Any special considerations for an overhead crane installation actually begin during the quotation process. During that process, the overhead crane installer will review generic drawings of the crane equipment and review blueprints or building floor plans to give their best estimate of what it will take to install an in the customer’s facility.
Installing a Crane in a New Construction Facility
Ideally, you’re installing an overhead crane into a new construction facility and the Engineers and Project Managers can work with your building construction contractors right from the start. This gives them more freedom and flexibility to design the building to accommodate an overhead crane system.The manufacturer can provide a construction contractor with crane loads and also help calculate building support requirements for the crane system. The contractor can provide the crane manufacturer with drawings that allow the manufacturer to incorporate the right into the building design and prints. In rare cases, you may be able to design and build the facility around the application of the crane. This truly allows you to accommodate all design requirements including hook height, lift, span, and any foundation or structural requirements. This type of upfront planning is the most cost-effective way to help you accommodate the space required to operate an overhead crane, as well as lay out your production areas, design work cells, and maximize storage and floor space. Heck, if an overhead crane is one of the first items installed in the building, you can even utilize the crane to help with the construction and erection of the building and other equipment in the facility. Installing a Crane in an Existing Building Structure Unfortunately, most crane installations don’t occur in a brand new facility with a flexible installation time frame and a blank slate to design and build the structure around the crane itself. In most cases, the design and engineering team has to retrofit an overhead crane and its support structure into a space that wasn’t originally designed for a crane system. To further complicate things, production is already up and running with employees moving about and machinery and other equipment in operation—all creating obstacles for getting installation equipment and materials into the building. Installing an overhead crane in an existing building requires a thorough understanding of the current building’s structural supports. You will most likely have to bring in a third-party to perform structural surveys of the following:
Support beams or columns
Roofing
Foundation and flooring (concrete, dirt, gravel, etc.)
Any existing runway structures
In most cases, these load surveys need to be performed by a third-party civil or structural engineer and are the responsibility of the customer to coordinate and facilitate prior to the installation. A crane installer may be able to help coordinate the effort, but they will not perform the surveys or load ratings themselves. The results of these ratings can determine if the crane is supported from the roof, is a free-standing design, or can be tied back to existing supports. The deadweight of the crane, or the loads on the structure which remain fixed even when the crane is not performing a lift, need to be considered. Ceiling beams, flooring, and support beams can be reinforced with internal bracing, or can be totally redesigned to spread the load between multiple points versus a single point. Free and Clear Access to the Facility The Project Managers and installers should have a clear understanding of how they’re going to get the crane equipment and any other equipment required for installation into and out of the building and yard. This equipment can include any of the following:
Semi-trucks, trailers, and flatbeds
Mobile installation cranes to lift the bridge and runway beams
Generators