In your business, accuracy, and efficiency count more than anything. And that’s precisely why you’re excited to invest in a workstation crane system.
Workstation cranes are a cost-effective and ergonomic solution for making repetitive and precise movements. For this reason, they are skyrocketing in popularity, particularly in the growing area of high-technology operations, such as Internet of Things product development.
Maintenance is important to keep your workstation crane running in an efficient manner, though. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a comprehensive maintenance guide for caring for your business’s crane.
Let’s jump in!
What Is a Workstation Crane?
Workstation cranes are systems that can meet the demands of production lines and workstations. These systems may be freestanding or ceiling-mounted. Monorail cranes are also available.
These systems are useful in multiple industries where significant lifting capacity is needed. These include, for example, aerospace, coil handling, and fabrication.
These systems are generally robust, reliable, unfailingly accurate, and efficient. They are also simple to install. For instance, they can often be installed in one day.
However, issues can arise with these cranes if they aren’t maintained. Keeping up your crane can help you extend its life and minimize breakdowns.
Connections and Chains
An important workstation crane maintenance step is to check your crane’s hoist connections. This is vital because repeatedly using them will end up wearing them down.
A weak connection can lead to failure. This failure can damage both your machine and the heavy load you were hauling with it. It may also lead to injury or death if people are around the crane when it fails.
If you see serious wear, rust, or damage to your connections and chains, it’s best to hire a professional to assess your crane’s condition. They can then make the necessary repairs or replacements.
Alignment Situation
Yet another critical step in workstation crane maintenance is to check your crane’s alignment.
This is important because cranes may become misaligned. This hazard will cause them to lean over time. Unfortunately, this will place extra tension on your machine.
By detecting misalignment issues early on and getting them repaired, you can prevent a disaster that could cost both money and lives.
Hook Situation
Be sure to also inspect your crane’s hook during the inspection process.
The hook is the part of the machine that you connect to your loads. For this reason, it is vulnerable to bends and cracks. This damage can make the hook weak.
In light of this, you should never assume that your hook is fine. Inspect it regularly and get it replaced if necessary to keep it from breaking.
A hook break can cause an extremely heavy load to crash. This is dangerous for nearby employees and may also cost you the expense of the load.
Additional Maintenance Tips
When performing workstation crane maintenance, you should also check to ensure that the emergency and safety switches are working properly. Also, lubricate any moving parts of your machine.
In addition, be sure to check your load moment/ rated capacity indicator’s accuracy.
Detailed maintenance also involves inspecting structural components like your pins, shafts, and gears.
During the maintenance process, be sure to maintain updated part replacement and inspection records as well.
Frequency of Inspections
Follow your machine’s OEM guidelines for how often you should inspect your machine based on its duty cycle.
However, as a general rule of thumb, you should inspect your crane when you first purchase and install it. It should also be evaluated after you repair any of its load-bearing parts. These inspection processes should involve load testing.
Periodic inspections are also important to perform about every month. This is particularly true if your crane is used frequently. A periodic inspection is okay to do annually if you don’t use your crane often.
Let’s say you plan to use your crane heavily during certain seasons of the year. In this situation, you should do frequent inspections — for example, once a week. If you perform frequent inspections, there’s no need to do periodic inspections.
During frequent inspections, inspect all critical items. In addition, perform operations checks on these items. These items include wire ropes, hooks, chains, and switches.
Because periodic and frequent maintenance can be technical and complex, it’s wise to allow professionals to carry out this task.
You should also take time during each day or each shift to inspect your workstation crane. This will further ensure that your crane is safe to operate every time.
How We Can Help
You can easily maintain your workstation crane by regularly evaluating its hook, hydraulics, connections, and chains. Then, you can repair or replace these components as needed. By properly maintaining your crane, you can increase your workplace’s safety and minimize your production losses.
Fortunately, at Shannahan Crane & Hoist, Inc., we take pride in offering high-quality Gorbel cranes as well as crane inspection/maintenance services. We even offer emergency service 24/7. Get in touch with us to learn more about our services through a complimentary consultation today!