8 Different Types of Overhead Cranes and Their Uses

The use of overhead cranes, which are essential to a great number of different sectors, substantially boosts both operational efficiency and safety. The availability of these cranes in various configurations, each of which is optimized for a particular task, contributes to their adaptability. This article explores the diverse range of overhead cranes available and delves into their applications, providing valuable insights for businesses seeking the right crane solution for their lifting requirements.

Overhead Cranes: Various Models and Their Applications

Top Running Overhead Cranes

Overhead cranes, particularly those of significant capacity, are highly sought after due to their reliability, versatility, and high operational frequency. One of their unique features is a movable bridge that traverses along rails mounted on the top of the runway beams, carrying the hoist and trolley. This design allows the crane to cover a substantial work area, and the hoist can be located high above the bridge to accommodate tall lifts. Because of their robust construction, top-running overhead cranes are ideal for heavy-duty applications. Industries such as steel and metalworking heavily rely on these cranes for operations like coil lifting or mold pouring. Furthermore, they’re extensively used in industrial and shipbuilding sectors for assembling large products or transporting hefty ship parts.

Under Running Overhead Cranes

Underrunning, or underhung, cranes are distinguished from their top-running counterparts by a moveable bridge that rides on the bottom flanges of the runway beams. These cranes are specially designed so that they can be suspended from a building’s ceiling without the need for any new support. In addition to freeing up more room, this improves accessibility to the hook and provides more all-encompassing protection for the workspace. These cranes can be smaller and meant to lift less weight, but they are surprisingly agile and precise. Their small size and adaptability make them a great option for spaces with restricted ceiling height or limited access to structural steel. Parts handling, tooling, and maintenance are just a few examples of the many applications for underhung cranes in industries including automotive, assembly, and light manufacturing.

Single Girder Overhead Cranes

Single girder cranes, such as the 3-ton overhead crane, have a bridge beam with a hoist and trolley below. They are lighter and simpler than double girder bridges, making them cheaper to build and maintain. These cranes are sturdy and trustworthy for modest loads. Space-constrained establishments like them because they can cover shorter span lengths. Single-girder cranes have several uses. They are used in workshops to handle machinery or equipment, warehouses for material handling and stock management, and factories for assembly or quality control. Due to their cost-effectiveness and reliability, single-girder cranes are used for light to medium-duty lifting.

Double Girder Overhead Cranes

Double girder cranes have two parallel bridge beams that support the hoist and trolley system. The double-beam crane can hoist much higher weights than single-girder cranes due to its strength and stability. These cranes can cover huge work areas since they span longer distances. Heavy-duty industrial applications favor two girder cranes due to these advantages. These cranes lift big steel, shipbuilding, and heavy equipment manufacturing loads. Due to the hoist sitting on top of the beams, twin girder cranes have a higher lift height, making them useful in high-vertical spaces. Double girder cranes are worth the extra expense for heavy-duty operations due to their adaptability and operational advantages.

Gantry Cranes

With an ‘A’-shaped structure, gantry cranes have a hoist that travels along a horizontal beam or gantry that crosses the workstation. The crane can travel on rails or wheels, allowing multi-directional load handling. Gantry cranes are useful in challenging conditions because they can carry huge loads. In freight yards, they load, unload, and stack; in shipyards, they handle containers or massive ship sections. Industrial enterprises use these cranes to assemble huge gear and move large goods. Many gantry cranes are surprisingly maneuverable, making them strong and efficient for difficult lifting operations.

Jib Cranes

Jib cranes have a horizontal beam or jib connected to a column or wall and a hoist that travels along it. Their rotating jib provides round or semi-circular lifting coverage. This permits accurate load placement and direction adjustments within the crane’s range, providing operational flexibility. Jib cranes are ideal for limited floor space due to their small form. Jib cranes are used in assembly lines, workshops, and warehouses for accurate assembly or disassembly, service, and localized material handling. They are dependable industrial lifting solutions because of their power, accuracy, and spatial efficiency.

Monorail Cranes

Monorail cranes have a hoist that operates along a single track. This overhead beam can be straight or modified with bends, switches, and elevation variations to meet operational requirements. These cranes work well for linear, simple material-handling activities. Monorail cranes have several uses due to their simplicity and effectiveness. They are utilized in manufacturing lines for sequential assembly, warehouses for efficient material transportation, and maintenance shops for servicing huge equipment. These cranes can also be modified to meet specific needs, simplifying industrial and commercial cargo transfer and placement.

Bridge Cranes

Bridge or overhead cranes have a hoist that moves over a bridge between two parallel runways installed on a freestanding structure or the facility walls. The hoist, which bears the load, travels over the bridge as the bridge moves along the runways, providing three-dimensional workspace coverage. These cranes can do anything from lifting to placing huge cargo. Bridge cranes are utilized in steel, automotive, and aerospace sectors for coil handling, assembly line operations, and aircraft assembly and maintenance. Bridge cranes improve efficiency, safety, and productivity, making them essential to effective material handling in many industrial situations.

Conclusion

Different types of overhead cranes are important in increasing efficiency and security in many fields of work. Top-running, under-running, single-girder, double-girder, gantry, jib, monorail, and bridge cranes perform distinct functions and make various tasks possible. A company’s ability to optimize its workflow and provide a safe working environment depends on its knowledge of the many kinds and applications of overhead cranes. Overhead cranes are a prime example of the synergy that can be achieved when human brilliance and mechanical capability are combined; these machines are essential to the advancement of many industries.