Design Guide for Overhead Crane

The basic design for an overhead crane is pretty simple, a hoist mechanism is suspended or mounted upon a guide way running between two supports. A design guide for overhead cranes is needed because of all of the features being added to them.

In the United States a wide variety of safety features and mechanisms are mandated on overhead cranes by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). OSHA is the federal agency charged with overseeing workplace safety which includes overhead cranes.

Any overhead crane installed in the United States will have to comply with OSHA regulations and standards. This means that OSHA regulations and standards will have to be part of any design guide for overhead cranes in the United States.

All overhead cranes in the United States also have to pass an OSHA mandated inspection every two years. Cranes that don’t can not be legally operated in the US. This means the design guide should take this inspection into account as well.

Increasing Complexity of Overhead Cranes

The main reason for the design guide for overhead cranes is the increasing complexity of overhead cranes. A wide variety of features and accessories are being added to overhead cranes as more and more uses are found for these useful devices.

The design guide will have to take the use for which the crane is intended into consideration. One of the main considerations is the load capacity or the amount that the crane will be designed to lift. The heavier the load capacity the stronger the hoist and the more substantial the crane support structure that will be needed.

Another consideration is the way in which the crane will be used. Will it be used primarily as a lifting mechanism or a transportation system? If the crane is to be used as a transportation system, it will have to be a traveling crane which will require more engineering.

The degree of automation required will also have to be considered in the design guide for overhead cranes. Completely automated cranes will require more electronic controls and different safety features.

The degree of operator control will have to be considered as well. Will there be one crane operator or several? Some organizations require special training for crane operators, while others let anybody use the crane.

Crane Location

The location of the crane determines the type of crane to be used and the requirements of the design guide for overhead cranes. Cranes that will be used outside will have to be bridge or gantry cranes. Cranes used inside can be monorail and other cranes that can be mounted on the ceiling.

When a crane is to be mounted on the ceiling or directly to a building the load capacity of the building has to be taken into account. The building must be capable of supporting the loads lifted by the crane. The crane must also be able to operate safely without interfering with the work done on the factory floor.

There maybe separate design guides for different types of overhead cranes. Cranes inside buildings can be part of integrated materials handling systems or production process. This requires an entirely different design guide for overhead cranes.