Finest quality travelling crane for Il Cantiere
16/02/2011 VERLINDE
Il Cantiere recently installed a latest technology overhead travelling crane at its factory in Fiume Veneto. The crane was built by Handel Sollevamenti using a Verlinde electric wire rope hoist.Established in 2006, Il Cantiere was born of an innovative project devised by entrepreneur Cinzia Palazzetti and designer Gigi Rossi, based on a simple, but revolutionary concept: to introduce the extraordinary properties of cement into sectors where it would have been unthinkable to use it until only a short time ago. All this was made possible thanks to the enormous quality potential of innovative cement mixtures that now offer better performance than ordinary cement while considerably reducing thickness and therefore weight, without compromising resistance and solidity. In particular, Il Cantiere works with a special type of cement, called Ductal, patented by the world's leading manufacturer, Lafarge.
Classified as an "ultra high-performance concrete", Ductal is a product with cutting-edge technology and exceptional technical features thanks to its special composition and the organic fibres included in the paste, which take the place of the usual rebar cages and provide a finished product with performance well above the norm. With a completely mineral composition and no resins, Ductal is therefore ecologically sustainable and has a very fine grain, so that it can adhere to and faithfully reproduce any texture. Its resistance to compression is four to eight times greater than traditional cement; as a result, complex architectural forms can be cast that are also extremely lightweight. In addition, thanks to its ductility, it provides significant resistance to bending stress and withstands deformation better.
Il Cantiere has created and used special moulds made of wood, rubber, resin, steel, polycarbonate, plastic and even Ductal itself, developing know-how about casting Ductal that is unique in the world. In the new Fiume Veneto factory, in the province of Pordenone, every phase of production from the creation of prototypes to industrial engineering is the result of a constant research effort. The company's in-depth knowledge of lightweight metal structures, acquired for the production of moulds, means it can offer an additional turnkey service.
To lift and handle the moulds, Il Cantiere decided to install a double girder, overhead travelling crane built by Handel Sollevamenti of Porcia, also in Pordenone province, using a Verlinde electric wire rope hoist and travelling end truck.
Silent, fast and versatile
Designed and developed entirely by Handel Sollevamenti, the purpose of this crane is to lift and rotate moulds. The travelling crane has a number of distinctive construction features. First of all, with a span of 30 m it is the longest travelling crane in the Pordenone area. At full-load (5100 kg), sag is only 11 mm and the crane has no festoon cables thanks to the use of cable-chain track and radio remote control. In addition, the Verlinde electric wire rope hoist is very fast and silent. "The entire structure between the bulkheads was built in S355 (ex Fe510), ensuring minimum deformation of the beams and optimum structural rigidity. Thanks to reduced deformation, the annoying noises generally made by lifting devices in operation have been eliminated," according to Federico Alcido, the Handel Sollevamenti Sales Manager. "When the crane moves you don't hear it."
"I've known Handel Sollevamenti for some time because I had already worked regularly with them," said Bruno Rivenotto, a qualified industrial technician and the company Buyer and Head of Prevention and Protection at Il Cantiere. "All the same, we conducted a thorough market survey, evaluating technical features and costs before we decided on the product. From a technical point of view, we were attracted to the Handel Sollevamenti solution because it enabled us to match up the functions of the two areas into which our basic plant is divided. The crane turned out to be very versatile and silent, and also means we have the possibility of using higher speeds."
Appearance to the eye was also important: the crane is actually pleasing on the eye and was welded with great care. "Our products for garden furnishing and interior/exterior furniture are linked to our architecture," Rivenotto explained. "Our efficiency in handling the finished products is automatically also transferred to our plant. Attention must therefore also be devoted to all aspects of the plants in order to ensure they are of best quality and reliable when in operation. Our requirements for functionality and total product quality, and of dependability of the fitters in maintenance and technical assistance, led us to choose Handel Sollevamenti. The choice of Verlinde products by Handel Sollevamenti simply confirmed the competence and experience of the company. Before making the final decision, I asked the supplier to see another crane built based on Verlinde components. I saw that the plant I visited was perfectly functional and very similar to what we were aiming for. At that point, we made our decision without any further hesitation."
The Verlinde plus points
Handel Sollevamenti manufacture and install bridge and jib cranes. "We chose Verlinde hoist and end truck because our customers are appreciative of the advantages these products bring: few substitutions of spare parts, silent operation, speed, etc. In addition, the Verlinde wire rope hoist are robust, easy to mount, and maintenance is also very simple. This also makes them suitable for applications that will be sent abroad. The positive factors are thus numerous so that when we install a Verlinde hoist, our customer will generally ask for another when they design a new plant later," said Mr. Alcido.
"There are many types of bridge cranes but those built with Verlinde components are at the top of the range," continued the Handel Sollevamenti Sales Manager. "Since Rivenotto knew and appreciated our company from when he was factory manager for another well-known company in Pordenone, he decided to engage us to produce a safe, long-lasting plant. Thanks to the structure and precision of the parts, the new crane is sure to have a very long service life."
The structure built by Handel Sollevamenti in S355 (ex Fe510) was lowered to reduce manoeuvring space. It took six weeks to fabricate the block, while construction of the crane and assembly at the Il Cantiere factory took less than 20 days.
The Handel Sollevamenti philosophy is to manufacture top quality products with great attention to detail, even if the price is higher than those of its competitors. "Note that our products are present all over the world," said Mr. Alcido. This success comes from the attention we devote to our customers and their requirements. "Anyone can get on in selling, but not everyone can give advice," he emphasized. "Our father's idea when he founded the company was that the customer must get full satisfaction. To be sure that we respect this principle, we do everything as if it was for ourselves. That's because when we do things for ourselves, we always do them better." And that is why we choose Verlinde, whose products have been known for their high quality standards for 150 years.
For more information visit the website www.verlinde.com.
Print this articleShare article:
Process and Control Today are not responsible for the content of submitted or externally produced articles and images. Click here to email us about any errors or omissions contained within this article.