Ergonomic Lifting Systems for Galvanizing

When designing systems where people are directly involved, two aspects are always our top priority: 1. absolute safety and 2. ergonomics. This was precisely the case in the project for a client in the galvanizing industry. Specifically, the task was to design two lifting systems for the handling of parts before galvanizing (black goods) and the removal of galvanized parts (white goods) from the overhead conveyor. These lifting systems needed to be not only safe and user-friendly but also perfectly tailored to the client’s work environment, especially their conveyors.

The specific challenges at a glance:

• Maximum safety: The lifting system must be designed in such a way that the accidental lowering of the traverse is excluded, as workers are directly involved with the system.
• Ergonomic flexibility: To minimize the physical strain on workers, it was a key concern for our client to provide flexible height adjustability to accommodate the varying dimensions of the parts.
• Space optimization: The lift carriage and other components must be optimally adapted to the customer’s specific requirements, such as the traverses, to fully utilize the available space.
• Precise load management: All components, such as the hydraulic cylinder, must be specifically designed to handle a load of 6.4 tons, with a safety feature integrated to ensure the precise positioning of loads on both sides.

The task of the lifting systems in a galvanizing plant

Lifting systems are an essential tool in industrial manufacturing and processing, as they are specifically designed for lifting, lowering, and positioning heavy loads. The lifting systems we developed are responsible for handling the lifting beams on-site. These beams are metal frames to which the components are hung and remain attached throughout the entire galvanizing process.

Our lifting systems are involved in both the attachment and removal of the goods, which are performed manually, and are designed to ease the workers’ tasks through flexible height adjustment while ensuring their safety. And all of this under high loads. Therefore, the lifting systems must reliably handle several tons – in this case, 6.4 tons per system, but generally, up to 20 tons or more is possible.

What needs to be considered when preparing a lifting system for galvanizing?

Before we start designing our handling systems, we always carefully examine the customer’s specific requirements – especially when it comes to integrating our system into an existing setup. In this project, these included the traverses – the metal frames to which the components are hung and remain attached throughout the entire galvanizing process – and the crane, which is responsible for transporting them between the lifting system and the galvanizing baths.

What is galvinzing and why is it done?

Galvanizing serves to protect steel and iron products from corrosion. By applying a zinc coating, a permanent barrier is created against environmental influences. What is particularly interesting is that zinc has a “self-healing” property. When the protective layer is damaged, it regenerates by forming a new layer of zinc compounds.

This property makes galvanizing an essential process for a wide range of components with various dimensions: from individual stair steps and bicycle racks to lamp posts and scaffolding. This variation in size means that the lifting stations must be extremely flexible in terms of height.

Heavy loads that need to be moved and held

The design of the lifting systems for use in the galvanizing plant required careful consideration of the specific requirements for moving and holding heavy loads. In this project, the lifting trolleys were specifically adapted to the traverse width of 0.92 meters. Additionally, the length of the traverses, which was 8.3 meters, had to be factored into the design to optimally account for the geometry and weight of the traverses.

Ergonomics

To not only make the lifting systems powerful but also significantly reduce the physical strain on the operators, great care was taken to ensure that the beams can be adjusted to an ergonomic working height, further improving the efficiency and safety of the work processes. By implementing a lower lifting height of 1 meter and an upper lifting height of 3.2 meters, it is ensured that the working heights can be optimally adapted to the needs of the operators. This flexibility is especially important when beams are equipped with parts of varying lengths.

The lifting masts: Safe and strong

The strength and safety of the lifting masts are ensured by the use of oversized hydraulic cylinders and specially selected hydraulic oil for this application. A lifting height of 3.2 meters and an overall construction height of 3.7 meters are tailored to the specific requirements of the galvanizing industry. The central placement of the hydraulic unit within the lift column, combined with a powerful electric motor, enables operation under high pressure, efficiently and safely meeting the demands for transporting heavy loads. Additionally, the double-acting hydraulic cylinder is equipped with a safety valve and position monitoring. This not only guarantees the necessary force for the lifting process but also provides an extra layer of safety through monitoring of the cylinder’s position.

Runs like clockwork – even under special influences

For reliable operation under the special conditions of a galvanizing plant, lubricants, oils, and greases specifically tailored to the environment were necessary to extend maintenance intervals. The selection of oils, greases, and lubricants is specifically adapted to the requirements and environmental conditions in the galvanizing plant. The goal is to significantly extend maintenance intervals and ensure smooth, uninterrupted operation.

Maximum safety even in exceptional cases

Another key requirement was ensuring maximum safety, even under exceptional conditions, to protect the workers. Therefore, redundant safety systems are implemented, ensuring the functionality of all safety devices even in the event of failure of critical components, such as the lift chain.

Tilt Monitoring: Avoiding potential safety risks

The tilt monitoring system, an innovative safety feature of our lifting systems, is specifically designed to monitor the precise alignment and positioning of the lifting carriages. This system plays a crucial role in adapting to components of varying lengths and ensures that safe handling of the loads is possible, even when there is a tilt. By continuously monitoring the relative positions of the lifting carriages, the tilt monitoring system ensures a balanced weight distribution, thereby preventing potential safety risks due to uneven load distribution.

Preventive safety measures: Slack chain monitoring

Slack chain monitoring is another key safety feature in our lifting systems, specifically designed to continuously monitor the condition of the chains that bear the loads. This system immediately detects when a chain slackens or loses tension, which can be an early warning sign of potential issues. By detecting slackness or a possible chain break in a timely manner, preventive measures can be taken to ensure the safety of the operators and the integrity of the load.

The Exterior Also Matters: Extra Protection for the Systems

Since the lifting systems in a galvanizing plant can occasionally come into contact with fumes and cleaning agents, a special coating was chosen to provide effective and long-lasting surface protection. This coating is specifically designed to ensure the durability and functionality of the systems under these conditions by offering robust protection against chemical influences. Furthermore, the thickness of the coating is significantly higher compared to standard applications, which guarantees even better protection and extended service life for the systems.

Efficiency in its purest form: Automation

If you still don’t think, “Fascinating, what lifting systems can do,” maybe our final feature will convince you. In galvanizing plants, the price is usually calculated based on kg of zinc. This means it’s essential to know how much coating has been applied to the black parts. While it used to be common to weigh these parts separately – both before and after galvanizing – this is no longer necessary with our lifting systems. An automated weighing unit, which can also be calibrated, ensures that these extra steps are eliminated. And the best part: the data collected can be directly transferred to the customer’s ERP system via an interface.