Crane systems that suits

Niko Crane Systems SA (Niko) was given the job of designing a light crane system to cover the production line of a printing company when it moved into its new manufacturing facility in Daventry, UK. The company had outgrown its previous building and the new facility offered more space and the opportunity to design their ideal layout.

Niko worked closely with the customer to design a layout to streamline its production. The result was a light crane system to cover each of the seven production lines. The seven light cranes provide a lifting coverage of 846sqm. The steelwork was carefully designed not to interfere with the customer’s machinery or operations. The cranes were drawn in Solidworks and overlayed on the customer’s production layout design so the customer was fully aware of what they were getting.

Niko opted to use freestanding gallows supports to hold up the crane, these are a cost effective solution which take up minimal space. The central legs were designed to support the runways of two cranes, which limited the number of legs. All steelworks were designed, fabricated, and finished by Niko’s experienced team.

All seven bridges were supplied at 350kg SWL and between 7 to 9m long, this falls comfortably into the Niko track capabilities which can offer 2000kg SWL. These cranes use two of the track reinforcement designs, the runways have a plate reinforcement which will span up to 6m and the bridge a ladder design which will span up to 10m.

These systems were all manual travel taking advantage of the free running Niko track which takes very little force to move. All light cranes are rigidly mounted without articulated supports and end carriages. One end carriage is designed to float to prevent the bridge from snagging or crabbing. The rigid design offers extremely accurate load positioning with limited overrunning or snaking. These cranes are being used to maintain and change the roller on the printing machine, the accuracy makes the process quicker and easier for the user. The light cranes also reduce the loads on the users and downtime of the machine.

A powered travel option was discussed with the client, but Niko Cranes’ team would only recommend it for heavier loads, to handle large items or to lift over obstructions. Thus, the optimum solution for customer’s need was manual travel which offers a quick and cost-effective solution. The only powered operation is the lifting which is required to speed up the process.

These cranes were supplied without electric chain hoists as the customer used existing hoists from their old factory. With a large selection of load trolleys, Niko Crane Systems supplied these products as they’re compatible with all hoist manufacturers.

The customer was extremely impressed with the installation, fulfilling all its lifting needs. Another competitively priced system designed and supplied for a trade customer to install and commission.

Niko Crane Systems SA is the new division of Niko – Helm Hellas SA – a manufacturer with 50 years’ experience – focused on providing complete solutions in the lifting industry.