A gantry crane is a type of overhead crane. Unlike the latter, the bridge of this device does not move on rails directly, but through special supports. The rails themselves are not installed at the height, on the walls of the workshop, but on the ground. The main distinguishing feature of equipment such as gantry cranes is their versatility.
There are both single-beam and double-beam structures. Any type of this equipment does not require complicated maintenance and is easily controlled by one operator. The use of structures such as a gantry bridge crane will significantly increase labor productivity. According to the experience of using such models, the cost of production can be reduced by about 25%.
This equipment is used in many industries. Next, we list the main areas of their application:
- Warehouses. In these rooms, gantry cranes are used to move piece goods, containers, etc.
- Open areas of production workshops. In this case, this equipment is also mounted to move mainly piece goods.
- When assembling prefabricated buildings - warehouses and industrial, as well as civil structures.
- In shipbuilding and hydroelectric stations.
In all these cases, cranes may differ slightly in their performance. When used to move goods in warehouses, equipment with a rather small lifting height (up to 12 meters) is used. For the installation of prefabricated structures in industry and agriculture, special installation and construction gantry cranes are used. Special models are also used to move goods in the shipbuilding industry. Most often it is KKS. Lightweight designs are also available that can be used even in individual construction. Such models are characterized by extraordinary smoothness of movement, and therefore are very simple to manage.
A variety of tools can be used to move the goods themselves: hooks, both one-handed and two-horned, electromagnets, tongs, grabs (special bucket mites used to carry bulk goods), etc. The lifting mechanism itself is located directly on the bridge, on which it moves.
The work of the gantry crane can be carried out by the operator either from the cab, mounted on a support or a cargo trolley, or from the outside, directly from the ground. In the first case, some models can be equipped with remote controls. At the same time, a special key is used for control, without which it is impossible to turn the engine on or off.
This type of bridge cranes is considered the most popular and often used. The point here is the ease of assembly, transportation and management. In addition, this equipment is not very expensive, and it consumes very little fuel. The easiest to maintain are single girder gantry cranes. A similar interesting name is most likely chosen for these models because they are somewhat similar to an old firewood sawing device. A bridge is located between the two supports, and one or more freight carts move along it.