Types of Gantry Cranes and their uses

The word “Gantry Cranes” is something that is often heard in the material handling industry. When someone says Gantry crane, they are often referring to an overhead bridge crane system. In fact, there are different types of overhead bridge cranes that are considered as Gantry cranes. The commendable thing about these gantry cranes is that due to their different shapes and sizes, they can be used in different types of industries without hassle. The girder configuration, size of the crane, etc are some of the factors which help in deciding the use of a particular gantry crane.

The Gantry crane is capable of lifting the heavy objects by its hoist trolley and move both horizontally on a pair of rails which are fitted under a bean. These trolleys are usually deployed in the locations where some heavy weight lifting is to be done. Here are some of the uses of Gantry cranes in the industry.

Gantry cranes are sometimes also known as a portal crane. The term portal is used to describe the workspace or portal of the crane. Since gantry cranes are mobile, they are generally used in places where the goods cannot be brought to the crane, like in the case of an overhead crane. Amidst gantry cranes as well, there is a further classification.

These are the types of gantry cranes that are available at gantry crane manufacturers in India. You can choose the crane that meets your requirements.

There are various types of gantry cranes.

• Full Gantry Crane System- They consists of two legs which ride on a rail. They usually run in a straight line in the particularly dedicated areas only.
• Semi Gantry Crane System- These cranes run on a single leg rail and are advantageous when you have a very little workspace.
• Portable Gantry Systems- these gantry systems are light in weight and they run on rubber wheels or casters.
• Adjustable Gantry Cranes- The adjustable gantry cranes is designed with variable height and allows the user to adjust the crane according to the requirement.

Full Gantry Crane:

In the case of the full gantry cranes, the load carrying part of the crane lies below the gantry and is supported firmly by a beam. A complex network of cables and attachments also staunchly supports the structure. Due to this firm structural composition, full gantry cranes can counter attack the torque from the load. Due to such a mechanism, extremely heavyweights like ship engines can be carried using a full gantry crane. The world’s largest gantry crane, available in the port city of Yantai of China, is capable of carrying 22,000 tonnes.

Rubber Tired Gantry Crane:

As the name suggests, these cranes are wheeled with rubber tires. Due to such a structure, these gantry cranes don’t need a rail for mobility. These are usually smaller than the other gantry cranes which enable the rubber tires to handle their load. When an easily moveable crane is required that can navigate through multiple rails and can be conveniently carried, rubber-tired gantry cranes are used. Rubber tired gantry cranes can smoothly lift heavy loads to good heights. These are mostly used in the work areas where there is a considerable size restriction and the maximum space utilisation is required vertically.

Workstation Gantry Crane

Small work stations or medium-sized factories use workstation gantry cranes. These cranes are smaller in size and can conveniently lift lighter goods. When unloaded, these cranes can be moved. However, when they are loaded with goods, they remain stationary. The hoisting mechanism in the workstation gantry cranes is assisted by wire rope hoists or in some cases chain hoists with lower capacity.

All these different types of gantry cranes are used for different purposes. The choice of an effective gantry crane is done based on the work station area and the utility of the crane.

Uses of Gantry Cranes in Industry

Ship Building

Gantry cranes are the ones that are usually deployed in the shipbuilding industry. The shipbuilding requires a lot of heavy weight lifting and it can be achieved by using the Gantry cranes. The crane will help in straddling the ship so that some of the massive engine parts like the engine of the ship are installed in it. The crane aids in movement of the ships when it is in the building stage.

Automobile Industry

There are small sized cranes which can be used to lift the automobile engines from the vehicles. The weight of the automobile engine varies depending on the vehicles and it is important to have a crane that will help in the entire lifting process.

Warehouses

In warehouses, there will be a requirement of heavy weight lifting objects all the time. The gantry cranes will help in this lifting process. These type of cranes are present in almost all kinds of warehouses.

Manufacturing Units

The small-sized gantry cranes can be used in the manufacturing units. They will help in moving the parts from one place to another. These cranes have a capacity of 4 tons which will help in carrying bulk goods at the same time.

Construction Area

The gantry cranes are very helpful in the construction areas. They can be used to lift the heavy materials that are present in these areas.