CraneTech, Inc. has installed overhead cranes and hoists at Applied Aerospace in Stockton, California.
Overseeing all material handling operations at Applied Aerospace is Christopher Hansen, P.E., Plant Engineering Manager. He said: “I am required to research, specify, select, approve, acquire, oversee installation and maintain equipment — pretty much everything. We build lightweight fragile composite structures, and we demand that our cranes perform flawlessly for safety and quality.”
Hansen has been working with R&M Materials Handing, Inc. distributor, CraneTech, for nearly two decades, over which time a number of installation, maintenance, repair and upgrade projects have been completed.
Application
A 420,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility sits on a 25-acre site that centers on the movement of aerospace parts and structures via tooling carts, forklifts and bridge cranes.
Material handling equipment was required in a new building to lift lightweight spacecraft structures, weighing under 1,000 lbs. Hansen knew who to call — Dave Spears, Regional Manager — West at CraneTech.
Challenge
Given the unique nature of the manufacturing environment, most of the loads require very specific tooling for lifting. Additionally, it was discovered only after the order was placed that a fire sprinkler pipe in the new building would present a low headroom obstruction that the crane would have to clear…