Tackling, lifting and rotating heavy machinery–these are tasks for a cable gantry. SCHOLPP relies on these versatile systems for its installation work–often in combination with hydraulic and mechanical lifting gantries–especially when installing printing presses.
There is no substitute for decades of experience. This is also true for SCHOLPP and its tailor-made cable gantries, which have a wide range of advantages and are regularly used on site. SCHOLPP recently used the system to handle an installation project for a regional printing and publishing company in Upper Bavaria. We were tasked with bringing in and exactly positioning a new double-width newspaper press. Cable gantries are usually combined with hydraulic and/or mechanical lifting gantries. Read more about our hydraulic lifting gantries at www.scholpp.de/hydraulische-hubgerueste [1].
“Using a cable gantry in conjunction with modular lifting gantries is much more effective. They are easy to integrate into any hall on a temporary basis when needed–unlike an indoor crane,” explained Jörg Kellner, divisional head and authorized signatory at the SCHOLPP site in Erfurt. This is because spatial conditions and height are important factors in halls. The latter can be increased all the way up to twelve meters when using a lifting gantry with an adapter. All safety-relevant movements of the gantry are monitored by an electronic control system.
Training is everything
The SCHOLPP employees responsible for this regularly attend training courses at the SCHOLPP Academy, where they learn how to set up the mobile unit and practice how to operate cable gantries. Jörg Kellner, in turn, is responsible for planning and deployment.
A cable gantry often consists of a slender and broad tower with the trolley and hook attached to a bridge or girder structure at the top. The hydraulically extendable tower sections and infinitely adjustable drive technology ensure that machines weighing several metric tons can be lifted and shifted to the left and right as required. “The more steel cable winches we use, the more weight we can ultimately lift,” explained Kellner. Cable gantries are often used for placing machinery in its final position with extreme sensitivity and absolute precision.
Half a century of tradition
SCHOLPP used the first mechanical lifting gantries as flexible lifting portals back in the 1970s. This made the industrial installation company a pioneer in the use of lifting technology, revolutionizing it in terms of height, performance and span. Each decade saw new technical advances; today, SCHOLPP operates a large number of different lifting gantries in various sizes, types, and versions. “We are prepared for any application–regardless of the dimensions and complexity involved,” Kellner emphasized. In addition to mechanical, hydraulic, and combination lifting gantries, SCHOLPP is also known for its customized products, which are adapted to suit the goods to be assembled and the relevant technical and spatial requirements.
At the turn of the millennium, the printing industry saw a boom in heavy-duty and completely pre-assembled printing units. Most customers now favor turnkey solutions. These let the customer take delivery of a press and put it into operation immediately without any additional work. That is why SCHOLPP discusses the best approach in advance with both the customer and the machine manufacturer. Regardless of the order volume and amount of work involved, SCHOLPP then needs between three and six months for basic planning and the preliminary set-up. Set-up is usually completed within a week, depending on how much equipment is involved.
“Every order is unique”
Lifting technology is a key element of modern industrial installation techniques. However, the focus is no longer on strength, robustness, and load-bearing capacity. Precision and variability now play an equally decisive role. In order to meet specifications regarding load capacity, span width, and lifting height, SCHOLPP intelligently assembles the modules like a stable construction kit. “Every order is unique and has a very individual feel–that’s what makes it so exciting,” said Jörg Kellner, recalling three exciting projects abroad:
In Turkey, SCHOLPP erected a cable gantry with a span of 14 meters, which is unrivaled to this day. In the USA, SCHOLPP installed supports across several floors to stabilize ceilings so that machines could be transported between floors as required. In Australia, SCHOLPP experts designed a special ramp for West Australian Newspapers. The highlight of this project was the mobile mechanical lifting gantry, which was used to hoist machine components weighing several metric tons into the new production hall and position them there.
Despite these and other innovative technical solutions that have been developed over the last few years, cable gantries are reaching their limits in terms of weight and height. “60 metric tons and twelve meters are the maximum due for structural-engineering reasons,” said Jörg Kellner. Nevertheless, the customized cable gantries and modular lifting gantries remain SCHOLPP’s unique selling proposition, enabling the company to handle challenging tasks in Germany and around the world.