Wall-Mounted Jib Crane Provides Full Machining Coverage without Sacrificing Valuable Floor Space
Overview
Starr Machining, Inc. is an Ohio based machining facility that currently owns and operates eleven CNC lathes and seven CNC mills. Additionally, the facility provides center and center-less grinding, welding, fabrication, and plate burning, as a subcontractor to meet their customer’s unique machining needs. Starr Machining, Inc. has seen constant growth over the past twenty years, and has recently settled into a 31,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Nelsonville, Ohio.
Solution
In 2012, shop managers at Starr Machining, Inc. began to assess the efficiency of their material handling process, which required the use of multiple forklifts and a great deal of manpower to lift heavy parts and load them into machining centers. After speaking with a Material Handling Expert from D.R. Cordell & Associates, Inc., Starr Machining, Inc. decided to purchased and install a one-ton capacity Spanco Wall-Mounted Jib Crane with 200-degree rotation and a full cantilever design. This type of jib crane offers the greatest potential under boom clearance because it can be installed more closely to the ceiling than other wall-mounted styles.
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Impact
According to shop managers at Starr Machining, Inc., although the wall-cantilever jib crane is a new installation, their workers are accustomed to using cranes. They have always used smaller material handling solutions to move heavy parts—many of which weigh more than 75 pounds—but the forklifts and smaller capacity systems were too time consuming and occupied too much floor space in their facility. Now, crane operators at Starr Machining, Inc. are able to move heavy parts in a large circular coverage area that spans up to 30 feet. While the new jib crane provides ample coverage within their facility; it requires no floor space what so ever, which has freed up precious room within their machining and tooling areas.