5-Ton HD Bridge Crane to India for Steel Fabrication Plant

Check out our latest 5-ton HD bridge crane delivered to India! Perfect for steel fabrication plants, it boosts efficiency and safety. Discover how it can elevate your operations today!

The customer has a steel fabrication plant in western India. The plant cuts, welds, and assembles structural beams, trusses, and frames for the building and engineering industries. The plant has 5,000 m² covered workshop and 2,000 m² outdoor storage. Due to the limitations of the old facility, operators formerly used a combination of 3-ton cranes and forklifts. These approaches restricted load capacity, reach, and cycle speed. They recently built a new factory to fulfill production demands, thus the customer required a single solution capable of covering all I-beam bays and handling loads weighing up to 5 tons.

The plant spans 5,000 m² of covered workshop and 2,000 m² of outdoor storage. Prior to this project, operators used a mix of 3-ton cranes and forklifts. These methods limited load capacity, coverage, and cycle speed. The customer needed a single solution to span all bays and handle loads up to 5 tons.

Customer Needs And Pre-Implementation Challenges

1. Load Capacity And Coverage

Heavy I-beams weighing up to 4.5 tons required precise handling. The customer sought a 5 ton safe working load (SWL) crane to allow a margin for safety and lifting bundled sections. They also needed a bridge span of 9 m to cover three assembly bays without adding runway supports.

2. Lifting Height And Speed Requirements

Steel sections needed lifting heights of up to 12 m to clear jigs and welding stations. The plant required dual lifting speeds: a fast lift at 5 m/min for load approach, and a slow lift at 0.8 m/min for positioning. Trolley travel needed to run at up to 20 m/min to minimize non-productive transfer time between stations.

3. Safety And Duty Cycle

Operations ran two 10-hour shifts, five days a week. The crane needed an A5 duty rating (125,000 cycles per year) per ISO 4301-1. Safety features such as overload protection and anti-sway control were mandatory to meet Indian factory safety rules and reduce operator risk.

4. Limitations Of Previous Equipment

Existing 3 ton cranes could not lift bundled beams. Forklifts posed collision risks in narrow aisles. Operators spent up to 15 minutes per load on positioning and manual re-rigging. Every year, downtime due to maintenance and failures is high, resulting in huge production losses.

Product Design And Technical Specifications

1. HD Series Single Girder Bridge Crane Structure

We supplied an AQ-HD series single girder bridge crane, load capacity 5 tons, span 9 m, lifting height 12m. The main beam is a welded box section made from Q235B steel. Finite-element analysis verified deflection under full load remains below L/750 of span length.

2. End Carriages And Runway Rails

End carriages use forged steel wheels rolling on 43 kg/m rails. Roller bearings are sealed to IP65 standard to resist dust from grinding and welding. Rails were mounted on pre-aligned steel brackets, requiring no additional civil works.

3. Electric Wire Rope Hoist

The crane features an electric hoist with dual‐speed gearbox. Lift speeds are 0.8 m/min (precision) and 5 m/min (rapid). The hoist holds a steel wire rope with 6×SWL safety factor. The brake is a spring‐applied, magnet‐released design for reliable holding.

4. Trolley And Bridge Travel Drives

The trolley runs at 2–20 m/min via a VFD‐controlled motor. The bridge uses a separate VFD drive for 3–30 m/min travel. Both drives include soft‐start and soft‐stop functions, reducing jerk and load swing.

5. Control And Safety Devices

Pendant Control: Dead-man switch, emergency stop.
Overload Limiter: Strain gauge sensor cuts power at 100% SWL.
Limit Switches: Upper/lower hoist and end-travel stops.
Anti-Sway Control: VFD-based acceleration ramps.
IP54 Enclosures: Dust and splash protection for motors and control panels.

Advantages Of The 5 Ton HD Bridge Crane

1. Higher Load Capacity And Reduced Fleet Size

Replacing two 3 ton cranes and forklifts with a single 5 ton unit simplified maintenance and reduced capital equipment by 40%. The new crane handles the full range of loads up to 4.5 tons without re-rigging.

2. Faster Cycle Times And Throughput

With rapid lift and trolley speeds, average load-to-load time fell from 15 minutes to 4 minutes— a 73% reduction. Daily handling capacity increased from 40 to 130 lifts, boosting steel section throughput by 225%.

3. Enhanced Safety And Reliability

Overload protection and anti-sway features eliminated load drift and over-tension events. No lifting-related incidents occurred in the first six months. Sealed bearings and VFD drives cut electrical and mechanical faults by 60%.

4. Lower Maintenance Costs

Since the newly installed 5-ton HD bridge crane adopts modular design, many parts require almost no maintenance, so the annual maintenance time of the crane is also greatly reduced, the frequency of component damage is also greatly reduced, and the spare parts inventory is reduced by 30%.

Implementation And Operational Results

1. Installation And Commissioning

Delivery to the Mumbai site took eight weeks from order. Installation required five days: rail alignment, beam placement, hoist mounting, and wiring. Commissioning included static proof load test at 125% SWL and dynamic trials at full speed, documented per EN 13001 guidelines.

2. Operator Training And Handover

We provided two days of on-site training. Operators practiced load handling, emergency procedures, and daily inspection routines. Each received an operation manual, wiring diagram, and maintenance checklist.

Adaptability To Diverse Operational Environments

The 5 ton bridge crane is designed to operate in a variety of conditions without sacrificing performance. Its customizable features, strong construction, and available protective treatments enable it to suit the needs of both indoor and outdoor applications. The examples below show typical conditions in which this crane shines.

1. Indoor Steel Workshop

In facilities with a 7 m clear height, the crane's low-headroom trolley fits snugly beneath existing structures. You can mount the hoist close to the main girder, maximizing lift height. It moves steel plates between cutting, welding, and painting cells without interrupting workflow or requiring extra floor space.

2. Outdoor Storage Yard

Equipped with an IP54-rated motor and galvanized guards on the end carriages, the crane resists dust, moisture, and UV exposure. It safely transfers 4 ton beam bundles from delivery trucks onto storage racks. Its corrosion-resistant finish reduces maintenance even under harsh weather.

3. High-Bay Assembly Hall

The crane, which has a variable-speed drive and can span up to 9 m, covers many welding bays with overhead lighting and crane rails. Operators can position large steel frames with millimeter accuracy. Multiple cranes in the same hall are unnecessary due to their great reach and seamless motion.

4. Precast Concrete Production

The crane lifts and moves up to 5 ton concrete molds and panels. It integrates with casting beds and curing racks, speeding up mold changes and panel transfers.

5. Automotive Assembly Lines

In assembly zones, it hoists engine blocks, transmissions, and body-in-white fixtures. This reduces manual strain and keeps production flowing on just-in-sequence lines.

6. Logistics And Warehousing

In distribution centers, the crane moves palletized loads up to 5 tons across order-picking lanes and cross-dock areas. Its quick positioning cuts handling time and forklift traffic.

7. Power Generation Equipment Handling

Utilities use the crane to lift 5 ton generators, turbine components, and transformer cores during installation and maintenance.

Conclusion

The 5-ton HD series single girder overhead travelling crane delivered to the Indian steel fabrication plant meets all the customer's requirements for load capacity, span coverage, lifting height and duty cycle. It breaks through the limitations of previous equipment by reducing cycle times, improving safety, increasing uptime and reducing maintenance costs, making it ideal for newly established plants. In addition to steel fabrication, the crane is also suitable for precast concrete, vehicle assembly, warehousing and power generation.