Safe turning at the push of a button
Turning processes of heavy loads with the aid of lifting devices are often associated with risks. In order to minimize and/or exclude such dangers, it is often reasonable to use special lifting beams for reversing.
Many industrial manufacturing steps require turning of the respective products for further processing or handling purposes. The mass of the heavy loads also entails the risks of (workplace) accidents, in particular, due to the fact that the respective products are not always furnished with or cannot be furnished with appropriate attachment points for lifting and/or turning.
As far as minor and smallest loads such as plastic parts are concerned, handling, in its literal sense, is only associated with low risks of accidents. However, it is a different situation in the precast concrete industry where individual components weighing several tons have to be moved within the manufacturing process – even around their own axis.
Operation by radio control
The Beta Maschinenbau company based in the German town of Heringen has developed reversing devices that are exactly appropriate for said applications, which are of course also applicable to the heavy industry or the mechanical engineering industry. At present, the overall product line consists of nine standard lifting beams covering gripping width between 1,000 and 6,000 mm. The maximal load capacities possible for the respective design range between 5,000 and 30,000 kg. In addition, the company also realizes customized designs that can be precisely adapted to the respective application.
The key features of the lifting beam series TWV made by Beta include, for example, the belt reels driven by electric motors, which provide for the movement of the two endless belts. The latter with a stated stan-dard length of 8 m can be individually selected. For smooth adjustment of the load suspension device (gripping width), the lifting beams are equipped with smooth-running traveling gears allowing for exactly positioning the belt reels above the attachment points. The center eye for load balancing can be moved by electric motors. It is moreover possible to use the lifting beams for reversing in one or two crane operation. The device is actually operated by means of radio remote control. The power supply of the lifting beam can either be provided from the crane or from the floor.
Specialist in precast products
One of the users of a corresponding reversing device is the Swiss company Favre Betonwaren AG based in Däniken in the Canton of Solothurn. The company manufacturing concrete products and customized products, which is part of the Müller-Steinag Group, is rooted regionally and nationally. In the field of concrete products the expertise of the company with a workforce of about 60 people lies in the manufacture of products for civil engineering and road construction, tree root protection systems as well as products for cable construction. These products are sold by the sales organization Creabeton Baustoff AG. In the field of customized products, which are sold by Müller-Steinag Element AG, Favre is specialized in precast concrete elements for building construction and civil engineering as well as ground, railroad and road construction. With the Faverit noise barrier elements of superabsorbent lava concrete, Favre is the leading company in this field, according to information given by the company.
Favre mentioned the increasing need of handling large-scale and heavy elements as reason for purchasing a Beta lifting beam. Up to now, the corresponding elements were turned by tilting them onto sand bags. For elements weighing more than 16 t, it was so far necessary to adapt the distance of the attachment point to the overhead cranes running in tandem operation. Taking the minimum edge distance of the anchors into account, the elements needed a minimum length of 6 m. With the Beta lifting beam for reversing, we are now also in the position to manufacturer compact elements and transfer them to storage, thanks to the additional attachment points.
