Efficiency and safety are two vital considerations when moving materials within a warehouse or manufacturing facility.
Overhead crane and gantry systems can improve the manufacturing process, saving time and avoiding potential accidents.
Crane systems use hooks, chains or magnets to lift, move and position material loads. Hoists are designed to lift and move freely suspended or unguided loads.
These systems are ideal for operation in narrow aisles or corridors and can move in multiple directions from either a fixed base or suspended from tracks throughout the facility. This enables efficient movement of materials through spaces that are smaller than can be accessed by floor-based movers such as forklifts and trucks.
Cranes can also lift larger, heavier or oddly-shaped loads safer and more securely than floor movers. Forklifts in particular are vulnerable to tipping over or to having materials fall due to an unbalanced loads.
Monorails are another type of overhead lifting machinery that can introduce efficiencies into manufacturing processes. While on-floor conveyors can move large numbers of similarly shaped objects, they take up a large amount of floor space and can impede or obstruct other movement in the facility by vehicles and personnel.
Monorails are well suited for moving materials along a fixed path at a fixed rate of speed, just like conveyors. But having the machinery built into the roof of the facility frees up floor space for other uses.
Overhead monorails also put moving machinery out of range of human personnel, helping to reduce the potential for injury.
The type of overhead lifting system required will vary depending on the facility, what they are manufacturing and currently used processes. Companies such as American Crane and Equipment offer a variety of lifting solutions for the desired outcome.
For more details on the benefits of overhead lifting systems, check out Working Smarter with Overhead versus On-Floor Material Handling at ENGINEERING.com.