Background
As the owner of a tool & machine shop, Rodney Fuller was running into some large problems. His customer base was growing, and the parts he was running through his CNC lathes and milling machines were becoming larger and more diverse.
The Problem
“A lot of the parts were smaller, maybe 65 pounds,” said Fuller. “But now we’re getting parts that are 12-inches in diameter, and they weight about 225 pounds.” The larger parts first created the problem of how to handle and load them into the machines. Without an ideal solution, it began to cut into the company’s productivity.
The Solution
Fuller decided to go with a 500 pound capacity Gorbel work station bridge crane. No stranger to Gorbel, he knew the system would be easier to move than an I-beam crane. What made the decision easy was the way the system would maximize the space available.
The system featured custom header to column connections, which brought the 16 foot, 11 inch runways right to the edge of room, allowing wall-to-wall coverage. This tight fit was made possible by installing maintenance gates along the system’s runways, which allow a section of the track to be temporarily removed so the bridge can be installed.