Rotating girder bridge crane, as the name suggests, is a bridge crane that can rotate the hoisted goods. As a special form of crane, it has outstanding advantages and disadvantages, but for customers with special needs, the birth of this kind of crane is necessary. The case we share today comes from the foundry of a British superalloy manufacturer. Through this customer's description, I believe it can provide reference value for more customers in need.

Design scheme and working method of rotating girder bridge crane

Engineering supervisor at Special Metals, said: “Where previously we might have had to use a forklift truck to ensure these goods were facing the right direction before being ready to use one of the existing cranes in the foundry, being able to rotate materials as they are being moved has helped improve our workplace efficiency immeasurably.”

The new machine is designed to quickly rotate lengthy or cumbersome goods and materials when moving them between various workstation or storage positions.

The crane utilises a 360° slewing crab unit that could freely traverse along two double girder overhead beams.

The girders have a total span of 23470mm and are supported by existing gantry steelwork within the building. A handheld radio control is used to operate the longitudinal motion of the beam, the crab movement, and the turntable’s rotation.

Two hoists with eight tonne safe working loads sit at either side of the crab unit, supporting loads of a combined total of 16t.

You need to be careful when purchasing a rotating girder bridge crane

We always emphasize to our clients that what suits you is the best. The working environment of cranes is not fixed, so almost every crane we sell is different.

It is undeniable that the rotating hanging beam bridge crane has many advantages, such as flexibility (whether it is vertical lifting, horizontal movement, or rotation, it can be easily achieved, greatly improving work efficiency), space saving (when lifting operations are not needed, it can be rotated to one side, thereby releasing space for other equipment or personnel to use.).

If you do have such needs, then a more cautious choice is the most important. Sun Tzu's Art of War says that knowing the enemy and oneself is invincible in a hundred battles.

The structural design of the rotating hanging beam bridge crane is relatively complex due to the need to achieve rotation function. This may result in relatively high manufacturing and maintenance costs, and the installation and debugging process may also be more cumbersome.

Although the rotating hanging beam bridge crane can rotate to release space, it still requires a spacious space for installation and operation during use. If the venue space is limited, it may affect the operational efficiency and safety of the equipment.

The rotating hanging beam bridge crane may produce significant noise during operation, especially when using older equipment. Noise not only affects the working environment of workers, but may also cause interference to the surrounding environment.

Due to the structural complexity of the rotating hanging beam bridge crane, its maintenance difficulty is relatively high. Professional technical personnel are required for regular maintenance and upkeep to ensure the normal operation of the equipment and extend its service life.

Finally, it should be emphasized that these disadvantages do not necessarily mean that the rotary hanging beam bridge crane is inferior to traditional bridge cranes in all situations. When selecting a crane type, it is necessary to comprehensively consider factors such as usage scenarios, operational requirements, and cost budgets to choose the most suitable crane type.

Application of rotating girder bridge crane in super alloy foundry