How to Select Suitable Material Handling Equipment

Currently owing the economic fast developing speed, people are paying more and more attention to the efficiency. So the material handling equipment is widely used to help improve the efficiency.

What is the material handling equipment?

Material handling equipment is used for the vertical lifting and horizontal traveling tools. Material lifting equipment including overhead/bridge crane, gantry crane, jib crane, port crane, truck crane and hoist, etc

What should know before selecting material handling equipment?

As there are plenty material handling equipment, how could we choose the suitable lifting equipment for your application?? What kind information should we know at first? Generally, the following information affects the selection of the material handling equipment.

• A) Working area: inside or outside of the warehouse
• B) Lifting capacity: the max weight of the lifting cargo
• C) Lifting height: the distance from the ground to lifting tools
• D) Span: working area width
• E) Working class: Light duty or high duty
• F) Working speed: Fast/low speed or double/single/inverter speed
• G) Control method: Cabinet control/remote control/pendent control
• H) Working temperature: the standard working temperature of crane is -25--40 ℃ and we have to take some measures if beyond this area.

Besides the information above, maybe more information is required before designing the specific material handling equipment for specific application. If you have any doubts, please contact specialists for more consultation.

Material handling equipment case

In order to give you a better understand of the material handling equipment selection, the following Russian project is presented for your reference. The material handling equipment is required to lift marble outside the warehouse. Whereas the general information is like the following:

• Most marble is about 5tons, but usually they deliver the marble within the 20GP container with max weight 30tons.
• They lift 5tons about 90% and 30tons 10%.
• The working area width is about 20meters and length is about 100metrs.

What kind of material handling equipment will you choose for the marble handling, based on the information above? Now let’s analysis step by step.

Information analysis

From the inquiry, what kind information can we read?
1) They used the crane outside. It means customer plan to install the crane outside and as we know there is no column, support I beam, etc steel structure to support the crane. So we shall advise him the gantry crane type.
2) They lift 5tons and 30tons.This means this is one double hook crane 30/5tons.
3) They need to lift the 20GP container. Then we have to consider the lifting tools. As we know there is the professional lifting tools used to lift container. Then advised to him.
4) They are one Russian customer. It means the working temperature is out of the crane standard. Then we have to consider the steel which can bear the cold weather and advised them the Q345B steel material.
5) Span length is 20meters.
6) How about the lifting height? Some people will say customer did not mention it and we shall ask the customer again. Had not the customer say the lifting height?
Actually the customer did not mention it clearly, but we still can read it from the inquiry. Customer says they need to load the 20GP container. The 20GP container height is 2.35m and truck max height is 4.1m, then 2.35m plus 1.4m, the lifting height shall be above 6.45m.
7) Crane working area length is 100meters.This means the crane traveling length is 100meters.As we know there are two sides of the crane, so the totally traveling length should be 100meters*2.
8) The customer also says they lift 5tons about 90% and 30tons about 10%.Then it means the light duty crane is ok. Then we can advised them the single girder gantry crane with two hoist. When customer lift 5tons, just remain the 30tons at the side; On the contrary, when lift 30tons, just remain the 5tons at side.

With the above analysis, the specification of the lifting crane can be summarized as follow:

• Crane type: Single girder gantry crane
• Lifting capacity: 30/5tons
• Lifting height: 6.5m(Above 6.45m)
• Span: 20m
• Working temperature:-40-20℃
• Traveling length:100 meters*2

Lifting equipment design

With the above information, the technical department designs the single girder gantry crane for the marble plant, and the design drawing of the crane is as follow:

Single girder gantry crane for material handling 

Material handling equipment drawing confirmation

The material handling equipment drawing and the price calculated based on the design will be sent to the client for further confirming. With further communication, the final solution will be worked out, which will be the most suitable one the specific application.

So friend, have you got any idea on the material handling crane choosing? If you have any problem on material handling, please feel free to contact us. Dongqi Crane is dedicated to offer you the most suitable material handling equipment for you.