A beam crane, or a single-girder bridge crane, is a load-lifting mechanism designed to lift and move goods both across the room and along it. Sometimes these devices are made with a manual drive, when the load is lifted and moved by the operator through his muscular strength. A person pulls on a chain passing through a system of blocks and gears to reduce the required effort. However, most often, beam cranes are driven by electric motors, and the operator controls it through a special remote control.
Cable crane remote controls
The most common and easiest way to control lifting devices is a cable remote control. It is also often left as an alternative control method in case of failure of the radio control. The beam crane consists of the following main parts:
- metalwork (bridge), which includes span and end beams with movement drives;
- electric hoist (hoist), which carries out the raising and lowering of the cargo, as well as its movement along the span beam.
Typically, the hoist is supplied with the control panel. If the hoist is purchased specifically to complete the crane beam, then its remote control initially has two additional buttons for controlling the movement of the bridge, and an additional pair of contactors is installed in the electrical panel. Thus, it remains only to hang the hoist on the span beam, connect the movement motors to the hoist electric switchboard - and the crane is ready to work. The conventional hoist has 4 buttons, the crane control panel has 6 buttons.
The main disadvantage of the cable remote control is its low mobility. During the operation of the crane beam, the operator is forced to be in close proximity to the transported cargo, which is unsafe. In addition, a person has to go after the crane beam throughout the workshop. In addition, the cable for the crane control panel eventually wears out of kinks and begins to require replacement.
Crane beam radio control
A more expensive, but also more convenient way to control the load-lifting mechanism is a radio remote control. The radio control kit consists of a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is connected to the electrical panel of the crane beam in the same way as the wired remote control, and the transmitter is located at the operator.
Thus, the person controlling the device is not limited in movement and can be located at a considerable distance from the transported cargo. It is convenient and safe.
In case of failure of the remote control of the crane beam, it is enough to purchase a new one and synchronize it with the receiver through a special program. There is no need to purchase a whole new set of equipment.
Recently, many enterprises, realizing the advantages of remote control of hoisting devices, are massively transferring their crane beams to radio control.
Beam remote controls
This is the most popular version of the remote control, whether it is a cable system or radio control. This is due to the following reasons:
- low cost of manufacture;
- compactness;
- ease of use;
- Button remotes are suitable for most users, since the number of speeds on the crane beam drives rarely exceeds two, and in this case the buttons are more convenient than joysticks.
Frequency control of the crane is very convenient, but it is much more expensive than a conventional relay-contactor circuit, and in case of breakdown requires expensive repair and adjustment. Not every owner of handling equipment can afford such a luxury, so joystick remotes are still in little demand compared to push-button controls.
Joystick remotes
Remote controls are not only push-button, but also joystick. The latter, as a rule, are used on heavy cranes with a frequency control system - joysticks have five levels of movement in each direction, which is convenient for stepwise speed control. In addition, there are many different buttons for connecting additional functions - sound and light alarms, emergency stops, etc. For the convenience of control, the remote control is put on the neck, freeing the operator both hands.
Popular models of cable remotes
The leading positions in the Russian market are occupied by XAS-type consoles. These are Schneider Electric products, however, their Chinese clones are most popular due to the extreme cheapness, relative reliability and high degree of protection against dust and moisture.
Khas control panels are available in a wide range - from two to twelve buttons, equipped with an emergency stop button and a key-mark to prevent unauthorized access to control the crane beam. Buttons can be one-position and two-position, depending on how many speeds for each movement the crane beam has.
The most common radio control
The undisputed flagship of the Russian radio control market is the Taiwanese company Telecrane, which manufactures products under an Italian license. As in the case of XAS remotes, the non-original is much more advantageous in price with comparable quality. The manufacturer provides a wide range of products with various functionalities.
The lifting device can be controlled from a distance of up to 100 meters. The company offers radio control kits with push-button and joystick controls, with a different number of buttons. Depending on the models, it is possible to control the lifting mechanisms with the number of speeds from one to five for each movement.