aluminum bridge to cover the work cell and service both machines.
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Demag KBK Monorail System in Sand Distribution Application
Industry: Manufacturer of Faucets and Valves Application: A large manufacturer of faucets and valves required their casting machines to be supplied with fresh core sand with a minimum amount of human involvement. These machines were located in a fixed path with 12 defined sand delivery points. Solution: Demag designed an overhead monorail systems with its KBK enclosed track product which could deliver the core sand to the delivery points on each machine. The 130 monorail path incorporated two curves in order to service two rows of machines.
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Demag KBK Enclosed Track Crane for Cheese Processing Facility
Industry: Cheese Processing Facility Application: A suspension crane system was required for operation in a cheese processing facility to handle 400 lb. cheese trays which were lowered into a brine solution. The environmental conditions meant that the equipment must be supplied with food grade paint and subject to very high humidity. Overall system height was also critical. Solution: A Demag KBK single girder crane system with raised end trucks was supplied to give the customer the largest possible headroom. The KBK track was supplied with paint that was both suitable for food handling and had effective protection against corrosion.
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Demag KBK Enclosed Track Crane with Manipulator Arm.
Installation of front and rear axles at a compact car assembly plant required a custom designed handling system that could safely lift, transfer and manipulate these awkward parts into the correct position for installation. The Solution: A custom designed air powered manipulator arm was designed and suspended from a KBK ERGO Enclosed Track Double Girder Crane.
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Articulating Jib Assists With Bridge Maintenance
Rather than closing down lanes on the bridge for several weeks the company had installed access platforms about 20 feet beneath where the bearing retrofit would take place at two locations. The access platform was the staging area for the project, with structural steel components, tools and other hardware coming from down below. Two articulating jib cranes were installed, one for each of the identical work areas. The 1000 pound capacity jib cranes measure 14’ of overall span (8’ for the primary arm, 6’ for the secondary).
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Demag KBK Enclosed Track Stacker Crane System for Storage and Retrieval
A manufacturer of cutting dies and related machinery had an urgent need for a quality handling system capable of placing and retrieving equipment in storage racks. A Demag KBK Crane System with a KBK Stacker Mast provided a productive and cost effective solution for this task. The stacker mast with 360 degree rotation could easily pick or place any part into the racks on either side of the aisle.
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Custom Header/Column Connections Allows Wall to Wall Coverage In Small Machine Shop
A tool & machine shop owner's customer base was growing, and the parts he was running through his CNC lathes and milling machines were becoming larger and more diverse. A 500 pound capacity Gorbel work station bridge crane was installed. The system featured custom header to column connections, which brought the 16 foot, 11 inch runways right to the edge of room, allowing wall-to-wall coverage.
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Demag KBK Enclosed Track Monorail Provides the Best Solution
A manufacturer of precision measuring equipment was looking for a way to remove test weights up to 1100 lbs from their calibration machine. The weights would need to be deposited and removed underneath overhead obstructions, in close proximity to the machine. A Demag KBK Curved Track Monorail System provided the best solution to this material handling application. Unlike a Crane or Jib, the Monorail could be installed from the existing overhead structure, without the need for adding extra support columns in the work zone.
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Busting Up "Log-jams" With The G-Jib®
The fabrication area is where covers and guards for electronic controls are built in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The most common components being moved are tubular and angled steel, which could be as light as 15-20 pounds or as heavy as 500 pounds. The problem was an overhead bridge crane was shared between multiple work bays causing production delays when more than one person needed to use it.
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Experienced Customer Chooses Work Station Cranes Over I-Beam Cranes
A regional provider of truck transmission, rear differentials and steering components was building a new facility for their transmission assembly. With several existing buildings and a variety of applications, the company had experience with several overhead lifting solutions. In other buildings workers were using and I-Beam crane to move transmission that weigh from 100-1000 lbs. in a final testing area. “It was wearing our people down”, said the Production Manager. “They were too much effort.”
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Burn Table Loading Systems Improves Productivity
ACCO Material Handling Solutions provided Louden 585 Cranes equipped with Wright Work-Rated Hoists. All motions are controlled by Inverters for smooth operation. Additionally supplied Nutting trailers to transport the plate safety to the burn table.
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Gorbel G-Force® iQ Units: Synchronized Lifting
Workers are doing their final welds on the trays, and lifting them onto a cart to be banded and prepared for shipping. The trays resemble aluminum extension ladders when complete and range in dimension from 6-36 inches wide and 10-20 feet long, each weighing between 50-130 pounds. To lift the long trays safely with the most control, the company was looking for a way to lift both ends of the tray in one synchronized motion.
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Risk Takers Heed Warning When It Comes To Risking Employee's Safety
During assembly and maintenance of vehicles, workers climb to the top of the coaches to be sure they are properly sealed, as well as to inspect vents and satellite dishes for damage. The average height of these vehicles is 13 feet. The company has installed 7 total, Tether Track Fall Arrest Systems. Two are two-person dual track monorails and the rest are single person monorails.
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TC/American Hot Metal Carrier System Unique System Proves Best Solution
When Victaulic, a manufacturer of fire protection and HVAC equipment, decided to expand its current facility they needed a way to transport hot metal from furnaces to auto-pouring stations. The new system consists of three hot metal carriers: two are in use while the third is used as a back-up. The carriers travel on a closed loop monorail system which is routed around the foundry. A glide switch and spur track provide easy access to the maintenance areas where the third carrier is stored. Benefits: Safe (infrared transmitter), Efficient (weighing system) Easy to operate, reliable, Can be custom-designed (anti-collision system – strobe light flashes when carrier is energized, bell sounds..
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TC/American’s Spanmaster® Self-Supporting Crane
When the Fasson Roll Division, an Avery Dennison Company, was planning to add a second roll slitting line, and additional self-supporting crane system was needed. Their existing system, utilized I-beam runways and bridge. Operator fatigue inspired the customer to seek a better solution. The solution a 4000 pound capacity system facilitates lifting individual rolls of a maximum of 2000 pounds from the slitting machine onto a shipping pallet. The articulating trolleys with flat tread wheels running on a TC/American hardened track having a flat operating flange. The combination of these two features provides less rolling friction to overcome, thus easier operation and less operator fatigue.
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Demag KBK Semi-Automated Enclosed Track Monorail in a surface treatment application
A manufacturer was looking for a way to increase the throughput of boiler tanks through the surface treatment process, without a large increase in manpower. At the same time gentle, precise handling was required to reduce the risk of product damage. A KBK IIR Loop Monorail System was installed with 14 individual hoist/trolley units. The cured track profiles allow the monorail to wind through the complex layout of the surface treatment line.
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Demag KBK Multi Crane System for Engine Block Machining Application
Automobile manufacturer Nissan needed a way to safely move engine blocks into position for machining. To meet peak production requirements the ability to handle up to 18 blocks at the same time was required.
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