Every centimeter counts: a crane for confined spaces

Kurtz Ersa builds foam and casting machines at its site in Kreuzwertheim. The high-performance machines are used all over the world - whether for the low-pressure casting of engine blocks or the foaming of helmets or shoe soles. In order to manufacture these high-precision machines, Kurtz Ersa relies on 235 years of experience, well-trained staff and state-of-the-art machinery. At the beginning of August 2015, Kurtz Ersa put a new moving column milling machine into operation, which works with an accuracy of 0.017 mm per ten meters and can now also be used to process larger and heavier components. However, neither the existing crane nor the crane runway were designed for the required load capacity of 16 tons. Designing a new 16-ton crane for the existing crane runway proved to be more difficult than expected and presented some crane builders with unsolvable problems.

943 millimeters high... viewed from the side, the rope hoists disappear completely behind the crane bridge, only the hooks are visible.

With an overall height of 943 millimetres from the upper edge of the wire rope hoist to the lower edge of the hook, Oeder supplied a special crane that utilizes the lifting height of up to 236 millimetres below the crane runway and still manages with the limited space above the crane runway. "The starting point was a standard crane kit from Stahl CraneSystems with two 8-ton wire rope hoists from the compact SH series - coupled with our motto: When space is tight, we're the right ones," says Rudolf Lang. His solution is based on a series of special designs that would not be possible with a standard crane. "We had to come up with a special design for the crane bridge," explains Rudolf Lang: "On this crane, two SH wire rope hoists with modified trolleys run on internal rails between the bridge girders. This and a modified spacing of the boogie endcarriages were the only way to make the crane so compact."

Remote control by radio

The load is transferred to coupled crane endcarriages with a total of 8 wheels so that the maximum load capacity of the crane runway is not exceeded. The display on the radio remote control shows how much load is actually hanging on the hooks. The crane also has the necessary safety equipment for tandem operation, which can be activated by remote control and enables the safe lifting of heavy and long workpieces. Norbert Jonas, Production Manager at Kurtz Ersa, is also more than satisfied with the new crane: "It takes inventors like Rudolf Lang and his colleagues to design a crane to these specifications - a remarkable achievement and a technically convincing crane. We will certainly be approaching Stahl- und Kranbau Oeder again for future projects."

Jan Türk

Contact:

Kurtz Holding GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG 97892 Kreuzwertheim Phone: 0 93 42 / 8 07-0 E-Mail:

SKO Oeder Stahl- und Kranbau GmbH & Co. KG 90542 Eckental Tel.: 0 91 26 / 29 33 28-0 E-Mail: [email protected] www.stahlundkranbauoeder.de

Stahl CraneSystems GmbH D-74653 Künzelsau Tel.: 0 79 40 / 1 28-0 E-Mail: [email protected] www.stahlcranes.com