A galvanizing plant in Muncie, Indiana had a bridge crane in need of some serious assistance. Galvanizing is a process by which metal pieces and equipment are coated by molten zinc, making them many times more resistant to oxidization. The hot-dip galvanizing process involves some extremely corrosive chemicals (most notably hydrochloric acid [HCL]) that have a hugely damaging effect on any metal equipment used in the galvanizing process. Even the hardiest steel bridge crane can’t stand long against that kind of daily caustic bombardment… we should know, because the 10-year-old bridge crane in question was one of our own – a 10-ton single-girder top running unit that CraneWerks designed, built and installed in 2010. Under normal circumstances and with regular maintenance, this crane would’ve lasted 30 years or more without breaking a sweat. After a single decade in this environment, though, it looked more like a 100-year-old crane than a 10-year-old one.

 

The Application:

• Customer: A Muncie, Indiana galvanizing plant that’s part of a multinational galvanizing and metal treatment corporation.
• Dealer: Harriman Material Handling
• Rehabber/installer: CraneWerks, Inc.
• Original manufacturer/dealer: CraneWerks, Inc./Harriman Material Handling

The customer is a company specializing in hot-dip galvanizing. Their decade-old 10-ton single-girder bridge crane was in need of some serious TLC after daily inundation by some of the most caustic substances in the industrial world.

 

The Challenge:

To breathe new life into a crane that looked to be on its last legs. The 10-ton single-girder top running overhead bridge crane – that CraneWerks had designed, built and installed for them 10 years earlier – was a pitted-out mess, with a deteriorating flange, end trucks in danger of falling off the girder, and a pair of hoists that seemed ready to give up the ghost.

 

The Solution:

CraneWerks replaced the crane’s old end trucks with entirely new ones. We refurbished the entire crane: girder, all parts (including hoists) and particularly the flange, which was especially deteriorated. We also replaced the old controller with a new VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) unit, which offers improved load control, greater efficiency and increased hoist life.

 

The Results:

Customer received a completely rejuvenated 10-ton, single-girder crane for a fraction of the price of total replacement; a crane ready to face the rigors of day-to-day duty in this particularly challenging and caustic work environment.