| Around the clock |
Paper roll transport with high availability
SCA Hygiene Products GmbH, Mannheim, invested in a crane when it restructured its production line for domestic wipes and cloths and equipped two workshop bays with new machinery. Fitted with a lockable rotating spreader bar, the crane has a load capacity of eight tonnes and a span dimension of 20 metres.
The high availability is necessary as the crane has to operate around the clock, seven days a week. If the crane were unable to operate, the production line would come to a standstill. For this reason, the paper manufacturer has concluded a maintenance agreement with Demag, which includes defines maintenance intervals and regular safety inspections. There is a maximum window of opportunity of three hours per week for this to be carried out. On-call standby was also agreed. This means that any malfunctions have to be eliminated immediately, also at weekends and during the night. A Demag service engineer has to visit SCA Hygiene Products within four hours after a corresponding message has been received.
The single-girder overhead travelling crane serves a domestic wipe production machine with rolls of paper. The rolls measure up to three metres in diameter and 2.7 metres in width. They weigh three to four tonnes. A spreader bar with two hooks is used as the load handling attachment. The crane uses it to pick up the rolls of paper by the pins that are fitted into the tubes of the rolls. The crane then positions and locks the relevant roll exactly above the support of the machine and lowers it precisely by means of a DR 10 rope hoist. SCA Hygiene Products benefit from the favourable approach dimensions provided by the C-shape design of the DR 10. Further benefits of the hoist unit are its high lifting and travel speeds. In addition, the DR 10 provides high availability and, therefore, greater efficiency.
The production machine is fitted with three unrollers to enable rolls of triple-ply domestic paper to be produced. For each unroller, there is an additional support that accommodates a replenishment roll. As soon as the previous roll has been used up, the replenishment roll is lowered by the crane and integrated into the production operation. On average, it has to fit a new roll approximately every ten minutes. The crane, which is also used to provide support for maintenance work, was already used for erection of the winding machine.
Before placing the order, SCA Hygiene Products had specified the requirements to be met by the single-girder overhead travelling crane. Besides high availability and exact positioning, the customer required a rotating spreader and classification in a high FEM group. Modifications to optimise the solution were then discussed and decided together with Demag. These included the ability to lock the rotating spreader bar and exactly defined hook widths, to ensure that the paper rolls can be precisely lowered into the machine.
SCA Hygiene Products decided in favour of Demag Cranes & Components as the supplier offered the most complete solution and the best value for money. For example, Demag proposed reinforced rolled beam girders instead of box-section girders for the crane runways.
In addition to the single-girder overhead travelling crane, the paper manufacturer invested in a double-girder overhead travelling crane with a load capacity of ten tonnes for a new decolourising facility. This crane, which is primarily used for maintenance purposes or to assist with machine repairs, was supplied by Demag with a DR rope hoist. The crab can be used as a platform, in the same way as the working platform installed on the crane at the request of the customer, which also enables ventilation openings and strip lights under the ceiling to be reached.
About Demag Cranes & Components
Demag Cranes & Components GmbHbased in Wetter/ Ruhr is a subsidiary of Demag Cranes AG and a supplier of industrial cranes and crane components for material flow, logistics and industrial drive applications. Services, such as spare parts, maintenance and refurbishment services, are another key element of the Group’s business activities. With more than 650,000 “Demag” brand electric cranes and hoists for industrial applications in operation, Demag Cranes & Component has the largest installed base worldwide and operates in 20 countries with some 4,900 employees.
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Contact:
Corporate Communications
Demag Cranes & Components
Mr Christoph Kreutzenbeck
Tel. +49 (0) 2335 / 92-7333
