A small, exclusive bronze casting studio and foundry in Canada produces the work of various sculptors in bronze. The molds and cast bronze pieces required in the process are extremely varied in size, shape, and weight, but typically nothing exceeds 2,000 lb.
The work area in the shop where these products are handled is approximately 430 sq ft, of which about 100 sq ft are covered by a 1-ton CM electric chain hoist suspended from a column-mounted jib crane, 100 ft in length. This zone is also accessible with a forklift. The remaining 300 sq ft are covered by the forklift exclusively. There is only one entrance to this work cell, resulting in a great deal of congestion.
Fabricating molds, moving them to the foundry area, bringing back cast pieces from the foundry, and assembling/joining pieces into the large completed sculptures is all done in this small area. Moving molds, pieces, and completed sculptures around and over each other by a combination of jib crane and forklift was extremely time consuming and inefficient.
Increasing Efficiency in Tight Space
The owner’s primary goal was to increase the square footage that could be covered by both jib crane and forklift. This increased dual coverage would help the artisans juggle all of the varied materials in the work cell.
Options presented to the customer included:
A. 2,000 lb capacity cantilever jib, mounted to a new fabricated column tied to the existing building column.
B. 2,000 lb capacity mast-style rotating jib.
C. 2,000 lb capacity freestanding workstation bridge crane.
The workstation bridge crane solution (option C) was twice the price of the cantilever jib (option A) and 60% more expensive than the mast jib (option B). It became evident that though the jib solution would increase hoist coverage in one direction, it would drastically reduce coverage in the other.
Versatile System
The better coverage of the workstation bridge crane with movement on both the X and Y axis was the best solution and definitely better met their initial goal.
The solution was a combined 2,000 lb system with floor-mounted support steel at one end and ceiling-mounted support at the other. The length was also increased to allow for maximum coverage and suspension from the existing roof beam. Gorbel's Model GLCSLXX-FS-2000-16.66AL-34-11.335 has met Bronzart’s initial goal and more.
Bronzart’s owner and his fellow artisans are extremely pleased with the decision to install their Gorbel workstation bridge crane. The forklift is now used only at the entrance of the work cell to transfer molds and pieces back and forth to the foundry.
There is no doubt that the material handling efficiency within the work cell has been greatly enhanced with the addition of the Gorbel workstation bridge crane. The owner refers to it as “a very versatile piece of equipment.”
